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MWC OPENER
WON BY DELAIN & RENSCHEN
Record Catch
SPRING VALLEY, ILL. –
Steve
DeLain and John Renschen of Red Wing, Minn., topped a field of 200 teams,
winning the Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) 1999 season opener. (Row two
Darrell and Jim Culjan 2nd place and Bob Bodin and Scott Mann 3rd place)
Beginning the MWC’s 15th year, the Mercury Outboards Team Walleye Tournament
took place March 27-28 on the Illinois River at Spring Valley, Ill., hosted
by over 200 volunteers from the Spring Valley Walleye Club. The tournament
is the state’s largest pro-fishing event.DeLain and Renschen collected
$15,000 for the win, plus a pair of Big Jon manual downriggers valued at
$500 for their second day big basket catch of 18.10 lbs. It was the
first win for the MWC veterans, who weighed an allowable ten fish limit
(all saugers) totaling 34.70 lbs., a 3.43 lb. average.
The winners fished an area approximately three miles down river from
the Hennepin bridge in depths between 10 and 13 feet. According to Renschen,
“We used 28 lb. test leadcore line with three foot
FireLine 14 lb. test leaders. We trolled upriver just under 3 m.p.h.,
sometimes faster.”DeLain added, “On Saturday, we caught most of our fish
between eleven and one o’clock. Blue and chrome #7 Shad Raps worked
best. Today [Sun.] the morning bite was good, and they went for chartreuse
or firetiger colors.”
DeLain, a Minnesota DNR fisheries employee, believes the Illinois River
to be one of the top sauger producers in the country. He commented,
“The habitat is ideal for this species, and the restocking program is really
paying off.”
Second place went to Darrell “Buster” Culjan (Ottawa, Ill.) and James
Culjan (Princeton, Ill.), who weighed 32.95 lbs., worth $6,000. The
pair vertical jigged the clam beds adjacent to Depue Lake, using a variety
of two-tone colored 3/8 oz. to 3 /4 oz. jigs tipped with chartreuse sparkle
tail plastic grubs.
First day leaders, Bob Bodin and Scott Mann of Red Wing, Minn., took
third place and $4,500. They were also awarded a Goldeneye Products
Panther auxiliary engine lift valued at $500 for their first day big basket
catch of 18.65 lbs. The team fished similar areas and techniques
as the winners. The top 35 teams shared the $52,000 cash purse. An
additional $6,950 was paid in big fish prizes, for a total of $58,950.
Donald Solis (Perronville, Mich.) caught the tourney’s largest fish,
a 5.0 lb. sauger, and received a $1,000 Mercury Outboards engine rebate.
Record Catch
Weather & water conditions were nearly ideal. Only one team
failed to weigh fish. An Illinois River tournament record was
set for a 200 team field: 1,726 fish were caught weighing 4,327.05
lbs., a 2.50 lb. average. DNR Illinois River Project Manager, Mike Cochran,
and his crew assisted at the weigh-ins. All of the fish were conveyed
to the LaSalle, Ill. hatchery, where they will be stripped of eggs and
milt for restocking purposes. Cochran told the large weigh-in crowds
that the project has been so successful, fry and fingerling offspring from
tournament-caught fish are now being stocked throughout the state.
The MWC Conservation Fund donated $2,000 towards the stocking project.
Pete Wuebker, Director of Marketing for Wildlife Forever (WF), was present
and advised that WF would match the donation. To date, combined MWC
and WF donations to the Illinois restocking project have totaled nearly
$45,000. The MWC Conservation Fund has donated over $194,000 to fisheries
projects in states where MWC tournaments are held.
The second stop on the MWC is the /
Team Tournament, May 22-23, on Big Stone Lake at Ortonville, Minn.
For more information, contact the Big Stone Lake Area Chamber of Commerce
at 320-839-3284 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 PROUD SPONSORS
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Big Jon Inc
Goldeneye Products |
TOP 35 PLACES
Rank 1st Partner City State 2nd Partner City State Lbs. Winnings
1 Steve DeLain Red Wing MN John Renschen Red Wing MN 34.70 $15,000
2 Darrell Culjan Ottawa IL James Culjan Princeton IL 32.95 6,000
3 Robert Bodin Red Wing MN Scott Mann Red Wing MN 32.65 4,500
4* John Balla Bartlett IL Kevin Byrne Warrenville IL 32.45 3,300
5 Craig Anderson Mound MN Eric Anderson Mound MN 32.45 2,200
6* Glen Pyle Westchester IL Jeff Tartol Westchester IL 32.40 1,250
7 Jeffrey Adams Eagle WI Bradley West Palmyra WI 32.40 1,250
8 Pat Byle Colgate WI Jim SchiefelbeinMarseilles IL 31.35 1,250
9 James Balzarine Spring Valley IL Ken Tonelli Spring Valley IL 31.20 1,250
10* Bill Leonard Estherville IA Wayne Stensrud Madison MN 31.15 1,250
11 Dean Arnoldussen Kaukauna WI Jim Swinkles Kaukauna WI 31.15 900
12 Blaine Hornes Neenah WI Chris Schrader Larsen WI 31.05 900
13 Lorraine Miller Yorkville IL Tom Miller Yorkville IL 30.95 900
14* Mark Keenan Appleton WI Tom Keenan Hatley WI 30.85 900
15 Kim Papineau Escanaba MI Glenn Wangerin Escanaba MI 30.85 900
16 Scott Strangstalien Coon Valley WI Steve Tauscher Holmen WI 30.70 750
17 Scot Hastings Carol Stream IL Troy Nelson Villa Park IL 30.05 750
18 Patrick Neu Forestville WI Mike Schaefer Brookfield WI 29.60 750
19 Tom Espinoza Oglesby IL Jare Kohn Rochelle IL 29.55 750
20 Kelly Deets Coleta IL Tommy Skarlis Waterloo IA 29.40 750
21 Richard Dobbs Woodridge IL Bill Elder Utica IL 29.25 500
22 James Ott Maple Park IL Dennis Pieper South Elgin IL 29.10 500
23 Jeff Marusich Spring Valley IL Gary Merkel Spring Valley IL 29.00 500
24 John Campbell Cedar Rapids IA Kevin Campbell Rock Falls IL 28.90 500
25* Kevin Dahl Muskego WI Steven Stack Muskego WI 28.70 500
26 Ronald DeGraaf Frankfort IL Roy Perez Depue IL 28.70 400
27* Carol Chenier Gladstone MI Glenn Chenier Gladstone MI 28.40 400
28 Gary Dalzot Spring Valley IL John Dalzot Spring Valley IL 28.40 400
29 Jerry Tipping Milton WI Kay Tipping Milton WI 28.40 400
30* Scott Allar Welch MN Tom Diercks Hager City WI 28.35 400
31 Jay Janny Eagle WI Kyle Morgan Horicon WI 28.35 400
32 Ralph Muccilli Menomonee Falls WI Max Streichert Escanaba MI 28.20 400
33 Adam Sandor Ottawa IL Steve Sandor Ottawa IL 28.15 400
34* Scott Duncan Spring Grove IL Vincent Rizzo Round Lake IL 28.00 400
35 Scott Carlson Hastings MN Ralph Diercks Red Wing MN 28.00 400
*Won
*Won Tie Breaker
CASH PAYOUT = $52,000
Big Fish Pot (Three daily prizes: $1,500; $1,000; $975)
6,950
TOTAL CASH PAYOUT = $58,950
Mercury Outboards Big Fish Award - $1,000 Engine Rebate
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Donald Solis, Perronville, MI - 5.00 lbs. (sauger)
Big Basket Awards: Day 1 - Robert Bodin & Scott Mann, Red
Wing, MN, 18.65 lbs., Goldeneye Panther Auxiliary Motor Lift (value $500)
Day 2 - Steve DeLain & John Renschen, Red Wing, MN, 18.10 lbs., Big
Jon Manual Downriggers (value $500)
Stats: Teams Entered: 200; Fish Caught: 1,726;
Weight: 4,327.05 lb.
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by Randy
Tyler Fishing the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Circuit, Masters
Walleye Circuit and the Team Walleye Circuit. All rights reserved.Copyright
1999/2000
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