FINAL STANDINGS
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MWC WALLEYE TEAM TOURNAMENT
ILLINOIS RIVER, SPRING VALLEY, ILL.
MARCH 28-29, 1998
Final update 01-01-99
TOP 40 PLACES

Spring Valley Tournament Picture Page (NEW)

Rank   1^st Partner               City State         2^nd Partner              City State        Lbs.     Winnings

1       Dominic Culjan, Jr.   Ottawa IL       Mark O’Connell       Ottawa IL      27.20     $18,000

2       Tom Giachetto, Jr.     Ladd IL         Tom Giachetto, Sr.    Ladd IL        19.30     8,000

3       Dennis Van Meenen   Cary IL          Jim Van Meenen      Atkinson IL    19.20    6,000

4       Kim Papineau           Escanaba MI    Glen Wangerin        Escanaba MI  18.20    4,000

5       Terry Carr               Pleasantville IA   Tim Floden            Bussey IA      18.10    3,000

6       Stephen Loch          Green Bay WI    Mark Piper           Green Bay WI  17.75   1,500

7       Roy Perez                Depue IL           Robert Platt           Varna IL          16.70   1,500

8       Kurt Bergstrom        Rocton IL          Jerry Fisher            Roscoe IL        16.65   1,500

9       Chad Kinkade         Cedar Falls IA    Tommy Skarlis       Waterloo IA     16.60   1,500

10     James Ott                Maple Park IL    Dennis Pieper         South Elgin IL    16.40  1,500

11    Cliff Haugland           Mt. Vernon IA    Luke Haugland       Mt. Vernon IA   16.10  1,100

12     John Balla                Bartlett IL            Kevin Byrne           Warrenville IL    15.35  1,100

13    Brian Ernat               Princeton IL         Jerry Ernat              Princeton IL       15.15  1,100

14    Steven Skupien         Joliet IL               Art Gazda               Bridgeview IL     14.85  1,100

15    Dan Fanti                 Ottawa IL             Ted Mathews          Ottawa IL          14.45   1,100

16   Gary Falkowski         Franklin WI          George Wlodarski    Orland Park IL   14.40    800

17   Mike Jerz                  Coal City IL          Wally Neumann        Tinley Park IL    14.30     800

18   Lance Litviak            Orland Park IL       Andy Pogorzelski      Bartlett IL          14.15    800

19   Neil Hammargren      Waterloo IA           Doug Newhoff          Waterloo IA       14.10    800

20   Dan Comeau              Clinton Twp. MI     Dennis Lantzy          Warren MI          13.80  800

21   John Hertensteiner      Victoria MN           Scott Riegelman       Red Wing MN     13.00  600

22   Michael Doucette, Jr.   Bureau IL              Gene Michael            Princeton IL       12.95   600

23   Bill Leonard                Estherville IA          Wayne Stensrud        Madison MN      12.65   600

24*  Douglas Grobe          Rock Falls IL          James Grobe               Elgin IL            12.60    600

25    Mitch Gentry             Atkinson IL             Tom Vandemore        Atkinson IL       12.60    600

26*  Steve Balliu               Antioch IL                Joe Majewski            McHenry IL     12.45     400

27    Randy Aird               Dubuque IA              Pat Marshall              Dubuque IA      12.45    400

28*  Pete Minnema           Randolph WI            Joe Minnema             Markesan WI   12.25    400

29    Patrick Jensen           Stoddard WI            Richard Penkalski       Stoddard WI    12.25    400

30*  Larry Conn               Stickney IL               Lewis Conn                Cicero IL         12.20     400

31   Brian Ellefson             Watertown SD         James Myszkewicz      Burlington WI   12.20    400

32   Ray Daniels                Oglesby IL               Tim Steinbach              Oglesby IL       12.10   400

33*  Joe Janickas              Berwyn IL                Paul Jasutis                 Montgomery IL 12.00   400

34   Robert Newton          McFarland WI          Mike Schnettler           Sartell MN       12.00   400

35   Dan Hauser                Rockford IL              Doug Hauser               Rockford IL     11.95   400

36* Todd Barrows            Iron Mountain MI    George Freeman       Iron Mountain MI 11.80  400

37    Edward Mucha         Shabbona IL             Jason Van Wyhe       Waterman IL       11.80  400

38     Adam Sandor          Ottawa IL                  Steve Sandor            Ottawa IL           11.60  400

39    Gary Dalzot            Spring Valley IL           John Dalzot            Spring Valley IL    11.45   400

40   Brad Stockman        Pine River MN            Mark Dammann      Chaska MN         11.35  400
 

* Won Tie Breaker CASH PAYOUT = $65,000

Big Fish Pot (Three daily prizes: $1,000; $900; $750) 5,300 TOTAL CASH PAYOUT = $70,300

Mariner outboards Award - $1,000 Engine Rebate =======

Dick & Irene Schiefelbein, Sheboygan, WI - 5.20 lbs. (sauger)

Award

Stephen Loch & Mark Piper, Green Bay, WI 5.30 lbs. (walleye)

Stats

Teams Entered: 250

Fish Caught: 814

Weight: 1,370.05 lbs.

Big Fish: 6.95 lbs. (walleye) Kim Papineau & Glen Wangerin, Escanaba, MI, $1,000 from Big Fish Pot
 
 

 
Top three teams of the Masters Walleye Circuit Opener in Spring Valley Illinois on March 28-29
(left to right) Kneeling Dominic Culjan jr. & Mark O'Connell 1st; Standing Tom Giachetto, Jr., 2nd Jim and Dennis Van Meenen,  3rd.

SPRING VALLEY, ILL. – Dominic Culjan, Jr. and Mark O’Connell of Ottawa, Ill. bested a field of 250 teams, winning the Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) 1998 season opener.

Beginning the MWC’s 14^th year, the Quantum/MotorGuide Team Walleye Tournament took place March 28-29 on the Illinois River at Spring Valley, Ill., hosted by over 200 volunteers from the Spring Valley Walleye Club. The event is the largest pro-fishing tourney in the country.

Culjan and O’Connell collected $18,000 for the win, plus $1,575 in additional big fish prize money for a total of $19,575. It was the first circuit victory for the veteran team who weighed an allowable ten fish limit (9 saugers and 1 walleye) totaling 27.20 lbs.

The tournament was preceded by several days of rain, windy and cold weather, resulting in high, muddy water and poor fishing. However, conditions improved greatly at the start of the tournament, and anglers found themselves basking in sunny mid-seventy temperatures.

According to Culjan, "We fished inside the Plum Island area off the southern bank. We pitched and jigged lead heads and sometimes floating jigs, tipped with minnows."

O’Connell added, "Orange/chartreuse, blue/chartreuse and yellow/purple were the best jig colors. We also used 6 foot medium action rods and 8 lb. test Trilene Ultra Thin line."

The pair stated that the fish were scattered, and they had to work hard for them, noting that the best action was between 9:00 a.m. and noon.

Second place went to the father/son team of Tom Giachetto, Jr. and Sr. of Ladd, Ill., who weighed 19.30 lbs., worth $8,000.

The Van Meenen brothers, Dennis (Cary, Ill.) and Jim (Atkinson, Ill.) took third place with 19.20 lbs. and pocketed $6,000.
Jim Saric of Deerfield Illinois heads to the scales with a fine catch of Illinois River walleye. (photo courtesy of Masters Walleye Circuit) 

The top 40 teams shared the $65,000 cash purse. An additional $5,300 was paid in big fish prizes, for a total of $70,300.

Glen Wangerin (Escanaba, Mich.) caught the tourney’s largest fish, a 6.95 lb. walleye, receiving $1,000 for his catch. Irene Schiefelbein (Sheboygan, Wis.) caught a 5.20 lb. sauger and was awarded a Mariner Outboards $1,000 engine rebate. The fish was only nine ounces short of the sauger record of 5 lbs. 12 ozs., which was caught on the Mississippi River. A MotorGuide electric trolling motor was awarded to the Green Bay, Wis. team of Steve Loch and Mark Piper for their catch of a 5.30 lb. walleye.

Despite the poor river conditions, a total of 814 fish, mostly saugers, weighing 1,370.05 lbs. were caught in the MWC catch and release format. The fish were conveyed by the Illinois DNR to the LaSalle hatchery, where the fish were stripped of eggs and milt for restocking purposes.
Bill Klotzbuecher of Oshkosh Wisconsin with two fine Illinois River Sauger (photo courtesy of Masters Walleye Circuit) 

The MWC Conservation Fund donated $2,500 towards the ongoing Illinois River stocking program. To date, the Fund has donated over $40,000 to the program and over $183,000 to fisheries programs in states where MWC tournaments are held.

The second stop on the MWC is the Mariner Outboards/Wille Products Team Tournament, May 16-17, on Big Stone Lake at Ortonville, Minn. Some openings still exist. For more information, contact the Big Stone Lake Area Tourism Association, tel. 320-839-3306, or the MWC at 414-761-0657.

The MWC is a nonprofit corporation which conducts a series of professionally run fishing tournaments at which family participation and conservation of fishery resources are stressed. All MWC tournaments are catch and release. MWC sponsors are