Jaroch and Daniels Win 2006 MWC Championshp
Category: Tournament
Oct 8th, 2006 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Oct 8th, 2006 at 12:00 AM
DaPrairie du Chien, WI – A five-fish first day basket of 18.84 pounds at the 2006 World Walleye Championship gave the Fond du Lac, Wisconsin team of Keith Daniels and Greg Jaroch a slim one pound cushion over the balance of the Cabela’s MWC field, but they grabbed it and never looked back. Heavy fog delayed the start on day two, but they still put a little more distance between themselves and their competitors with two fish at 7.72 pounds, holding the lead with 2 ¬ pounds. Beautiful blue skies along the bluffs of pools 9 and 10 of the Mississippi River meant a full day on the water without delay on the final day, and the duo secured their Championship victory with 15.48 pounds for a total of 42.04 pounds. This was the team’s first Cabela’s MWC victory, and to have it be a Championship was particularly sweet, paying out $25,000.”I can hardly tell you what this means, it is so amazing,” shared Daniels after all the trophies and big checks were passed out and custom Championship 14k MWC rings were placed on their fingers. “The money is nice, but the honor that comes with the title means even more. The quality of the competitors in the MWC is so great, that this really is something that words cannot describe. I can hardly believe it is all real.” The cap of the event was a fine-dining Champions dinner, where all competitors relaxed for an evening of camaraderie. The anglers, each with a turn at the microphone, extended their congratulations to the new Champs. The duo was fishing in pool 9 on a wing dam outside of the big slough. They were throwing rigs tipped with willow cats, using mosquito hooks and egg sinkers, a simple methodology that worked. They went through more than 100 hooks and over 25 dozen willow cats in the last four days. The key to their tournament success was finding wing dams that held more current than others. They were lucky enough to identify twelve such spots during their pre-fishing, but their number one spot paid off for them big time. The winning team received a $200 additional cash bonus from Lindy for being the top finishing team that likes to strategically use a drift sock for tournament fishing along with two new Lindy Drift Control products. They also received a $100 bonus from Panther Marine Tech. Brothers Steve and Dan Bodinger of Chilton, Wisconsin finished in second place, just 2.14 pounds back, cashing $12,000 along with big fish honors for day one, with their 7.36 walleye. A $500 Cabela’s gift card was awarded for the biggest fish each day. Day two honors went to the winners, Daniels and Jaroch for their 5.78 pound walleye. Third day big fish was awarded to the father and son team of Joe and David Okada of Madison, Wisconsin for their 8.51 pound walleye. The Okadas finished in fourth place with 35.29 pounds, cashing $7,000.The $1000 Ranger Cup bonus was awarded to Tim Harms of Owatonna, Minnesota. Harms and partner Chad Kruse, of Allison, Iowa finished in third place with 36.54 pounds for 11 fish, cashing $8,000. A $500 Tommy Docks Comeback Award for moving up 34 places from day one to day three was awarded to Mike Tompkins and Travis MacDonald of the Green Bay/Menasha area of Wisconsin. The duo finished in sixth place cashing in $5,000 for their hard work.Inhibitor Tough Times cash bonus of $100 was awarded to Tim Fields and Charlie Brant of Pennsylvania.MWC sponsor Ice Armor awarded Nate Capton of Niagara Falls, NY & Dave Waldeck of Sanborn, NY with two sets of new Ice Armor cold-weather outer wear. Farm & City Insurance Services drew Team #3, Randy Carroll of Oswego, IL and Ed Klein of Wayne, IL for two new inflatable PFDs. FCIS also offered a cash addition to the walleye conservation fund of $5 anytime an MWCer requests a quote. Food Source Lures paid out cash and “real food” in a game for the anglers awarding $75 to Green Bay, Wisconsinites Mark Piper and Randy Blasczyk, $50 to the Stuefen brothers, Marty & Mickey from Cedar Rapids, Iowa and $25 to Kevin Carstensen of Merrill, WI and Rich Olds of Stevens Point, WI. They also paid out $25 to $40 each day to lucky members in attendance at the weigh-in for playing the Food Source Lures game. Since no team won the $2500 contingency from Toyota, the cash will roll into next year’s Championship so that $5,000 will be awarded to the top finishing team towing their tournament rig with a Toyota Tundra. Falling Rock Walleye Club and the Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin Cabela’s store employees did their usual stellar championship operations work with the MWC. Tournament StatisticsNumber of Teams: 60 Number of Fish: 440Total cash and prizes: $105,050 Total Weight: 909.19 poundsWater Temp: 62 degrees Big Fish: 8.51 pounds Average Weight: 2.06 poundsWater Clarity: Stained, mildly grassyWinning Pattern: Rigging the wing dams with mosquito hooks, egg sinkers and willow catsInside Tip: Mosquito hooks and locating wing dams that held more currentNext year’s championship roster is now set with all the teams’ points in place. The field of 59 teams will fish the Detroit River and Lake Erie, October 3-6 of 2007. The tournament will be held at the Cabela’s store in Dundee, Michigan. Cabela’s is the title sponsor for the Masters Walleye Circuit. Official Sponsors are Lindy Legendary Tackle, Lowrance Electronics, North American Fishing Club, Mercury Motors, Versus, Ranger Boats, MotorGuide and Toyota. Associate sponsors are Salmo Performance Lures, Panther Marine-Tech Products, Tommy Docks, The Inhibitor, Food Source Lures, Ice Armor, Pennzoil Marine, Farm & City Insurance Services and Walleye Central.