1997 REIGNING MWC TEAM OF THE YEAR CONTINUED THEIR STREAK OF CONSISTENCY BY ACQUIRING THEIR FIFTH TOP NINE FINISH IN 6 EVENTS AND START OUT 1998 WITH A GOOD JUMP OUT OF THE GATE FOR THE TEAM OF THE YEAR POINTS RACE. 

PRE FISHING WAS TOUGH TO SAY THE LEAST, WITH WATER LEVELS TWO TO THREE, FEET ABOVE FLOOD STAGE AND THE COLOR OF CHOCOLATE MILK, COMBINED WITH NIGHTLY THUNDERSTORMS AND DROPPING WATER, THE FISH WERE FINICKY AND AT MOST TIMES SEEMINGLY NONEXISTENT. 

SKARLIS AND  KINKADE HAD ONLY FIVE BITES IN THREE DAYS OF PRE FISHING AND THE PAIR NEVER BOATED A FISH, BUT DUE TO PAST EXPERIENCE (HAVING FISHED FIVE YEARS IN A ROW ON THE ILLINOIS RIVER MWC EVENTS) THE DUO FELT THAT IF THEY STUCK IT OUT BELOW THE DAM AND FISHED AROUND PLUM ISLAND(WHERE THE WATER STARTS TO CLEAR UP FIRST) THEY MIGHT MANAGE TO BOAT TWO OR THREE FISH PER DAY AND SALVAGE SOME POINTS. 

LUCKILY, THE WATER CLEARED UP FASTER AND DROPPED QUICKER THAN EXPECTED.  ACCORDING TO KINKADE AND SKARLIS, THEY WERE ABLE TO ADAPT TO THE FISH, WHICH WERE CHANGING AS FAST AS THE WATER WAS. 

THE FIRST DAY THE PAIR CAUGHT THEIR FISH BY CASTING 1\4TH OZ AND 1\8TH OZ  FUZZY GRUBS TIPPED WITH MINNOWS AND 3\16TH JIG HEADS DRESSED WITH POWERBAITS INTO THE SHALLOWS(RIGHT AGAINST THE BANK) AND WORKING THE BAITS OUT INTO DEEP WATER(8 FEET) 

THE SECOND DAY VISIBILITY OF THE WATER HAD DOUBLED FROM FOUR INCHES ON THE DAY BEFORE TO ABOUT EIGHT INCHES, AND THE FISH MOVED FROM THE SHALLOWS INTO ABOUT I I FEET OF WATER.  ADJUSTING QUICKLY, SKARLIS AND KINKADE SWITCHED TO 1\4TH AND 3/8THS OZ. 

THEY ALSO CAUGHT SOME KEY FISH ON A PROTO-TYPE  JIG AND BODY COMBO THAT SKARLIS AND FRIEND GLENN MARSHALL DESIGNED FOR  AND SHOULD BE ON THE MARKET SOME TIME NEXT YEAR. 

SKARLIS AND KINKADE  FISHED WITH  MORRUM RODS AND TOURNAMENT SERIES SPG REELS SPOOLED WITH  XT SOLAR 4LB TEST LINE.  THE THIN TAPER, LIGHT WEIGHT AND HIGH MODULES GRAPHITE OF THE MORRUM RODS CREATED LESS WIND RESISTANCE, MORE COMFORT, AND GREATER SENSITIVITY THAN STANDARD FISHING RODS, IN THE HIGH WINDS THAT THE TEAM EXPERIENCED DURING THE TOURNAMENT.  THE XT SOLAR MONOFILAMINT'S HI VIZ PROPERTIES ALLOWED THE ANGLERS TO DETECT EVEN THE LIGHTEST OF BITES BY WATCHING FOR SUBTLE TWITCHES IN THE LINE.  AS ALWAYS, THEY "JUICED" THEIR BAITS WITH  POWER BAIT LIQUID ATTRACTANT. 

THE TEAM CAUGHT 8 LEGALS THE FIRST DAY FOR A FIVE FISH TOTAL WEIGHT OF 8.75 LBS AND TWELVE LEGALS THE SECOND DAY WITH THE BEST FIVE WEIGHING 7.85 LBS FOR A TWO DAY TOTAL OF 16.60 LBS. 

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH  WALLEYES, INC.  WEB SITE.  TOMMY SKARLIS WILL COMPETE IN THE PWT WALLEYE SUPER PRO 

EVENT ON LAKE STOCKTON, STOCKTON, MO ON THE 17TH, 18TH & 19TH OF APRIL AND KINKADE AND SKARLIS WILL COMPETE AGAINST RANDY TYLER AND ARLEN WENDT AND MANY OTHERS IN THE MWC EVENT ON BIG STONE LAKE IN ORTONVIILLE, MN ON THE 16TH & 17TH OF MAY.
E-Mail Tommy Skarlis at Walleyes iNC