Pete Harsh Rigs Way to 4th PWT Win
Category: Tournament
Jun 30th, 2006 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Jun 30th, 2006 at 12:00 AM
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Pete Harsh rigged his way to a fourth PWT win
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Pete Harsh captured his fourth In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail victory at Houghton, Mich. June 28-30. He pocketed a $55,000 first prize in cash and a Lund boat with a Mercury outboard for 42.87 pounds. He was one of 60 Super Pro anglers fishing the Keweenaw Waterway in Houghton. The Super Pro series presented by MinnKota is open only to the top-ranked PWT anglers. To stand with the first place trophy is a major accomplishment. Harsh, Sauk Centre, Minn., rigged with night crawlers in 6 to 8 feet of water (in the weeds) on Torch Lake. He remained within a tight area about 100 yards long and 50 yards wide. Anglers scattered on the scenic waterway, fishing the canals that connected to Lake Superior, and Portage and Torch Lakes. Some were in 5 to 10 feet of water; others fished for suspended walleyes (8 to 16 feet deep in 30 foot of water) in Portage Lake. The winning amateur/co-angler was Neil Feck, Traverse City, Mich. He won a $15,000 Mercury/Lund walleye boat on an E-Z Loader trailer. On the pro side, Bill St. Peter, Bay City, Mich., was second. He won $15,000, with 40.22 pounds by trolling Northland holographic spinner blades and crawlers in the top 16 feet of the water column. He also won the E-Cell Heavyweight $1,000 award for a 23.65 pound catch, the largest daily basket of the Johnsonville Pro-Am. The PWT limit was 5 walleyes per boat per day. Five-time PWT winner Ron Seelhoff, Burlington, Col., was third with 37.32 pounds. He won $10,000. Day-two leader Chase Parsons, Brillion, Wis., struck out on the final day and dropped to sixth place. He won $7,000. The Coleman Big Fish winners were Jim Muzynoski, Bozeman, Mont., and Dan Loyd, Chassell, Mich., with a 7.52-pounder. They won $1,500 and $500 respectively. St. Peter advanced 54 places (56th after day one – 1.20 pounds) to win the Coleman Cool Under Pressure award, and Todd Scherer, Mina, SD was the Cool Under Pressure amateur winner for advancing 48 places. In the Johnsonville Brats Angler of the Year race, St. Peter took the lead by 15 points over Bill Ortiz, Richland Center, Wis. The top 10 anglers in the race qualify for the PWT Celebrity Shootout, where they will compete at Aikens Lake Lodge (www.aikenslake.com) in Manitoba to raise funds for the Boomer Esiason Foundation for Cystic Fibrosis. The top 30 will be invited to the Mercury Championship. The Super Pro series turns to Mille Lacs Lake in Minn., Aug. 9-11, at Hunter’s Point Resort. The PWT also runs a Regional Series presented by MotorGuide, with two stops remaining: Mobridge, SD July 26-28, and Escanaba, Mich., Aug. 23-25. The two Regional events still have space for amateurs/co-anglers. Check the PWT website, www.professionalwalleyetrail.com, or call 218-829-0620. A big crowd of over 1,000 walleye fans turned out at Chassell Centennial Park to meet and greet the pros and watch the stage festivities. Executive Director Richard Baker, with the Keweenaw Peninsula Chamber of Commerce received a PWT Superior Achievement Award for organizing the effort to bring the PWT to Copper Country. A similar award went to Dave Mattson with the Chassell Township, for providing a terrific location for the tournament. 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 partners include: 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 , Reef Runner and the Keweenaw Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, 906.482.5240.