Chase Parsons Takes Lead at Houghton

Jun 28th, 2006 by OutdoorsFIRST

Modified Jun 28th, 2006 at 12:00 AM


	Chase Parsons on Day One at Houghton

Chase Parsons, 2005 In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail Rookie of the Year, stood at the top of the standings after day one of the Johnsonville Brats Pro-Am in Houghton, Michigan. Young Parsons caught five walleyes for 19.8 pounds, including the Coleman Big Fish at 7.42 pounds. Parsons, fishing the elite Super Pro series presented by MinnKota, used all his tricks on the Keweenaw Waterway. He was part of the 60-boat field that includes only the top-ranked walleye pro anglers. Last year, Parsons, Brillion, Wis., cashed checks in six of seven tournaments, and was second in the Mercury Championship, winning a total of $63,000. Pro Dave Van Oss, Appleton, Wis., netted four walleyes for second place. He had 18.55 pounds. Sauk Centre, Minn., pro Pete Harsh holds third place with 17.18 pounds. On the amateur/co-angler side, Sheldon Hatch, Perth, Ontario, leads, after fishing with Parsons. A total of 23 pros caught 5-fish PWT limits. Anglers found walleyes, but admitted it was tougher than usual for this time of the season. Methods included jigging with live bait and Berkley PowerBait, jigging spoons, slip bobbers with bait, rigging with bait, spinners and bottom bouncers, crank bait trolling, and some finesse “secret methods” that will be revealed Friday. The Johnsonville Pro-Am runs Thursday and Friday, June 29 and 30, with all the trophies and awards distributed immediately after the final pro weighs Friday. All activities begin at 5:30 p.m. at Chassell Centennial Park, on Pike Bay, the southern arm of Portage Lake. The Keweenaw Waterway includes Portage and Torch Lakes, with connecting shipping canals to Lake Superior on either side of the Peninsula. The winning pro will take home a first prize of $55,000, including a Lund/Mercury/E-Z Loader walleye boat. The top amateur wins a $15,000 Lund/Mercury. The large day one crowd of walleye fans had a chance to visit with many of the pro anglers who competed in the 2003 and 2004 Mercury Championships, also on the same waterway. The PWT is an integral element of the In-Fisherman Communications Network headquartered in Brainerd, Minnesota, and PRIMEDIA, America’s leading producer of targeted media. PWT promotional partners include: Mercury Marine, Lund, The Outdoor Channel, Berkley, Optima Batteries, Realtree, MotorGuide, Lowrance, MinnKota, Trilene, Frenzy, Blue Fox, Powerbait, Johnsonville Brats, Northland Fishing Tackle, Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle, GULP!, Coleman, Storm, Tommy Docks, Smooth Moves Seat Mounts, E-Village, Kwik Pfyt, Raymarine, Rapala, Pflueger, Ram rod holders, Gerbing’s Heated Clothing, Aqua-Vu, Plano, Stowmaster.net, Navionics, Yellow Bird, Beckman, Drift Control, Gemini Sport Marketing, Yo-Zuri , Reef Runner and the Keweenaw Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, 906.482.5240.

Chase Parsons Takes Lead at Houghton

More like this