PWT Walleye Tour Expands
Category: Tournament
Dec 29th, 2005 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Dec 29th, 2005 at 12:00 AM
The In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail will produce two separate Pro-Am tournament series this season. Each circuit will consist of four events.Amateurs and co-anglers will have more opportunities to ride, fish and learn from the pro anglers than ever before.The PWT now has more chances for pro anglers to move up in the standings, with eight tournaments compared to six in recent years. The array of waters includes favorite sites like Chamberlain, Winneconne, Mobridge and Escanaba, a return to some great fisheries like Devils Lake and Mille Lacs, and new waters like Ottertail Lake in central Minnesota and the Keweenaw Waterway in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula at Houghton. Amateurs/co-anglers may apply to fish one or more tournaments. Fishing three days at each event, they will use the pro’s gear; ride in the pro’s boat; learn electronics, walleyes tactics and boat control; win prizes and more. Amateurs and co-anglers become integrally involved in each day’s fishing at the pro’s spots. During the course of each tournament, two things happen:1.) Amateurs/co-anglers will learn tactics and fish along side the pros.2.) Amateurs/co-anglers become very proficient walleye anglers. The Super Pro series presented by MinnKota is an invitational for the top-ranked walleye pros. They were rated on PWT accomplishments. The 2005 Johnsonville Angler of the Year Mike Gofron said, “I look forward to this new program. It will give my partners a real look at the waters and how to fish them with the limited number of boats. I’ve made many great friends over the years by sharing my boat with new amateurs.”The PWT top-ranked walleye “dozen” list follows. All will fish the Super Pro series. Together, they represent 29 PWT victories, eight Johnsonville Brats Anglers of the year, eight Mercury Champions and all the top money winners. Approximately 55 PWT pros will fish the Super Pro, including Mr. Walleye Gary Roach, the 2005 Mercury Champion David Andersen, the father-son duos of Dan and Danny Plautz and Gary and Chase Parsons and identical twin brothers Marty and Scott Glorvigen. The 12 top-ranked pros:1. Perry Good2. Keith Kavajecz (tie)2. Mike Gofron (tie)4. Gary Parsons (tie)4. Ron Seelhoff (tie)6. Mark Martin (tie)6. Rick Olson (tie)8. Gary Gray9. Dan Stier (tie)9. Mark Brumbaugh (tie)11. Dan Plautz (tie)11. Tommy Skarlis (tie)The PWT Regional series includes four tournaments open to pros wishing to fish one, two, three or all four events. Those electing to fish all four tournaments will continue to accrue points for Championship slots and Super Pro ranks. The top five will be invited to fish the Super Pro in 2007, and a total of 20 Regional anglers will make the Championship.The Tommy Docks Regional Champion will win $5,000. The top-ranked Regional pro who runs a Lund/Mercury boat with Optima batteries wins entry fees and an invitation to fish the Super Pro in 2007. The Regional series is also a Pro-Am, and one of the best values in the fishing world, at $450 per 3-day tournament for amateurs/co-anglers.Amateur/Co-angler entries and Regional Pro entries are now being accepted. Call PWT headquarters at 218-829-0620 for applications or go to the PWT website at www.professionalwalleyetrail.com. The award-winning PWT television series is now airing on the Outdoor Channel through March 2006. Each show airs three times per week. On Monday, it airs at 8 p.m.; on Tuesday, shows play at 5:30 p.m.; and on Saturday mornings, shows are at 1:30 a.m. (eastern times). The PWT series also airs on Wild TV in Canada.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, Kwik Pfyt, Raymarine, Rapala, Pflueger, Ram rod holders, Gerbing’s Heated Clothing, Aqua-Vu, Plano, Stowmaster.net, Navionics, Access Roll-up Cover, Yellow Bird, Gemini Sport Marketing, Dave’s Lures, The State Bank Group, 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.For a compete tournament litsing go to: http://www.walleyefirst.com/tournaments/pwt/