Butz & Frederick Finalize MWC Team of the Year Honors

Kopf & Miller grab MWC East Division Team of the Year --

Presented by North American Fishing Club

Dunkirk, NY – The final tournament of the 2008 qualifying season has drawn to a close and a number of winners have been finalized. First off, kudos extend to MWC East Veteran anglers Nate Capton of Niagara Falls, NY and Dave Waldeck of Sanborn, NY for winning the Dunkirk, New York tournament on the Eastern basin of Lake Erie. The two have fished the MWC East since its inception in 2004 and have been tournament fishing for 11 years together. This was their first circuit victory which netted a cool $12,688, plus, the Mercury bonus of $500 and the Oxygenator bonus of $200 for a total of $13,388. Their five fish on day one were 25.38 pounds and they surged to the top on the final day with a five fish basket weighing 33.61 pounds for a two day total of 58.99 pounds.

“This is the greatest feeling I’ve had since my grand-kids were born,” said a smiling Dave Waldeck. And it wasn’t just the thrill of the money. According to Nate Capton, “I play for these,” as he gestured to the beautiful custom-made MWC trophies in their hands. “The money gets spent but these let you treasure your win into the future.”

Living in the area allowed Capton and Waldeck a little more pre-fishing opportunity than most of the field. They were on the water as much as they could be in the last two weeks. They trolled Dipsey Divers (1 & 3) in black and purple 150’ to 180’ back with spinners rigged with purple beads and gold shiner #5 Colorado blades with 20 lb. fireline and 30 lb. stranded stainless steel wire. They felt the key to their success was using longer leaders (8’-12’) and getting the speed right – 1.8 to 2.0 mph. “Too slow and they dive too deep,” shared Waldeck, “and too fast and you’re just pulling it away from their faces.”

Bob Henton and Lance Conner from Spartansburg, Pennsylvania had the lead on day one and finished in second place with 56.49 pounds. They cashed in $5,352. They also cashed in on the Ranger Cup bonus of $1,000 for a total of $6,352.

Brothers Rich and Mark Fike from Farmington, Pennsylvania not only grabbed third place with their 52.21 pounds (9 fish) but also grabbed big fish cash each day. They had second place big fish on day two with 9.45 pounds and third place on day one with 8.47 pounds. Their big fish cash totaled $625 plus third place paid out $3,440 for a total of $4,065.

Fourth place went to another Pennsylvania team – Ryan Rieger of Elizabeth and Greg Knopick of Warren for their ten fish weight of 50.97 pounds, paying out $2,750. Rieger is also on Team FCIS (Farm and City Insurance Services) and received an additional $250 for a total of $3,000.

Fifth place went to Bob Devine of Windsor, Ontario and Steve Velte of Belleville, Michigan for their ten fish limit weighing 50.08 pounds. Add the $500 Ranger Cup/Mercury Motors bonus, plus $100 from the National Professional Anglers Association (NPAA) to their payout of $2,400 and they took home $3,000.

Other sponsor bonus contingencies were awarded as follows:

Toyota Tundra $1,000 bonus to Alan Baumgardner of Essex, MD. He fished with Jeff Lash of North Lawrence, OH and finished in 19th place.

NPAA $100 bonus to Jeff Manz of Vanderbilt, MI and Greg Yarbrough of Port Clinton, OH. They came in 6th place with 50.01 pounds. They had the biggest basket of the tournament on the second day at 34.91 pounds. Sixth place paid $2,200 for a total $2,300.

The anglers enjoyed the hospitality and the fishing enthusiasm of the Dunkirk community. “We’ve really enjoyed hosting the anglers in our town,” shared Mayor Frey on the opening night rules meeting. “We want you to come back often.”

The honors of Team of the Year were solidified once the Dunkirk results were in and finalized. Wisconsin anglers Wayne Butz (Hobart) and Don “Freddie” Frederick (Appleton) finished well at the Saginaw Bay tournament and weren’t fishing Dunkirk. They were, however, excited about their new role as Team of the Year for the top fishing team-format walleye tournament circuit in the world – the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit. “This is a great honor for Freddie and I,” shared Butz via phone. “We’ve worked so hard and come so close other years – this is just awesome.”

Butz and Frederick cash in $13,000 for the honor of Team of the Year and will receive huge custom-made MWC trophies that are impressive to look at – and even more impressive to win. They will also win 14k gold custom MWC Team of the Year rings.

The top five teams share in the $20,000 Team of the Year purse. The next four teams each take home $1,750 for their excellent seasons:

2nd place for MWC Challenge Team of the Year with 79.05 points - Matt Davis of Marion, OH and Dan Gies of Huron, OH.

3rd place for MWC Challenge Team of the Year with 82.24 points – Jim Preissner of Hastings, MN & Jeff Russell of Grand Haven, MI.

4th place for MWC Challenge Team of the Year with 82.26 points – Jeff Manz of Vanderbilt, MI & Greg Yarbrough of Port Clinton, OH.

5th place for MWC Challenge Team of the Year with 82.26 points – John Balla of Bartlett, IL & Kevin Byrne of Plainfield, IL.

East Division Team of the Year honors were awarded today to the team of Jason Kopf of Avon Lake, OH and Mike Miller of Brunswick, OH. They finished first at Port Clinton back in May, grabbed 7th at Saginaw Bay just a month ago and again 7th at Dunkirk for a spectacular first year in the Cabela’s MWC East division. “We are so excited to be able to stand here and accept this honor,” shared an exuberant Kopf on stage, as they collected their trophies and a check for $3,062. “We know the quality of the anglers in this circuit and it is no easy task against this field of competitors. We had a great year and it was so much fun.”

The top five teams in the MWC East share the purse for Division Team of the Year. Second place was awarded to Bob Devine and Steve Velte; 3rd place to Tod Conner of Hopkins, MI and Mike Bringedahl of Twin Lakes, MI; 4th place tie to Bob Henton and Lance Conner and Jeff Manz and Greg Yarbrough. These four teams each took home a bonus of $412 for finishing in the top five of the MWC East.

The following teams make up the roster for the 2009 MWC Championship:

From the East –

Jason Kopf of Avon Lake, OH & Mike Miller of Brunswick, OH

Bob Devine of Windsor, ONT & Steve Velte of Belleville, MI

Tod Conner of Hopkins, MI & Mike Bringedahl of Twin Lakes, IL

Bob Henton of Spartansburg, PA & Lance Conner of Spartansburg, PA

Jeff Manz of Vanderbilt, MI & Greg Yarbrough of Port Clinton, OH

Matt Davis of Marion, OH & Dan Gies of Huron, OH

Dan Johnson of Fayetteville, OH & Ferd Lohman of Mt. Orab, OH

From the Central –

John Balla of Bartlett, IL & Kevin Byrne of Plainfield, IL

Wayne Butz of Hobart, WI & Don Frederick of Appleton, WI

Scott Allen of Green Bay, WI & Dennis Butz of Suamico, WI

Brian Sislo of Porterfield, WI & Dan Sislo of Medford, WI

Larry Keller of Neshkoro, WI & Chad Kropp of Neshkoro, WI

Kevin Dahl of Muskego, WI & Steve Stack of Muskego, WI

James Preissner of Hastings, MN & Jeff Russell of Grand Haven, MI

David Koller of Iron Mountain, MI & Carl Stepp Jr. of Crivitz, WI

Gary Pelkey of Van Dyne, WI & Margaret Pelkey of Van Dyne , WI

Mark Kordus of Mosinee, WI & Shawn Hettinga of Schofield, WI

Tony Kobriger of Chilton, WI & Dan Zwick of Wrightstown, WI

James Pestka of Athens, WI & Jeff Wallace of Shawano, WI

Louis New of New Berlin, WI & Mark Dodge of Germantown, WI

Joe Okada of Fitchburg, WI & David Okada of Fitchburg, WI

Tom Hoinacki of Waupun, WI & Derek Navis of Waupun, WI

David Kolb of Ada, MI & Dennis Lantzy of Warren, MI

Rick Henriksen of Green Bay, WI & Tom Zollar of Green Bay, WI

Bert Wilson of Gladstone, MI & Donald Solis of Perronville, MI

Jack Neuman of Naperville, IL & Brad Obermeier of Ankeny, IA

Brett Jolly of Green Bay, WI & Lucas Molepske of Weston, WI

Steve Bodinger of Chilton, WI & Dan Bodinger of Chilton, WI

Tony Miller of Fond Du Lac, WI & Walter Tollefson of Fond Du Lac, WI

From the Challenge -

Jeff Manz of Vanderbilt, MI & Greg Yarbrough of Port Clinton, OH

Dave Casper of Bloomingdale, MI & Willy Casper of Grand Junction, MI

Jeff Lash of North Lawrence, OH & Alan Baumgardner of Essex, MD

Jeff Koester of Brookville, IN & Scott Rhodes of Traverse City, MI

Ron Goldapske of Van Dyne, WI & Vickie Goldapske of Van Dyne, WI

Steve Skupien of Frankfort, IL & Dave Kleszyk of Oakbrook Terrace, IL

Vince Raimondi of Hoffman Estates, IL & Doug Larsen of Westmont, IL

Kevin Carstensen of Merrill, WI & Rich Olds of Stevens Point, WI

Scott Yarman of Fredericktown, OH & Jason Walls of Chillicothe, OH

Brad Engebretson of Rochester, MN & Brian Sularz of Maple Grove, MN

The winners of the 2008 Cabela’s NTC Championship, Colin Beitelspacher and Shannon Grismer, both of Sioux Falls, South Dakota will also be invited as well as the winners of the 2008 Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship.

The field of 64 teams collected a $960 contribution for the Walleye Conservation fund which will be given to the Chautauqua County Conservation Club for their local fisheries enhancement work. The city of Dunkirk hosted the event and many thanks extend to Don Ryan of Chadwick Bay Marina, the Clarion Hotel and the Chautaqua County Conservation Club for their assistance with tournament operations.

On Friday, Nicole Szymczak, age 13, of Fredonia, NY cashed in on a new bike – compliments of Toyota. Nicole is the daughter of Joel and Hannah Szymczak. About 20 kids attended the MWC/NPAA Youth and Family Fishing Clinic where new young anglers received rods and reels of their very own and had a great time learning how to use their new tackle.

Only the World Walleye Championship remains for the 2008 season. The big event will be held October 1-4 out of the Cabela’s Dundee, MI store and the boats will launch from Bolles Harbor. The event will celebrate the top 41 teams in the circuit and will pay out over $100,000. The winners will be invited back to defend their title.

Cabela’s, the world’s foremost outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is entering their seventh season as the title sponsor of the Masters Walleye Circuit. Official sponsors include North American Fishing Club, Versus, MotorGuide, Mercury, Lowrance Electronics, Toyota Trucks and Ranger Boats. Associate sponsors are Farm & City Insurance Services, The Inhibitor, O2 Oxygenator and Sticker Dude.