Third stop on the 2023 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s (MWC) relocated due to record flooding on the Mississippi River.

Ponca City, Okla. – April 25, 2023 – Local officials advised MWC yesterday that the third qualifying event of the season on the Mississippi River at Red Wing and Treasure Island Casino, May 5-6 will need to be relocated due record flooding and unsafe conditions in the area.

The amount of remaining snow and ice pack in northern Minnesota combined with the forecast for more spring rains for the coming week and the fact that the current river level has been well above major flood stage for the past two weeks already, without a clear end in sight, is forcing MWC to seek out an alternate location for the event.

“We have been looking forward to a Red Wing at Treasure Island for some time now and appreciate all Treasure Island and area officials have done to try and make this event work. We hope to return with another event in the future.” Stated MWC Tournament Director Jeff Kelm. “We understand moving is not preferred and can be an inconvenience, it is for our team and the site host as well, but after exhausting all possibilities to stay, we wanted to give anglers as much notice to rebook travel as we could once advice from local officials made it clear we could not go forward at Red Wing.”

Keeping the same dates of May 5-6 is preferred as most MWC anglers have already taken off work for those dates. Petenwell Flowage, on the Wisconsin River has been secured for those dates of May 5-6 as the new location and it is open for fishing currently. All entries from the Red Wing event will automatically be transferred to the Petenwell event and a new fact sheet will be emailed to all and posted to the website.

This 26-mile stretch of the Wisconsin River is an overlooked fishery that does have a protected slot size that will challenge the angler’s decision making over the course of the 2-day event. Protected size limits and only “1 over” rules are nothing new to most walleye anglers and they vary by lake and state. In the end someone will figure out the winning pattern and take home the cash. All functions for the Petenwell event will take place at Adams County Petenwell Park.

Lowrance, as a presenting sponsor of select MWC events including the Petenwell event May 5-6 and Cass Lake event Sept. 15-16, has added a significant bonus to the payout for their events in the form of a 60-inch shaft Lowrance GHOST trolling motor, a $3,749 value. The same unit will also be added to the 2023 World Walleye Championship payout.

Additionally, Dakota Lithium has a new “Comeback Award” for 2023, a set of Dakota Lithium batteries for the biggest comeback in the standing on day 2 of all MWC events. Plus, contingency awards from Ranger boats up to $8,000, a $1,000 bonus to the highest finisher running Lowrance HDS PRO units, bonuses from Okuma Reels and the TH Marine Atlas Awards program add even more to MWC events prize pool.

Registration is still open for Lake Petenwell and will remain open until 5:00pm Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023. Please go to Masterswalleyecircuit.com/registration  to get signed up.

Under the umbrella of The Walleye Federation (TWF), the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit is North America’s longest-running and undisputed leader in team walleye tournaments and as an inductee into the freshwater fishing hall of fame, has set the standard for competitive walleye fishing for the past 39 years and has directly donated hundreds of thousands and helped raise millions of dollars to support walleye & conservation programs nationwide. The MWC is open to walleye anglers from all walks of life. The 2023 schedule includes seven qualifiers in six states, plus a berth into the 2024 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship.

Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s – The World’s Foremost Outfitters, are in their 22nd season as the title sponsor of the Masters Walleye Circuit. Official sponsors include: Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats, and Dakota Lithium. Associate sponsors include: The Walleye Federation, Church Tackle, FishLab, Okuma, Power-Pole and T-H Marine. For more information, email support@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.