September 12, 2010—ESCANABA, MI—Dan McGuire and Luke Kersten brought a monster 30.32-pound five-fish basket to the scale to win top honors and more than $15,000 at the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s Central Division season finale on Bays de Noc.

 

“This is unbelievable,” said McGuire, of Tomahawk, Wisconsin. “Our goal was to go out, have fun, and put a few fish in the boat. We thought we might have enough for a top-10, but not a bag that was going to win the tournament.”

 

“I’m still in shock,” added Kersten, of Boyceville, Wisconsin. “This will take a day or two to sink in.”

 

The team trolled crankbaits 1.6 mph on 10-pound Berkley XT line, eight to 10 feet deep over 12 feet of water on a complex of shallow humps and a trough south of Cedar River. While McGuire stressed the importance of hitting the key depths, Kersten was convinced that timing played a huge role in their success. “Being there at the right time was a big part of it. When the wind picked up from the southwest, running along the structure, it was unreal. I’ve never had fishing like that.”

 

Kersten noted that they had their limit with two hours to spare before check-in time, and “eased their way” through waves of up to four feet in height feet during the 40-mile run back to the weigh-in, all the while their 225 Mercury OptiMax chugged faithfully along through northern Lake Michigan’s swells.

 

After Day One was cancelled due to bad weather, the tournament became a one-day shootout held Sunday, Sept. 12. Ninety-three teams—more than 180 of the world’s best anglers—competed for over $60,000 in cash and prizes on one of the world’s best fisheries. McGuire and Kersten cashed a $14,900 first-place check, plus a $500 for bring the top team entered in the Cabela’s Anglers Cash program.

 

John Schneider, of Shawano, Wisconsin, and John Hazen, of Bay City, Michigan, took second with 30.06 pounds, good for $6,400 along with $1,000 in Ranger Cup winnings, a $200 U2 the Oxygenator bonus, and $1,500 for big fish of the tournament—an 8.66-pound beauty. David Leach, of Linwood, Michigan, and Alan Szoke, of Grosse Ile, Michigan, finished third with 24.61 pounds, worth $4,200 plus a $500 Lowrance HDS bonus and $500 for being the top Berkley Premier team.

 

The Cabela’s MWC also crowned its Central Division Teams of the Year. Don Olson, of Andover, Minnesota, and Randy Carroll, of Oswego, Illinois, claimed $5,499 and overall Team of the Year honors for the division. Glenn and Carol Chenier, of Escanaba, brought home the Husband and Wife Team of the Year title, while Mickey and Marty Stuefen, of Hiawatha and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, were named Brothers Team of the Year.

 

Joe Miller and Jim McDonald won the Berkley Premier Bracket shootout, claiming a $500 Cabela’s Gift Card, a spot in the 2011 World Walleye Championship, and $3,500 Berkley sponsorship. In all, the top 18 teams shared the $48,360 payout, plus bonuses and team of the year awards pushing the total to more than $60,000.

 

The weigh-in festivities were capped off with a Youth & Family Fishing Clinic courtesy of the Cabela’s MWC and National Professional Anglers Association, with free rods, reels and tackle donated by Cabela’s, Abu Garcia, and Northland Fishing Tackle. In addition, a youth bike was raffled off courtesy of the Delta County Ambassadors.

 

“It’s great to be back in Gladstone and Escanaba, fishing Bays de Noc,” said the tournament’s Sr. Events Coordinator Dan Johnson. “The Cabela’s MWC has a long history in these towns and on these waters. This was a homecoming for so many of us.” Johnson credited Vickie Micheau with the Delta County Chamber of Commerce and Steve Masters with Bays de Noc CVB, Nicole Sanderson from the Parks and Recreation Dept., along with Larry Johnson and the Bay de Noc Sportfishermen for helping make the tournament a great success.

 

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is entering their nineth season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors of the MWC include: Berkley, Ranger Boats, Mercury, MotorGuide, Lowrance, Fishouflage, Versus (Vs.) Television Network and North American Fishing Club. Associate Sponsors include: O2 Marine Technologies, 3-IN-ONE No Rust Shield, Abu Garcia, Fin-tech, Northland Fishing Tackle, Ryjus and Reflections.

 

The Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit is the longest running professional walleye tournament circuit in the United States.  For more information on the Cabela’s MWC or to view the 2010 schedule, visit: www.masterswalleyecircuit.com; email: events@masterswalleyecircuit.com; or call: (877) 893-7947.