Davis & Gies Sweep Titles in 2009 MWC with World Walleye Champions & Team of the Year – Presented by Cabela’s
Category: npaa
Oct 10th, 2009 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Oct 10th, 2009 at 12:00 AM
(October 10, 2009) Dundee, MI — With 85.26 pounds from Lake Erie over three days, Ohio anglers Matt Davis (Marion) and Dan Gies (Huron) jumped to the top of the elite Championship field to be crowned the Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Champions, earning a cash prize of $25,000. This impressive victory comes just four weeks on the heels of winning the coveted MWC Team of the Year title which carried a $13,000 bonus. Davis and Gies are on a roll to have achieved both in such short succession, a testimony to their fishing acumen and versatility.
“So many great anglers have been a part of the rich history of the MWC,” shared Matt Davis after the majestic walleye trophies and big check had been presented. “It’s amazing to think that we’ve now accomplished something of this stature and are amongst their ranks. It’s awesome.” Partner Dan Gies knows it took awhile coming together, but agrees that the moment is sweet. “We’ve been a part of the MWC since the inception of the East division, for five years now,” shared Gies, addressing his peers at the Champions dinner. “We had to learn the hard way and take our knocks at some of the tournaments that stretched us and our skill set. This is just such a great feeling, hard to believe it’s real.” This was their first Circuit victory.
In addition to just being great fishermen, practice, discipline, thorough planning and meticulous organization are the skills that Davis and Gies’ teammates attributed to their friends’ success. “You’ll never see two more dedicated and disciplined fishermen than Matt and Dan,” shared Greg Yarbrough, friend, teammate, and 2008 Champion himself. “They work hard, are always researching and well-prepared for every day on the water,” continued Yarby. Six very familiar anglers were seated at the head table at the Champions dinner after the weigh-in. They are the same six faces that were there in 2007 and again in 2008. Jeff Koester of Brookville, Indiana and Scott Rhodes of Traverse City, Michigan won the honor the first year the event was placed on Lake Erie and invited their teammates to share the table at the front of the room. The following year they rotated chairs and Jeff Manz of Vanderbilt, Michigan and Greg Yarbrough of Port Clinton, Ohio captured the win and the title. This year, Matt Davis and Dan Gies took the honored position. “We got a pep talk from Rhodes this same night last year,” shared Davis at the Champions dinner. “He told us then that the next year was our year to sit at the head of the table and it feels good to have accomplished it.”
Davis and Gies trolled crawler harnesses about as far from the Bolles Harbor launch site as boundaries would allow – 50 miles one way to Huron, Ohio. Typical inline planer board Lake Erie presentations were used with a favorite “pink panty” Colorado blade. They adjusted their presentations in the water column each day depending on what the fish wanted, utilizing stackers to cover more territory. The long run was grueling for three days, as Mother Nature joined in the drama and kept the lake choppy for most of the morning and afternoon runs. The final day the return was worse than expected from where they had been fishing. What they thought would be plenty of time for the return got them “checked in” with only 65 seconds to spare. “We watched our GPS and our calculated ETA the entire way back and our stomachs were in knots,” shared Matt. “We really thought we had built in plenty of time, but it turned out we needed it all.”
Davis and Gies also received sponsor contingency bonuses including $100 from the National Professional Anglers Association (NPAA) and $200 from the Oxygenator for using an Oxygenator system in their livewell. Their Championship purse, bonuses and Team of the Year awards makes for a $38,300 paycheck for the month of October for these MWCers.
Passing on the Team of the Year title was the Wisconsin team of Wayne Butz (Mosinee) and Don “Freddy” Frederick (Appleton) who came in second place with 77.65 pounds and a payout of $14,100 including $1,000 for Ranger Cup, $500 for Mercury/Ranger Cup, $500 for Lowrance HDS and $100 for Farm & City Insurance Services’ Team FCIS. Butz and Frederick have been fishing phenomenally well and earned the Team of the Year honor last fall and proceeded to win the Detroit River/Lake Erie tournament in April of this year. Admired for their consistent success from their peers, Butz and Frederick put in a spectacular showing for this event, just coming up shy on the final day. “We didn’t get the right fish to go today,” shared Wayne on stage. “We knew we were taking a gamble bringing in these fish, but we figured — bring in the five that we could and see where it lands.”
The Cabela’s store in Dundee, Michigan hosted the tournament and assisted with operational logistics. “This is one of the most favorite events for our store employees,” shared Steve Zollars, promotions manager. “Being up this close to the Championship is special for all of us, and we couldn’t be prouder of these Cabela’s MWC anglers.”
The tournament was filmed for airing on Versus Television Network. Scheduled dates and times are Monday, November 16th at 9:30 a.m. and Tuesday, November 17th at 10:30 a.m. All times Eastern.
The Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship is an elite small-field invitation-only event with no entry fee and a guaranteed $100,000 plus payout. Anglers qualify during the previous MWC season by completing a division’s three tournaments or picking up a fourth tournament – the MWC Challenge. Forty teams qualified for this event. In 2010 the Championship will host a field of 28 teams on Pools 9 and 10 of the Mississippi River at the Cabela’s store in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.
The following represents the field that will compete for the 2010 World Walleye Championship:
1. Matt Davis of Marion, OH & Dan Gies of Huron, OH
2. William Sutton of Lindenhurst, IL & Bill Vojak of Antioch, IL
3. Dave Truett of Valparaiso, IN & Daniel Stier of Clearwater, MN
4. David Atkinson of Sault Sainte Marie, MI & Bob Propst of Pierre, SD
5. Brad Engebretson of Rochester, MN & Brian Sularz of Maple Grove, MN
6. Robert Gooding of Lincoln Park, MI & Michael Gooding of Monroe, MI
7. Nate Huebner of Correll, MN & Jay Sandness of Pollock, SD
8. Kevin Dahl of Muskego, WI & Steve Stack of Muskego, WI
9. Nate Capton of Niagara Falls, NY & Dave Waldeck of Sanborn, NY
10. Guy Ryan of Salina, KS & Troy Ethridge of Salina, KS
11. Dennis Lantzy of Warren, MI & Steve Vande Mark of Linwood, MI
12. Dan Zwick of Wrightstown, WI & Tony Kobriger of Chilton, WI
13. Douglas Yohe of Bradford, PA & Tim Waltz of Williamsport, PA
14. Johnnie Candle of Devils Lake, ND & Dave Noble of Dixon, IL
15. Dan Johnson of Fayetteville, OH & Larry Rhoads II of Oregonia, OH
16. Don Olson of Andover, MN & Randy Carroll of Oswego, IL
17. Corey Heiser of West Fargo, ND & Ken Cumber of Jamestown, ND
18. Wayne Butz of Hobart, WI & Don Frederick of Appleton, WI
19. Rob Crowe of South Elgin, IL & Jim Passo of St Charles, IL
20. Al Freidig of Devils Lake, ND & Clinton Devier of Devils Lake, ND
21. Jeff Manz of Vanderbilt, MI & Greg Yarbrough of Port Clinton, OH
22. David Kolb of Ada, MI & James Preissner of Hastings, MN
23. Gary White Jr. of Prairie Du Chien, WI & David Siegele of Patch Grove, WI
24. Scott Aydelotte of Garner, IA & Tim Harms of Owatonna, MN
25. Alan Baumgardner of Essex, MD & Jeff Lash of North Lawrence, OH
26. Maury Schmerbach of Dubuque, IA & Marty Berns of Dubuque, IA
27. Jeff Koester of Brookville, IN & Scott Rhodes of Traverse City, MI
28. Chris Clemmons of Newark, IL & Bob Hausler of Plano, IL
The Cabela’s MWC 2010 schedule is as follows:
Central Division
March 27 & 28 – Spring Valley, Illinois (Illinois River)
June 5 & 6 – Oshkosh, Wisconsin (Lake Winnebago) (combined with Cabela’s NTC)
September 11 & 12 – Escanaba, Michigan (Bays de Noc)
East Division
April 17 & 18 – Trenton, Michigan (Detroit River)
June 18, 19 & 20* – Sandusky, Ohio (Lake Erie)
August 6, 7 & 8* – Au Gres, Michigan (Saginaw Bay)
West Division
May 8 & 9 – Mobridge, South Dakota (Lake Oahe)
August 21 & 22 – Devils Lake, North Dakota (Devils Lake)
September 18 & 19 – Webster, South Dakota (Waubay Lake)
WWC Pro/Am – October 13 – Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin (Mississippi River – Pools 9 & 10)
WWC – October 14 – 16 – Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin (Mississippi River – Pools 9 & 10)
* Denotes a “blow day” which may or may not be needed depending on inclement weather.
Cabela’s, the world’s foremost outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is in their eighth season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors of the MWC include: Ranger Boats, Mercury, MotorGuide, Lowrance, Fishouflage, Versus (Vs.) Television Network, Ford and North American Fishing Club. Associate Sponsors include: Farm & City Insurance Services, O2 Marine Technologies, 3-IN-ONE No Rust Shield, Fin-tech, Ryjus and Reflections.
The Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit is the longest running professional walleye tournament. For more information on the Cabela’s MWC, visit: www.masterswalleyecircuit.com. Questions – email: [email protected] or call toll-free: 877-893-7947.