Wisconsin Pro Wins 2005 Mercury Championship
Category: Tournament
Sep 18th, 2005 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Sep 18th, 2005 at 12:00 AM
Catching double the number of walleyes of any other In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail competitor, Wisconsin pro David Andersen, netted $117,000 at the Mercury Championship. He did it the old-fashioned way, working hard and paying attention to details.Andersen weighed 10 walleyes from Milford Lake in Kansas over three days. They weighed 24.51 pounds, or $4,774 per pound. This is his second Mercury Championship appearance, and first PWT victory. He trolled a key break and on the final day caught his fish within a 20-minute window on a specific breakline (trolling purple Rapala #5 Shad Raps). Andersen’s big catch electrified the 2,000 walleye fans at Milford State Park. The Champ won $65,000 cash, a Lund/Merc walleye boat on an E-Z Loader trailer, a Kwik-Pfyt mudflap, a diamond ring from Richardson Jewelers and a SnowSport snowplow. With this win, he has racked up three top-10 finishes this season. He also won the Navionics “Spot on the Spot”Award of $500. Rookie of the Year Chase Parsons, the youngest Championship qualifier at 21 years old, from Appleton, Wis., claimed the second place $44,000 award. He also won two Coleman Big Fish awards of $1,000 each. His total PWT winnings were $64,500 this season. Third place went to Terry Wilson, Powell, Wyoming, with 15.91 pounds. He won $34,000 and also won the Gerbing’s Hot Pro award of $1,000 for a PWT victory three weeks ago and this third place finish. He’s pocketed more than $100,000 this season. The largest walleye brought to the stage weighed 62 pounds. It was a huge 62-pound flathead catfish caught by Sheldon Meidinger, Bismarck, ND.It didn’t count in the Championship, but showed once again the magnitude of the Milford Lake fishery. The Mercury Championship contestants qualified by being the top 51 pro anglers on tour this season. They were joined by Mercury Top Amateur Mike Johnson, Niagara, Wis. Photos and news about the qualifiers, the Championship, and other data is posted on the PWT web, professionalwalleyetrail.com. The 2006 schedule, dates and format will soon be announced on the site. The TV series begins the week of Sept. 26, and runs through March 2006. The Championship shows will air the final two weeks of September. The Mercury Championship is made possible by the Geary County CVB (785-238-2885; junctioncity.org) 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.