Pro Dave Van Oss Takes Day One PWT Lead on Saginaw Bay
Category: Tournament
Jun 29th, 2005 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Jun 29th, 2005 at 12:00 AM
Saginaw Bay walleyes of all sizes were biting on day one of the Lund Pro-Am. In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail anglers weighed their fish at Veterans Park in downtown Bay City, Mich., and veteran pro Dave Van Oss, Appleton, Wis. captured the lead with 30.87 pounds. The PWT is a pro-am, and fishing the Lund Pro-Am with Van Oss was amateur/co-angler Wayne Jesionowski, Hinckley, Ohio. Van Oss is a past PWT winner (1997-Lake St. Clair, Mich.). In second place is PWT pro Mike Gofron, Antioch, Ill, who has the most top-10 finishes, 30, of any PWT pro. He fished with amateur/co-angler Chris Wysong, Holland, Mich. for 29.28 pounds.Most PWT anglers trolled the Bay with either spinners and live night crawlers or Gulp! or PowerBait artificial night crawlers from Berkley. A few anglers stuck with traditional crankbait trolling, with Hot ‘N Tots, Reef Runners and Yo-Zuri lures getting the nod. The walleye fans at the park were told that at Friday’s weigh-in and awards ceremony, they would learn all the secrets.PWT pros share the tricks they learned, the colors that produced best, the lengths of line, trolling speed, lures, and other details, such as where they fished. The weigh-in will take place beginning Thursday and Friday, June 30 and July 1, at Veterans Park.Before the festivities, the DOW Chemical youth contest winners received their prizes on the PWT stage. More than 200 youngsters were involved, and they earned a boatload of prizes. They later gathered autographs from the pro anglers.The Coleman Big Fish, 9.46 pounds, was worth $1,000 for pro Johnnie Candle, Devils Lake, N.D., and Charles Campbell, Nelsonville, Ohio. A total of 533 fish were weighed, an average of nearly 4.4 fish per boat. The PWT limit of 5-fish per boat was realized by 75 percent of the field. The average walleye weighed 3.78 pounds. Anglers on stage told repeatedly about the thousands of small walleyes in the Bay (millions was a number used by several) from the two best hatches ever in 2003 and 2004. “It’s the future of the Bay,” Van Oss said.Photos, results, statistics along with immediate results are posted on the PWT website, www/professionalwalleyetrail.com. The PWT works closely with the Bay Area CVB: 989-893-1222) and these business partners: Mercury Marine, Lund, The Outdoor Channel, Berkley, Optima Batteries, Realtree, MotorGuide, Lowrance, MinnKota, Trilene, Frenzy, Blue Fox, Powerbait, Johnsonville Brats, Northland Fishing Tackle, Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle, GULP!, Coleman, Storm, Boat Buckle, Smooth Moves Seat Mounts, Kwik Pfyt, E-Z Loader, Raymarine, Rapala, Matzuo, Pflueger, Ram rod holders, Gerbing’s Heated Clothing, Aqua-Vu, Save Phace, Plano, Stowmaster.net, Navionics, Access Roll-up Cover, Yellow Bird, DOW Chemical, Dave’s Lures, The State Bank Group, Yo-Zuri and Reef Runner. The PWT is an integral element of the In-Fisherman Communications Network headquartered in Brainerd, Minnesota, and PRIMEDIA, America’s leading producer of targeted media.