Hot Bite Thwarted by Strong Winds at PWT
Category: Tournament
Apr 25th, 2007 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Apr 25th, 2007 at 12:00 AM
Spring finally arrived in central Wisconsin over the weekend, and In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail anglers surprised themselves at the size and numbers of walleyes in the Lake Winnebago system. Then the Johnsonville Brats Pro-Am, part of the MotorGuide Regional series, opened with northeast winds, blowing apart most game plans.Pro Gary Parsons, Glidden, Wis., was amazed at the great Lake Winnebago catches during the practice period, and expected much more weight than the eighth place 11.29 pounds he weighed on day one. His comments were repeated numerous times on stage at Winneconne’s Waterfront Park in front of hundreds of hearty fishing fans. Leading after day one is veteran pro Scott Fairbairn, Hager City, Wis. His 14.94 pounds eclipsed rookie pro Luke Leanna, Oakfield, Wis., who weighed 14.37 pounds. They fished with amateurs/co-anglers Adam Brueggen, Onalaska, Wis. and Bruce Peterson, Appleton, Wis., respectively.Cedarville, Mich., pro Mike McMaken, holds third place with 12.55 pounds. Rookie pro Eric Schuelke, Jackson, Wis., who finished fourth at the recent Chamberlain, SD Regional, is in fourth place again with 11.75 pounds. Gary “Mr. Walleye” Roach, Merrifield, Minn., is fifth with 11.50 pounds. Only three pounds separate Roach from 40th place.Leanna and Peterson caught the day one Coleman Big Fish at 5.46 pounds. Many anglers trolled crankbaits in the Lakes Poygan, Winneconne and Butte des Morts. Others slip-bobbered and jigged the rocks. Last year, the Wolf River above Lake Poygan proved popular for most of the field. This year, the lakes saw most of the action.The full field of 120 boats heads out Thursday and Friday at 7 a.m., with weigh-in starting at 3 p.m. In addition to the stage fun, a free rock-climbing wall and catfish tank provide challenges to youngsters. On Friday, the pros share their what/where/when/how secrets. The PWT is an integral element of the In-Fisherman Communications Network headquartered in Baxter, Minnesota, and INTER-MEDIA, 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, 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, Winneconne Village 920.582.4851 and the Chamber of Commerce 920.582.4775.