Otter Tail Lake Walleyes to Meet PWT Super Pros
Category: Tournament
May 25th, 2006 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified May 25th, 2006 at 12:00 AM
Nestled in west-central Minnesota’s resort community are hundreds of lakes. The largest, Otter Tail at 13,000 acres, will be home to the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail Super Pro tournament June 13-15.This event, the Lund Pro-Am, will take place Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Fishing will be on the lake, with weigh-in ceremonies and the PWT Outdoor Festival family activities all taking place at the Ottertail Fairgrounds, just off Hwy. 108 near the water tower.The Super Pro series presented by MinnKota is an invitational to the top 60 touring walleye pros. They made it into this elite field based on past successes, wins, finishes, money earned, etc.They will be joined by 60 amateurs/co-anglers each day, and search for walleyes. The amateurs fish with a new pro each day and use the pro’s gear and tackle and fish together as partners for the maximum boat weight.”Even though this is the smallest lake ever fished by the PWT contestants, it will fish much larger,” said PWT executive director Jim Kalkofen. When the mapping experts at LakeMaster ProMaps created their detailed Otter Tail chart, they were amazed at the structure.The locals know about the many humps, bumps, steep breaks, and the holes in the sand flats that all hold walleyes. “The LakeMaster technology maps about 3,000 to 4,000 acres a day for a typical lake. It took them three weeks to chart Otter Tail. It’s a maze of walleye structure.” Kalkofen said.At the Lund Pro-Am, the 60 boats will each be allowed four fish per day, with only two over 20-inches. The pros and their daily partners will convoy from the lake to the Fairgrounds for a weigh-in that will take place between 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. The Festival with a Cabela’s/Shakespeare fishing pond, Outdoor Channel rock-climbing wall, Gamo air rifle shooting range and a “host your own PWT television show” simulator for youngsters. These activities begin at 1 p.m. and run to 7 p.m. and are free of charge. Bob Propst, Jr., Fort Pierre, SD, will lead the field out Tuesday, June 13. He won the inaugural Super Pro at Chamberlain, SD, on the Missouri River casting jigs with PowerBait Minnows. Following the final day, Thursday, the pros share their tactics and locations, describe boat control, explain how Lowrance electronics helped them find key spots, and their secrets.The PWT is an integral element of the In-Fisherman Communications Network headquartered in Brainerd, Minnesota, and PRIMEDIA, America’s leading producer of targeted media. PWT promotional partnersinclude: Mercury Marine, Lund, The Outdoor Channel, Berkley, Optima Batteries, Realtree, MotorGuide, Lowrance, MinnKota, Trilene, Frenzy, Blue Fox, Powerbait, Johnsonville Brats, Northland Fishing Tackle, Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle, GULP!, Coleman, Storm, Tommy Docks, Smooth Moves Seat Mounts, E-Village, Kwik Pfyt, Raymarine, Rapala, Pflueger, Ram rod holders, Gerbing’s Heated Clothing, Aqua-Vu, Plano, Stowmaster.net, Navionics, Yellow Bird, Beckman, Drift Control, Gemini Sport Marketing, Yo-Zuri and Reef Runner. The PWT is an integral element of the In-Fisherman Communications Network headquartered in Brainerd, Minnesota, and PRIMEDIA, America’s leading producer of targeted media.and the Ottertail Country Tourism Association (218-758-2716)