This was the first annual Greater Wisconsin Outdoor & Sportsman’s Festival Kids Fishing Tournament. National Professional Angler Association member #311, Jeff Boutin from Team-Outdoors hosted and directed the tournament for the festival. NPAA members Mark Kuzniewski #593, James Passo #543, Greg Karch #138 all participated in the event.

 

Twenty-three youth went out in nineteen boats on Lake Winnebago. The kids were allowed to catch five walleye and one sheephead with a no culling rule for both species. This kept the kids engaged in catching not only walleyes but the sheephead also. Because this was a “kill tournament”, they were allowed to only weigh two walleye and one sheephead. The kids who brought more than two walleyes to the launch, were given a 2.2 pound bonus weight for every walleye released, up to three fish. One child got a bonus weight of over six pounds. Everyone thought he was going to win, but a child with two bonus fish and a sheephead just over six pounds took first place!  

Two special guests attended the event.  Dave Csanda went out with one of the volunteers and spent the morning mentoring not only the child, but the volunteer. Our other special guest at the weigh in was Melisa Bachman from the Outdoor Channel’s “Deadly Passion”. She assisted the kids in getting their fish out of the weigh bags and showing them how to hold the fish like a “pro”. She took the kids center stage which went out into the crowd for some great photos! “Having Melisa there was a great addition to the tournament. She was remarkable with the kids”.

 

After the tournament weigh in. NPAA members Jeff Boutin and Mark Kuzniewski presented last year’s sponsor shirts to two kids, one was handicapped and the other had a major surgery in two days. Jeff & Mark said “It was for courage and bravery, it took a lot for those two kids to come up here.” Pappa Murphy’s supplied pizza for the kids, parents and all the volunteer’s. This allowed to kids to “hang” with all the “Pro’s! Hintz Productions taped the event, which will be aired in a few weeks on the show Weekly Outdoor Plus on Fox 55 out of Wausau Wisconsin.

 

Unfortunately seventeen children signed-up that were not able to fish from a boat because there were not enough volunteers. Every child went away with a soft sided tackle box, fishing poles complements of the NPAA, a gift certificate for Cabala’s and GWOSF commemorative Trophy. First place received a five hundred dollar gift card, second place received two hundred and fifty dollar gift card and third place was one hundred and fifty dollar gift card. In total there were just over $2000 in prizes given away. This event would not been able to take place without the exceptional hard work of all the volunteers and the two title sponsors, Smokercraft Incorporated and Cabela’s. Other sponsors were Team-Outdoors LLC, Skipperbuds, Papa Murphy’s, NPAA, and the Sheboygan Walleye Club.