NPAA Member Takes Home Top Honors From Lake Oahe in Pierre, SD
Category: npaa
Jun 29th, 2010 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Jun 29th, 2010 at 12:00 AM
116 Pros and Co Anglers took to the waters of Lake Oahe this past week for the FLW Walleye Tour event June 24-26, 2010. As the current leaders stood on stage in anticipation of the outcome of the tournament, Eric Olson of Red Wing, MN, NPAA #165 , hoisted one fish at a time from a opaque black bag, so no one could see how much weight they had, or how many fish they had. One by one, he placed them in the water filled tank on the scale until the weight locked in at 15.8 pounds, giving Eric Olson 45.7 pounds and his first FLW Walleye Tour win! His Co Angler won as well with a total of 45.5 pounds. Eric’s win netted him a cash prize of $12,649.00 along with a $10,000 Ranger Cup payment, $8,000 Evinrude Contingency payment and a $5,508 Optional pot payout, for a total purse of $36,157.00!
Gary Maher of Menoken, ND NPAA# 813, and his Co Angler, Ron Lowry NPAA# 392 of Lakewood, CO, came in with a five fish limit that weighed in at 10.11 pounds. Gary’s three day total weight was 38.2 pounds while Ron’s weight jumped up to 37.2 pounds. Both gentlemen ended up in fourth place.
Gary’s take home prize was $7,002.00, which included the optional pot, Ranger Cup. Ron won a total of $753.00 fishing as a Co Angler this week.
Finishing in the top ten is an achievement in and of itself, and no stranger to top tens is this next NPAA member, Jason Przekurat of Stevens Point, WI and NPAA #169. Jason ended the week in 6th place with a total weight of 37.2 pounds and a check for $3,271.00.
Following close behind Jason were NPAA member #157 Brian Brosdahl of Max, MN and NPAA member #52, Byron Peterson of Blair, NE. Brian’s total weight came to 36.11 and he was rewarded with an 8th place check for $2,765.00, while Byron’s 9th place check garnered him a total cash prize of $1,012.00.
Just missing the cut are fellow NPAA members Mark Courts of Harris, MN NPAA #719 and Bill Shimota of Lonsdale, MN NPAA #599. Mark finished in 11th place with 26.1 pounds, while Bill finished in 12th place with 25.3 pounds. On the Co Angler side, and finishing in the top 15 spots, is Chris Hanson of New Hope, MN NPAA #637 with 24.1 pounds.
The majority of the fish caught this week fell prey to a technique called “Slow Death”. Slow Death is a presentation that utilizes the use of one half to one ounce bottom bouncers with a 4-5 foot lead, bare hook, and sometimes a bead for attractant. Crawlers and leeches, and sometimes minnows are used as bait. The Slow Death presentation is usually fished rather shallow, anywhere from 3-20 feet deep, and is deadly, which was proven by the number of Walleye caught during this event.
The FLW, in conjunction with the NPAA, held a “Family Fishing Clinic” where approximately 25 children received a rod and reel combo, and a bag full of goodies for attending. The kids listened to a mini seminar delivered by Mark Courts, about what different techniques and presentations were used during this week’s Walleye tournament. The event was cut short due to a rain shower that opened up at the same time the clinic started. It was a short event, but the kids all went home with a great prize after the weigh in.
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 and Worldwide Marine Underwriters. More NPAA member and association news can be viewed at www.npaa.net.