St. Mary’s River Treats PWT Pros to Exciting Catches
Category: Tournament
Aug 24th, 2005 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Aug 24th, 2005 at 12:00 AM
A sunny day on the St. Mary’s River produced a banner catch for the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail touring anglers. They were competing in the $300,000 Lund/Outdoor Channel Pro-Am in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.The top pro walleye tournament anglers fished from the famous Soo Locks downstream to DeTour Passage, and all the bays, river channels, lakes and hotspots in-between. Aaron Abaurrea, Fargo, ND, found his fish in a secluded spot and bagged 22.18 pounds for his tournament limit of five walleyes. Abaurrea’s partner was Matt Guzzo, Sault Ste. Marie. Montana pro Jim Muzynoski and his amateur/co-angler Jerry Emery, Walker, Minn., hold second place with 21.73 pounds. The third place partners, pro Mark Martin, Twin Lake, Mich., and amateur/co-angler John Matchinski, Manistique, Mich., weighed 20.53 pounds. Pro Tom Backer and amateur Peter Straton, Lyons Falls, NY are 5/100ths back in fourth place. Forty-two percent of the boats brought in limits; with an average weight of 2.42 pounds.The Johnsonville Brats Angler of the Year race tightened. On day one, leader Mark Brumbaugh, Arcanum, Ohio, placed 10th, while Martin with five more pounds made a major move. The points race will be determined after Friday’s weigh-in. The Johnsonville Brats Angler of the Year will win $35,000; with Mercury adding $10,000 to the $25,000 prize.The largest walleye, winning the Coleman Big Fish $1,000 money, went to Muzynoski and Emery for their 5.49-pounder. Walleye fans interested in learning more about how to fish the scenic waterway connecting Lake Superior with Lake Huron are encouraged to attend the free stage show and weigh-in festivities. The Thursday and Friday, Aug. 25-26 weigh-in starts at 3 p.m.at Sault Ste. Marie’s Aune Osborne Park, right on the river.Quality Inn & Suites (906-635-6918), Sault Convention Bureau (800-647-2858), Kewadin Casino (906-632-0530) and these business partners: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, Boat Buckle, Smooth Moves Seat Mounts, Kwik Pfyt, E-Z Loader, Raymarine, Rapala, Matzuo, Pflueger, Ram rod holders, Gerbing’s Heated Clothing, Aqua-Vu, Save Phace, Plano, Stowmaster.net, Navionics, Access Roll-up Cover, Yellow Bird, DOW Chemical, 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.