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Engebretson and Sularz win Cabela’s MWC Bay of Green Bay Event

Category: Tournament

 May 18th, 2008 by OutdoorsFIRST 

Modified May 18th, 2008 at 12:00 AM

Marinette, WI/Menominee, MI  —  Two breezy days gave the 148 team field at the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit plenty of walleye chop.  Windy conditions actually helped Minnesotans Brad Engebretson (Rochester) and Brian Sularz (Maple Grove) capture the win, trolling crawler harnesses on the Bay of Green Bay.  Ten fish were boated over the two day event to grab first place with 52.25 pounds, netting a cool $22,300 in purse plus $500 in bonus money from Mercury.  This was their first MWC victory and they were, of course, all smiles as the crowd gave them their well-earned honors on the stage.
 
They were the last to weigh in and bested 2nd place finishing Jack Neuman of Naperville, IL and Brad Obermeier of Ankeny, IA by 1.24 pounds. Neuman and Obermeier cashed in $9,510.  Engebretson and Sularz’s 28 pound basket on Sunday was the biggest basket of the tournament. They were sweating it out at the bump tanks behind the stage.
 
“We knew it was going to be close,” shared Brian Sularz.  MWC bumpmaster, Dan Palmer, held the teams back that looked to have a real shot at a win.  The teams that finished in the top three weighed last.  Engebretson and Sularz had a nerve wrecking wait while Neuman and Obermeier weighed in with their 24.95 pound basket to jump into first.  Then Wisconsinites Wayne Butz (Hobart) and Don Frederick (Appleton) came just three tenths of a pound shy of sharing the lead and settled into second place. With the final weight in it was a great celebration for the young Minnesotans – only fishing the Bay of Green Bay for the second time in their lives.  The wind worked in their favor for their spots and their strategy.
 
“We went to the East side of the Bay today,” shared Engebretson. “The wind was blowing into the shoreline and moved the fish to the cleaner, warmer water. That made a big difference for us, it really brought those bigger fish into that spot.”  And the swells aided their success.  “It was pretty choppy. As we trolled, the waves would surge and when they did the boards dropped and stalled out.  That’s when we hit fish — at least 2 to 4 fish every single pass,” Brad added. “It was crazy – one time we even had to net two fish at the same time in the same net!”
 
They trolled between .8 and 1.6 miles per hour in a straight line along a rocky 10′ break line in a half mile stretch from Schumacher Point heading South. They located a couple of shallow underwater points in that area that extended into deeper water.  The water was 54 degrees and gin clear. The two presentations were 3 hook crawler harnesses with a #10 stinger hook. One set up was with a one ounce bottom bouncer about six to nine feet behind the board and the other was with a ¼ oz. inline weight, 30′ back.  Both worked well using plain #5 chartreuse blades with pearl red beads and hammer gold blades with chartreuse beads.
 
“Once we got the last kicker fish, which was about an 8 pounder, we hauled in the lines and headed for check-in. We needed plenty of time to get back across the choppy waters,” shared Sularz.  It took 2 ½ hours to make the trip back – and it was worth the rough ride. “This is a great thrill,” shared Brad.  Brian added, “I’ve wanted one of those trophies every time I’ve seen them. This is so great – now I have one!”
 
Butz and Frederick, with their 3rd place finish worth $5,250, also captured the Ranger Cup bonus of $1,000 and the Ranger/Mercury combination bonus of $500. With the Oxygenator system in their livewell another $200 was theirs — worth $6,950 in all.
 
Kevin Dahl and Steve Stack of Muskego, WI came in 4th place with 49.24 pounds and also took home the $1,000 Toyota Tundra bonus and $250 as a part of Team FCIS – Farm & City Insurance Services, totaling $5,450.
 
The National Professional Anglers Association (NPAA) awarded its top two finishing anglers with $100 each, which went to Mickey Stuefen of Cedar Rapids, Iowa (finishing 9th) and Steve Poll of Oshkosh, WI (finishing 11th).
 
Big Fish honors for the tournament were awarded accordingly:
 
Saturday
Jack Neuman of Naperville, IL & Brad Obermeier of Ankeny, IA  8.58 lbs. for $1450
John Omelina of Milwaukee, WI & Mike Rabetski of Kimberly, WI  8.56 lbs. for $850
Cliff and Leslie Banks of Spring Valley, IL 8.42 lbs. for $550
 
Sunday
Rob Krause and Dave Dretske of Berlin, WI  10.00 lbs. for $1450
Jeremy Goddard and Steve Zegers of Green Bay, WI  9.86 lbs. for $850
Jim and Jake LaPine of Fond du Lac, WI  9.5 lbs. for $550
 
The field paid down 25 places totaling $82,880 plus $3,650 in bonus contingency money from sponsors.  Add in the big fish purse of $5,700 plus $1500 donated by the Marinette-Menominee Chamber of Commerce and $93,730 was paid out for the event.
 
Dalton Neumeier, age 10, of Menominee cashed in on a new bike – compliments of Toyota.  Dalton is the son of Carrie Smith and Bruce Neumeier. Over 50 kids attended the MWC/NPAA Youth and Family Fishing Clinic on Saturday.  The new young anglers received a number of rods and reels and had a great time learning how to use their new tackle.
 
The Marinette-Menominee Great Lakes Sport Fishermen (MMGLSF) co-hosted the tournament along with the Marinette-Menominee Chamber of Commerce, assisting with tournament logistics from set up to tear down and all the early mornings and fish release in between.  “Our club really enjoyed working on the tournament and we look forward to cooperatively investing the $2,220 that is being donated to make improvements to an already great fishery here on Green Bay,” shared past president and tournament organizer John Krueger.
 
Lowrance Electronics hosted two FREE advanced classes led by high-tech fisherman Bruce “Doc” Samson during the week of pre-fishing.  Many community anglers as well as tournament fishermen attended and dug into the deeper knowledge of GPS mapping and sonar.
 
Cabela’s, the world’s foremost outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is in their seventh season as the title sponsor of the Masters Walleye Circuit.  Official sponsors include Lowrance, Toyota, Ranger Boats, Mercury, MotorGuide, Versus (Vs.) Television Network and North American Fishing Club.  Associate sponsors are Farm & City Insurance Services, The Inhibitor, O2 Oxygenator and Sticker Dude.
 
The remaining 2008 schedule is:
 
June 21 & 22  Lake Winnebago out of Oshkosh, Wisconsin
July 18 – 20   Saginaw Bay out of Linwood, Michigan
August 9 & 10  Devils Lake out of Devils Lake, North Dakota
August 22 – 24    Lake Erie out of Dunkirk, New York
October 1-4, 2008  Lake Erie out of Dundee/Monroe, Michigan
 
For more information and complete results please visit the MWC website at www.masterswalleyecircuit.com or contact MWC headquarters at 877-893-7947 or by email at:  [email protected].
–  Presented by Lowrance Electronics
 

Marinette, WI/Menominee, MI  —  Two breezy days gave the 148 team field at the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit plenty of walleye chop.  Windy conditions actually helped Minnesotans Brad Engebretson (Rochester) and Brian Sularz (Maple Grove) capture the win, trolling crawler harnesses on the Bay of Green Bay.  Ten fish were boated over the two day event to grab first place with 52.25 pounds, netting a cool $22,300 in purse plus $500 in bonus money from Mercury.  This was their first MWC victory and they were, of course, all smiles as the crowd gave them their well-earned honors on the stage.
 
They were the last to weigh in and bested 2nd place finishing Jack Neuman of Naperville, IL and Brad Obermeier of Ankeny, IA by 1.24 pounds. Neuman and Obermeier cashed in $9,510.  Engebretson and Sularz’s 28 pound basket on Sunday was the biggest basket of the tournament. They were sweating it out at the bump tanks behind the stage.
 
“We knew it was going to be close,” shared Brian Sularz.  MWC bumpmaster, Dan Palmer, held the teams back that looked to have a real shot at a win.  The teams that finished in the top three weighed last.  Engebretson and Sularz had a nerve wrecking wait while Neuman and Obermeier weighed in with their 24.95 pound basket to jump into first.  Then Wisconsinites Wayne Butz (Hobart) and Don Frederick (Appleton) came just three tenths of a pound shy of sharing the lead and settled into second place. With the final weight in it was a great celebration for the young Minnesotans – only fishing the Bay of Green Bay for the second time in their lives.  The wind worked in their favor for their spots and their strategy.
 
“We went to the East side of the Bay today,” shared Engebretson. “The wind was blowing into the shoreline and moved the fish to the cleaner, warmer water. That made a big difference for us, it really brought those bigger fish into that spot.”  And the swells aided their success.  “It was pretty choppy. As we trolled, the waves would surge and when they did the boards dropped and stalled out.  That’s when we hit fish — at least 2 to 4 fish every single pass,” Brad added. “It was crazy – one time we even had to net two fish at the same time in the same net!”
 
They trolled between .8 and 1.6 miles per hour in a straight line along a rocky 10′ break line in a half mile stretch from Schumacher Point heading South. They located a couple of shallow underwater points in that area that extended into deeper water.  The water was 54 degrees and gin clear. The two presentations were 3 hook crawler harnesses with a #10 stinger hook. One set up was with a one ounce bottom bouncer about six to nine feet behind the board and the other was with a ¼ oz. inline weight, 30′ back.  Both worked well using plain #5 chartreuse blades with pearl red beads and hammer gold blades with chartreuse beads.
 
“Once we got the last kicker fish, which was about an 8 pounder, we hauled in the lines and headed for check-in. We needed plenty of time to get back across the choppy waters,” shared Sularz.  It took 2 ½ hours to make the trip back – and it was worth the rough ride. “This is a great thrill,” shared Brad.  Brian added, “I’ve wanted one of those trophies every time I’ve seen them. This is so great – now I have one!”
 
Butz and Frederick, with their 3rd place finish worth $5,250, also captured the Ranger Cup bonus of $1,000 and the Ranger/Mercury combination bonus of $500. With the Oxygenator system in their livewell another $200 was theirs — worth $6,950 in all.
 
Kevin Dahl and Steve Stack of Muskego, WI came in 4th place with 49.24 pounds and also took home the $1,000 Toyota Tundra bonus and $250 as a part of Team FCIS – Farm & City Insurance Services, totaling $5,450.
 
The National Professional Anglers Association (NPAA) awarded its top two finishing anglers with $100 each, which went to Mickey Stuefen of Cedar Rapids, Iowa (finishing 9th) and Steve Poll of Oshkosh, WI (finishing 11th).
 
Big Fish honors for the tournament were awarded accordingly:
 
Saturday
Jack Neuman of Naperville, IL & Brad Obermeier of Ankeny, IA  8.58 lbs. for $1450
John Omelina of Milwaukee, WI & Mike Rabetski of Kimberly, WI  8.56 lbs. for $850
Cliff and Leslie Banks of Spring Valley, IL 8.42 lbs. for $550
 
Sunday
Rob Krause and Dave Dretske of Berlin, WI  10.00 lbs. for $1450
Jeremy Goddard and Steve Zegers of Green Bay, WI  9.86 lbs. for $850
Jim and Jake LaPine of Fond du Lac, WI  9.5 lbs. for $550
 
The field paid down 25 places totaling $82,880 plus $3,650 in bonus contingency money from sponsors.  Add in the big fish purse of $5,700 plus $1500 donated by the Marinette-Menominee Chamber of Commerce and $93,730 was paid out for the event.
 
Dalton Neumeier, age 10, of Menominee cashed in on a new bike – compliments of Toyota.  Dalton is the son of Carrie Smith and Bruce Neumeier. Over 50 kids attended the MWC/NPAA Youth and Family Fishing Clinic on Saturday.  The new young anglers received a number of rods and reels and had a great time learning how to use their new tackle.
 
The Marinette-Menominee Great Lakes Sport Fishermen (MMGLSF) co-hosted the tournament along with the Marinette-Menominee Chamber of Commerce, assisting with tournament logistics from set up to tear down and all the early mornings and fish release in between.  “Our club really enjoyed working on the tournament and we look forward to cooperatively investing the $2,220 that is being donated to make improvements to an already great fishery here on Green Bay,” shared past president and tournament organizer John Krueger.
 
Lowrance Electronics hosted two FREE advanced classes led by high-tech fisherman Bruce “Doc” Samson during the week of pre-fishing.  Many community anglers as well as tournament fishermen attended and dug into the deeper knowledge of GPS mapping and sonar.
 
Cabela’s, the world’s foremost outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is in their seventh season as the title sponsor of the Masters Walleye Circuit.  Official sponsors include Lowrance, Toyota, Ranger Boats, Mercury, MotorGuide, Versus (Vs.) Television Network and North American Fishing Club.  Associate sponsors are Farm & City Insurance Services, The Inhibitor, O2 Oxygenator and Sticker Dude.
 
The remaining 2008 schedule is:
 
June 21 & 22  Lake Winnebago out of Oshkosh, Wisconsin
July 18 – 20   Saginaw Bay out of Linwood, Michigan
August 9 & 10  Devils Lake out of Devils Lake, North Dakota
August 22 – 24    Lake Erie out of Dunkirk, New York
October 1-4, 2008  Lake Erie out of Dundee/Monroe, Michigan
 
For more information and complete results please visit the MWC website at www.masterswalleyecircuit.com or contact MWC headquarters at 877-893-7947 or by email at:  [email protected].