Johnnie Candle, NPAA #42 of Devils Lake, ND and his partner, Dave Noble, NPAA #997 of Dixon, IL won the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s World Walleye Championship on the Mississippi River in Prairie Du Chien, WI on Saturday. The Team was fishing against the 26 other team championship contenders and earned $25,000 for their win. Yesterday, the final day of the event, they brought in the largest weight of the day to put them at the top of the leader board. Thursday, day one, they brought in five fish limit for 13.24 pounds. On day two they brought another limit to the scales for 9.60 pounds, and yesterday they brought in 12.10 pounds for a three day total weight of 34.94 pounds. Candle and Noble were one of only two teams to bring in a five fish limit of fish each day.
“We pitched crankbaits all three days of the event. We came down here and saw the flooded conditions and we were scratching our heads just like everybody else. We had no idea where to start, because we had never fished this part of the river before”, said Johnnie. He went on, “The first thing we thought was that we needed to look for areas with reduced current. Flood stage…less current…should catch some fish. Well, after two days of catching nothing, we decided that that wasn’t the answer, and we actually started looking for areas with the most current, because the current seams were easier to find, when there was a lot of current. We started pitching stuff into the slack water, and got on a decent pattern pitching Ringworms, a very popular Mississippi River technique. One day we were on a spot that was shallow enough and Dave said, “I’m going to try a crankbait”, and after about three casts in he caught a fish on a crankbait! So, we said, “Hey, maybe cranks are the answer?” We finally stumbled into the spot that we ended up fishing for three days in a row, pitching crankbaits over a shallow rock bar being swept with main river current, but it also had a nice backwater eddy nearby, and thank goodness there were 15 Walleye in there for us to weigh in. It worked out pretty well.”
Dave added, “We were using number 5 Flicker Shads and number 7 Shad Raps and ended up catching about 80 percent of our fish on custom painted baits from Dutch Fork Tackle. Most on a new color Keith paints called “Chrome Crappie”. Johnnie got a couple dozen about two weeks ago and called me up and said, “I’ve got the best bait ever! I’ve been hammering them on Devils Lake”, and I said, “Well, quit using them and bring them to the tournament”. (Laughs) That one caught a lot of our fish. The other one that worked good for us was a pink and pearl Spring Valley color. Knowing we were coming to the river and it was going to be high and dirty, we just thought the pink and pearl would be good, and it was.”
When asked what this win means to each of them, Johnnie answered first and said, “Who knows, right now? In the professional fishing game, something like this can go a long way. Hopefully, it means a lot! I know it’s going to put an exclamation point on some of the things I’ve already done in my career. Emotionally and internally for my family, nothing means much more. I mean, you go through these struggles year after year, after year and finally a you put together a week where everything falls into place…I don’t know, it hasn’t really set in yet. I’m sure it probably won’t until the drive home, but it’s been a heck of a ride.” Dave said, “Last year was the first year I ever really fished a competition other than a few Pro/Am events, and I’d be remiss to tell you…I don’t know what to feel right now. I’m just glad that I can be part of this for Johnnie. I know how much this has meant to him. Every conversation that we talk about, when it comes to tournament finishes is, “You know Dave, all I need is that one win and it will be everything for my career”, and I’m just glad to have been part of that for him. That means more to me than any of it.”
Another NPAA Member that managed the only other three day 5 fish limit was Greg Yarbrough, NPAA #903, of Port Clinton, OH. Gregg and his partner took third place with a total weight of 27.35 pounds netting them a $10,000.00 payday!
Other NPAA Members who finished in the top 15 spots are:
| 7th Place: | Gary White, NPAA #829 of Prairie Du Chien, WI |
| 9th Place: | Bob Probst Jr., NPAA #521, of Pierre, SD and Dave Atkinson, NPAA #519, of Sault St. Marie, MI |
| 11th Place: | David Kolb, NPAA #607 of Rockford, MI |
| 13th Place: | Troy Etheridge, NPAA #892, and Guy Ryan, NPAA #964 both of Salina, KS |
| 15th Place: | Matt Davis, NPAA #568 of Marion, OH and Dan Gies, NPAA #569 of Huron, OH |
The “Kids Fishing Clinic” held on Friday was a success with over 50 kids attending the NPAA Member Supported event. It was held immediately after the weigh in at the Cabela’s store under the big white tent. The grand prize that was raffled off for this event was a nice rod/ reel combo valued at $200.00. The winner of that great combo was a little girl by the name of Rachel Walleser, from Lansing, IA.
Each of the kids attending were given a new rod/ reel combo that was donated by Cabela’s, and their very own tackle box filled with baits from Northland Fishing Tackle and Berkley, along with some other prizes. Once the prizes were handed out the kids as a group were taught how to put a slip bobber and a jig on the line by NPAA Members Johnnie Candle and Dave Noble. Each youngster also received individual help from other NPAA Members who helped out at the event. At the end of the event the kids were set to start fishing all on their own. Other NPAA Members who helped at the event included:
- Gary White-NPAA#829
- Greg Yarbrough-NPAA#902
- David Kolb-NPAA#607
- Matt Davis-NPAA#568
- Dan Gies-NPAA#569
- Brad Engebretson-NPAA#225
- Brian Sularz-NPAA#224
- Corey Heiser-NPAA#373
The NPAA is a non-profit organization focused on growing the sport of fishing and increasing the professionalism of its members. Its supporting partners include Northland Fishing Tackle, Navionics, Mercury Marine, Evinrude Outboards, Lund Boats, Ranger Boats, Off-Shore Tackle, Fin-Tech Tackle, Berkley, AIM Walleye Series, Masters Walleye Circuit, FLW Outdoors, Frabill, U.S. Forest Service, Liddle Marketing, FPS Financial Planning Services, Do-it Corp., Optima Batteries, John Butts Outdoors, Pasha Lake Cabins, Oahe Wings and Walleyes Guide Service, Outdoor First Media, Advanced Tex Screen Printing, Pro-Staff Gear and Worldwide Marine Underwriters.By: Patrick Neu, NPAA Executive Director
