Muskie Anglers Circuit Announces Merger With Minnesota Muskie Tournament Trail
Category: mac
Feb 11th, 2009 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Feb 11th, 2009 at 12:00 AM
-For Immediate Release-
1/11/2009, Lake Mills, WI
Muskie Anglers Circuit Announces Merger With Minnesota Muskie Tournament Trail
The Muskie Anglers Circuit (MAC) and the Minnesota Muskie Tournament Trail announced this morning that a merger agreement has been reached, ending negotiations beginning in early January, 2009. The MAC will absorb several of the MMTT events, scheduling Muskie Anglers Circuit events on waters the MMTT had planned 2008 events, while running as many as 2 additional events as Muskie Anglers Circuit ‘Hartman Series’ Tournaments, offering larger field sizes than last years MMTT while requiring a lower entry fee than the MAC Circuit events, offering a chance to fish for higher payouts as a result. The MAC Hartman events will not count toward the MAC Team of the Year Standings, but the data will be merged with MAC data for use in the planned World Muskie Rankings on OutdoorsFIRST Media.
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Muskie Anglers Circuit
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The MMTT Metro tournament, an event held exclusively on the Muskie waters of the Twin Cities Metro area, will continue unchanged, with the exception that the Metro Event will be held under the MAC umbrella, adding considerable promotional punch. The Metro Event has attracted more than 500 participants in each of the past 3 years. This tournament has funded and staffed the operation of Paul Hartman’s Muskie rearing pond with the assistance of hard working volunteers producing over $50,000 worth of Leech Lake strain Muskies to date. These Muskies have enhanced the fisheries in Independence, Owasso and White Bear Lakes. Tuffy Boats, a MAC Title Sponsor, will assist as a major sponsor of the Metro Tournament in 2009, and all proceeds will go to Paul Hartman’s Muskie rearing pond. Coverage of the Metro event will be handled by MuskieFIRST.
The MMTT has been in operation for 13 years hosting events on 23 of Minnesota’s best Muskie waters. MMTT founder Paul Hartman pioneered the now popular Catch, Photo, Release format placing concern for the welfare of the fish first, and allowing Teams to immediately release Muskies caught during competition by implementing the use of bumpboards and digital cameras to record the catch. CPR registration is now widely viewed as THE method to be used into the future for all Muskie Tournaments, and has been widely encouraged by fisheries managers across the Muskie’s range.
“When I heard about the MAC and saw their format and pay structure, I was very excited. They were doing what I had tried to since my first event- hand a big check to the teams that placed near the top,” Mr. Hartman said. “First place with the MAC- even once the partners split their winnings- would pay most folks mortgage for the year. I knew that THIS circuit was going to bring Muskie tournaments to the next level. MAC’s use of the CPR format enables them to accurately verify each catch while returning the fish to the water quickly (the process takes under 30 seconds) and in good condition. The MAC is focusing on good waters that offer a number of productive patters for the teams seek out. They have a great staff with hundreds of tournaments worth of experience between them. I love that the MAC is not about itself, but about the angler and their sponsor- giving them their chance to share their success and promote their sponsors when they do well on the water. Perhaps most convincing of all for me was the association with www.muskiefirst.com. We have had MuskieFIRST run a live leader board during several of our events and each time it created more excitement and phone calls than everything else the MMTT had done for the year.”
“I instantly knew that I wanted to be a part of this; a part of seeing Muskie tournaments finally arrive where I had been trying so hard to drive them over the years. This partnership will bring the 100 core teams that have done one or more of the MMTT events for the past 3 consecutive years together to test skills with some of Wisconsin’s and other State’s most innovative Muskie fishing duos. It will be easy to fill the fields with the MMTT Teams joining anglers from around the Muskies range to compete for some serious cash on great waters. I am delighted to be working with the Muskie Anglers Circuit and Tuffy Boats, a 10 year supporter of the MMTT and major Sponsor for the MAC, and look forward to seeing the Teams from the MMTT fishing the Minnesota MAC events.” Paul said.
‘The Muskie Anglers Circuit is quite pleased to be working with Paul”, Said Steve Worrall, MAC Public Relations. “Paul’s MMTT events have been innovative, cutting edge, fun to fish, and are a natural for a merger for both parties. The MAC is looking forward to working as a group to improve upon Paul’s considerable efforts, and grow the Sport of Competitive Muskie Angling in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and wherever the MAC might schedule future events. Paul and I have worked together on a few MMTT events, and I look forward to working as a team now and into the future.”
MAC will be soon be announcing the final complete schedule including the MAC Paul Hartman events. Zach Boudreau, MAC Tournament Director, stated he expects that the MAC schedule currently posted on the Muskie Anglers Website will proceed as published, and MAC Hartman Tournaments will be finalized as quickly as is possible.
The MAC Metro Paul Hartman event will go ahead as scheduled on Saturday, June 13th, 2009. Registration for the Metro event ONLY will remain as is through the MMTT website for 2009.
Registartion for all other the new MAC Hartman Series events will immediately shift to the MAC offices in Lake Mills, wisconsin.
Once the final Hartman Series dates are announced, Teams may enter a MAC Hartman Series Tournament over the phone, or you may use the current MMTT forms and mail the entry to the Muskie Anglers Circuit, PO Box 11, lake Mills, WI 53551 until new forms can be generated for the web.
For more information go to the MAC webpage at www.muskieanglerscircuit.com