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Fairbairn is the 2006 Ironman of Walleye Fishing

Category: article

 Oct 26th, 2006 by OutdoorsFIRST 

Modified Oct 26th, 2006 at 12:00 AM

	Scott Fairbairn at Bismarck

In the sport of professional walleye fishing in 2006, Scott Fairbairn of Hager City, WI stands alone at the top of the heap. Fairbairn was one of eight anglers to compete in all three pro-level circuits in 2006; the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Tour Regional Division, the PWT Super Pro Division, and FLW Walleye Tour. The Ironman competition pits those eight anglers against each other in a points race of all points races, an all out competition of walleye-fishing endurance consisting of travel, scheduling, time on the water and ultimately, performance across every single tournament that pro walleye fishing has to offer.Bill Ortiz held a slim two-point lead over Fairbairn heading into the PWT Championship in Bismarck, the final Ironman tournament of 2006. After making the final cut, Fairbairn had all but eliminated Ortiz from a shot at the title. “Winning the Ironman would be quite an accomplishment; it’s been a very long year,” stated Fairbairn at the Day Two press conference. “It’ll be in my hands.”Fairbairn erased the deficit with a second place overall finish at Bismarck to win by 28 points with an Ironman total of 814. Fairbairn took the Iroman title and trophy, a prepaid entry into a 2007 PWT Tournament and products from Ironman Sponsors Lund Boats, Stowmaster, Kwik-Pfyt, and E-Cell as a result. Ortiz finished second in the standings overall with 786 points. Rick Franklin, who lead the Ironman Race for a majority of the season, finished third with 779 and tied with Fairbairn for the highest average finish of 27.4. Why the Ironman?The Ironman Qualifiers represent some of the top anglers in walleye fishing, both today and historically. Anglers must fish every pro tournament on both the FLW and PWT circuits within a single year to qualify, The requirements includes the PWT Super Pro, which is an invitation-only circuit based upon both current and historical criteria. Ironman Qualifiers fish against the top competition and log the most miles and hours on the water. The total 2006 commitment consisted of fourteen tournaments, including two circuit championships.The Ironman scoring system is based upon a subset of the WalleyeFIRST World Walleye Ranking model, which assigns points per tournament based upon finish using criteria set forth by the current professional walleye fishing landscape.The 2007 Ironman is already in the planning stages. 2007 Ironman Qualifiers will be announced in early 2007.The 2006 WalleyeFIRST Ironman Final Standings1. Scott Fairbairn2. Bill Ortiz3. Rick Franklin4. Tommy Skarlis5. Todd Riley6. Dan Stier7. Pete Harsh8. Tom Backer2006 Ironman Statistics and FactsThe 2006 Ironmen accounted for:A top ten finish in 12 out of 14 tournaments15 out of 16 possible championship berths4 out of the top 10 places in the PWT championship18 top ten finishes1 win, three 2nds, one 3rd, three 4thsThe WalleyeFIRST Ironman is sponsored and made possible by E-Cell, Lund Boats, Stowmaster Nets, and Kwik-Pfyt. Visit The Ironman Competition Page