NPAA Member Wins the MWC at Trenton, MI
Category: npaa
Apr 19th, 2010 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Apr 19th, 2010 at 12:00 AM
Steve Bodinger, NPAA #419, traveled from Chilton, WI with his brother, Dan, to compete in the MWC’s Eastern Division tournament on the Detroit River and the Michigan waters of Lake Erie this past weekend. Fishing against a field of 104 teams, the brothers were successful in winning the event by bringing in 72.59 pounds of Walleye over two days of competition. “We’ve been fishing for quite a few years, but we finally got a win. It’s taken us a while, but we work hard at itâ€, said Steve.
“We were pulling crawler harnesses about 1.0-1.2mph, using Northland blades along with various colored beads, and a splitshot. The leads were anywhere from 25ft.-40ft. back, depending on the time of day and what the fish were doing. We were fishing 20 miles from the launch site in an area called Breast Bay (Lake Erie), and we looked for a little more stained or dingy water, because that was a little bit warmer, and the fish seemed to like that warmer waterâ€.
They won the first place cash prize of $15,700.00 along with contingency awards of another $1,700 including the $500 Berkley Premiere Team Award
Other NPAA Members who finished in the top 15 are Bill Sutton, NPAA #619, of Lindenhurst, IL who finished in 11th place, and took home a check for $1,400.00, and Chris Morris, NPAA #142 of Oregon, OH who finished in 13th place and took home a check for $1,200.00.
The Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit is the longest running professional walleye
tournament circuit in the United States and is now in the 26th year of operations. For more
information on the Cabela’s MWC, visit: www.masterswalleyecircuit.com. Questions Email: [email protected], or call: 877-893-7947 extension 4.
•A total of 913 walleyes weighing 4,867.75 pounds were weighed in the MWC’s catch and release format, and had better than a 90 percent survival rate, according to co-tournament director Dan Palmer.
•Many “Downriver Walleye Federation†members volunteered their time each morning and afternoon to help make the whole operation run smoothly from start to finish.
•$1,560 from the Cabela’s MWC Walleye Conservation Fund was awarded to the club, to help aid its fisheries improvements on the Detroit River.
The MWC and National Professional Anglers Association partnered to present a Youth & Family Fishing Clinic after Saturday’s weigh-in where 2009 Team of the Year and World Walleye Champions Matt Davis NPAA#568 and Dan Gies NPAA#569 taught kids how to tie a slip-bobber. Youths received rods and reels donated by Cabela’s and Berkley, and tackle packages courtesy of Northland Fishing Tackle.
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.
(For more information, contact Pat Neu, NPAA executive director, 920-559-6901)