Brumbaugh Leads PWT Super Pros into Final Day
Category: Tournament
Jul 26th, 2007 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Jul 26th, 2007 at 12:00 AM
Ohio Super Pro Mark Brumbaugh retained the lead after two days in the Lund/Mercury Pro-Am. He added 14.48 pounds in the first In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail to be held in Canada, and sits on top of the leader board with 31.03 pounds.The Super Pro series, presented by MinnKota, is an invitational for the top performers on the PWT tour. Bill St. Peter, Bay City, Mich., moved into second place with the Dow Chemical Company Heavyweight of the tournament, 16.74 pounds. He also took the lead in the Coleman Big Fish race with a 10.04-pounder. His two-day total is 27.44 pounds. Bruce “Doc” Samson, Minnetrista, Minn., holds third place, a pound back of St. Peter. The Super Pros spread out on Wabigoon Lake and connecting lakes, mostly fishing shallow rock reefs or casting to the hundreds of islands scattered throughout the system. Following a 5 a.m. thundershower, anglers faced cloudy skies and temperatures that barely eased past the 80-degree mark until 1 p.m., compared to the mid-nineties of the previous day.Leader Brumbaugh has two PWT victories to his credit, including a Mercury Championship a decade ago. He was casting crankbaits to key reefs and “secret” spots he found in practice. While the PWT television camera was recording the action in his boat, a 50-inch musky grabbed on, and after a terrific tussle, became a TV hero. Anglers reported catching numerous 50-inch muskies on walleye tackle, and were also landing smallmouth bass and many northern pike. Brumbaugh said, “I like to catch big pike, because after I catch a few, the walleyes start biting; they’re right there with the big pike.”The weigh-in was held in the Dryden Memorial Arena from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and will again take place Friday. The winners will be crowned immediately after the final boat weighs. Leading the amateur/co-angler side is Reid Norine, Oakdale, Minn. Dryden angler Greg Waites is second, followed by Ontario fishermen Rick Socholotuk, Ft. Frances, third, and Neil Michelin, Sioux Lookout, fourth. Waites fished with St. Peter and together, they caught the big fish. If it holds, Coleman will pay $1,500 to the pro and $500 to amateur Waites.Dryden Super Pro John Butts came back with 11.43 pounds and moved from 31st place to 12th place. He said the pros and amateurs are mighty glad the Lund/Mercury Pro-Am is on Wabigoon, because they love catching 50 to 100 fish a day. Of the 52 Super Pros, 48 caught limits both days.The PWT is an integral element of the In-Fisherman Communications Network headquartered in Baxter, Minnesota, and InterMedia, America’s leading producer of targeted media. PWT promotional partners include: Mercury Marine, Lund Boats, Berkley, Lowrance Electronics, Optima Batteries, Minn Kota, Realtree, MotorGuide, Johnsonville Brats, Outdoor Channel, Coleman, Northland Fishing Tackle, The Dow Chemical Company, StowMaster, Reef Runner, Yo-Zuri Quality Lures, Smooth Moves Seat Mounts, Kwik Pfyt Mud Flaps, Yellow Bird Planer Boards, Allstar Graphics, Ram Mounts, Element Edge, Pflueger, Plano Tackle Systems, Aikens Lake Wilderness Lodge, E-Cell, Cannon, Fin-Tech Tackle, Do-It Molds & Dryden District Chamber of Commerce, 807.223.2622.