The Masters Walleye Circuit event at Devils Lake this past weekend was cut short due to high winds and unfavorable lake conditions on day two of the tournament. Teams that finished high on day one were happy it ended, but those that were still in contention with another day of fishing to go were disappointed they couldn’t get out Sunday. “I think we would have had a chance to move up of we could have fished another day”, said Jim Perry, NPAA #332, of Tonganoxie, KS. “But, the MWC made the right call with this weather forecast”, he added.
The highest placing NPAA members were the team of Jim Perry and his partner, Aaron Wagner, NPAA #548, of Oskaloosa, KS with a five fish limit of 18.51 pounds, landing them in third place.
They took home a check for $3,330.00 along with the Ranger Boats Ranger Cup Bonus Award of $1000.00, the first place Berkley Premier Team Bonus Award of $500.00, and the second place Big Fish Award of $660.00.
In fourth place was the Fargo, ND team of Chad Maloy, NPAA #499 and Don Denning, NPAA #140, with 18.39 pounds. Their take home $2,420.00 plus the 2nd Place Berkley Premier Team Bonus Award of $300.00. The MWC’s Dan Johnson asked how they liked winning the “Kid’s Fishing Tournament” on Friday, and Chad replied, “We had a great day on Friday! We did the Youth Tournament, and our partner, Dylan, ended up catching all the fish. Don drove the boat, and I just did the netting. We got three nice fish and he ended up in first place! On Friday, we hoped to repeat. And, today, we would have rather have been fishing, and duke it out on the water, but it didn’t work out with the weather. We’re happy with the way it ended up though.”
MWC Co Tournament Director and MC, Dan Johnson, asked Chad and his partner Don on stage what presentation they were using, they answered with, “We were up in Pelican and we were trolling spinners along the weed lines. We also did some pitching on some points.” Chad added, “Well, probably, the thing that worked best for us was using Northland spinners. The color that worked best for us was one called a “Golden Shiner”. The Gold tint on that spinner seemed to be important.”
Brandon Carpenter, NPAA #393, and his partner were in that group of teams that wished the weather had cooperated. They finished up in 6th place with a 5 fish limit weighing in at 16.94 pounds. Brandon took home the Berkley Premier Team’s 3rd Place Bonus Award of $200.00 for his efforts along with an MWC cash prize of 1,530.00. A total of 61 teams competed for a grand prize of $11,000.00 with a total cash payout of $31,720. Other top finishing NPAA Members were:
- Kyle Clifton, NPAA #812, of Minnewaukan, ND who took 8th place for $1,260.00
- Brian Tordsen, NPAA #388, of Sioux Falls, SD and Mike Dorris, NPAA #426, of Madison, SD ended the day in 13th place, the first position out of the money.
- Corey Heiser, NPAA #373, of West Fargo, ND ended up in 14th place
The NPAA sponsored “Kid’s Fishing Clinic” was successful in that there were about 40 kids present who received a new rod and reel combo along with a new tackle box full of goodies supplied by several MWC sponsors. They learned how to tie on a slip bobber onto their lines from the Pros present, while Johnnie Candle, NPAA #42, of Devils Lake M.C.’d the event. As Johnnie narrated the technique, his partner Dave Noble, NPAA #997, of Dixon, IL showed them how with an oversized version of one made out of rope and Styrofoam that looked like a bobber. Some of the Pros, other than Johnnie and Dave, that were helping out with the youth event were: Chad Maloy, Corey Heiser, Mike Dorris, Brian Tordsen, and Dave Randash, NPAA #29.
Riley Schlieve one of the youth event attendees won a mountain bike that was donated by a local business in Devils Lake. All the kids were given a raffle ticket and Johnnie Candle called a single digit out, and asked the kid’s if their number still matched. If they didn’t they had to put their hands down. When the last number was called, Riley went over to the bike, turned around and threw his arms up in victory while his Mom, Julie, and Dad, Terry watched on. The smile said it all. “Congratulations little man! Enjoy the new bike!”
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
