Woodward & Rice win Cabela’s MWC at South Dakota ’s Waubay Lake
Propst & Atkinson win West Division Team of the Year Title
Davis & Gies win Cabela’s MWC 2009 Team of the Year –
Presented by Fishouflage
(September 13, 2009) Webster , South Dakota – Big finishes were the order of the day as the 2009 Cabela’s MWC season wrapped up on Waubay Lake in the Glacial Lake area of South Dakota . As a season ending event, wins occurred for both the tournament at hand and the circuit’s Team of the Year honors. The Championship field for 2010 was also firmly established for a field of 29 teams.
The biggest finish was a significant comeback for the proud Waubay Lake winners, Brian Woodward and David Rice, both of Casper , Wyoming . The duo had only 4.9 pounds on day one sitting in 36th place out of a field of 44 teams. Yet the talk at the dock on Sunday morning was definitely that anyone was still in this tournament with the right fish. Getting the right fish was exactly what Woodward and Rice accomplished. They ended up with the largest basket of the tournament with 22.44 pounds on day two for a spectacular catapult to first place with just over a four pound cushion.
Waubay is a unique lake and somewhat unknown in the tournament world…until now. This event may have put it on the map as the lake is exceedingly prolific in numbers of walleyes. Anglers routinely spoke of catching 40, 50 or even upwards to 80 fish per day. However, 98% would fall into the 14 or 15 inch range. Lots to catch – not much to weigh. Yet big fish are in the lake, just few and far between with a lot of smaller fish with which to contend. Indeed 8 and 10 pounders were caught over the two days and if you were lucky to get just one it made all the difference in the world. Woodward and Rice caught two on Sunday. Lucky…and suddenly, winners.
Woodward and Rice started the day with a firm decision on what not to do, which was everything they had been doing all week long and catching only 14 and 15 inch fish. “We caught small fish every which way you could think of during pre-fish,” shared Brian. “So we decided that we’d have to break into something that we hadn’t tried yet….trolling.” They trolled leadcore with #5 white shad raps 100 feet back in 14’-18’ depths. They followed the contours around Duck Island and hit a 30½” walleye. Bam! In one moment they knew they had found their spot and stayed with it the rest of the day, working about a 200 yard stretch. They hit a 19 ¾” next and a 28½” after that and knew they had just about a perfect basket coming their way. Regulations on Waubay are two fish per person with only one fish per person over 20 inches. Each team could weigh four, but many teams had to settle for four small fish as they couldn’t get the overs to go. Getting two? Priceless. Did they know they had a win right away in the boat? “No, not really,” shared Rice. “We didn’t know what the top teams were able to do – maybe they had gotten on nice fish, too. We just figured we were going to cut a check, we didn’t know it would be a win.”
The MWC is celebrating its 25th year and winning any tournament in this circuit is quite an honor. “The MWC is the best of the best,” shared Woodward in a post tournament interview. “To get a win with this group is really great. We made the right adjustment to trolling so we could cover more water and it was the right move to make.” Their two day total of 27.34 pounds netted the team $11,850 which included $10,150 for first, $1,000 for Ranger Cup, $500 for Mercury/Ranger Cup combination and $200 for Oxygenator. This was their first circuit victory.
Finishing in second place for the Waubay Lake tournament, Nate Huebner of Correll , Minnesota and Jay Sandness of Pollock, South Dakota brought in 23.22 pounds. They held the day one lead with 14.89 pounds that boasted the biggest fish of the tournament at 10.58 pounds. Altogether they cashed in $6,050 which included $500 from Lowrance Electronics for being the highest finishing team with a Lowrance HDS (High Definition System) sonar/chartplotter display unit and $100 from Team FCIS (Farm and City Insurance Services).
Additional honors were awarded to the MWC West Division Team of the Year, Bob Propst, Jr. of Pierre , South Dakota and David Atkinson of Sault Sainte Marie , Michigan . Bob and Dave teamed up for the inaugural MWC West Division because they enjoy fishing together and decided to try the new territory in the MWC line up. They captured West Division Team of the Year honors with their third place finish at Waubay, 14th place at Lake Oahe and 14th place at Devils Lake . The honor is worth a bonus of $2,400 for the team. Their 3rd place weight of 22.49 pounds at Waubay cashed a nice $3,250 plus Propst won $100 from the National Professional Anglers Association (NPAA) making a total of $5,750.
Propst and Atkinson were complimentary of the team format style of fishing and level of competition in the MWC. “I found the team format really more fun,” shared Propst, Jr., who has won tournaments and Angler of the Year honors in the pro/co format in past years. “I think the competition is a little tougher with picking your own team. I’m tickled to death with MWC West Division Team of the Year.” Atkinson agreed. “I fished the co-angler side a lot in those tournaments and I found the camaraderie more fun in the MWC. You choose who you’re with, and who could ask for a better partner than Bob. It makes it fun to do this together for the season.”
Rounding out the remainder of the top six teams in the MWC West and going to the 2010 Championship:
2nd place: Nate Huebner of Correll , MN & Jay Sandness of Pollock, SD
3rd place: Guy Ryan of Salina KS & Troy Ethridge of Salina, KS
4th place: Johnnie Candle of Devils Lake , ND & Dave Noble of Dixon , IL
5th place: Corey Heiser of West Fargo , ND & Ken Cumber of Jamestown , ND
6th place: Al Freidig of Devils Lake , ND & Clinton Devier of Devils Lake, ND
The top finishing Father and Son team in the West division was Eric and Bill Hanson of Lisbon , North Dakota . The second through fifth place West Division teams were paid a bonus of $323 each.
Watching and waiting from home in Ohio , MWC anglers Matt Davis ( Marion ) and Dan Gies (Huron) were on pins and needles wondering whether they would hold Team of the Year heading into the last tournament or get bumped out by a team finishing well on Waubay. With their four tournaments inked in the books since Dunkirk , the duo had agreed not to talk about it again between themselves. But sneaking peaks at Walleye Central’s www.liveleaderboard.com did occur as the final day unfolded. Davis and Gies held on to the honors as Minnesotans Brad Engebretsen ( Rochester ) and Brian Sularz ( Maple Grove ) would have had to win Waubay to unseat them – they came in 5th. The Kansas team of Guy Ryan and Troy Ethridge, both of Salina, had a little more cushion with a shot at the title with a 17th place finish or better. They had come in 2nd place at Lake Oahe and captured the win at Devils Lake . They came in 30th at Waubay.
Davis and Gies’ cell phones started ringing in Ohio as their friends were calling to congratulate them on their newly announced title of Cabela’ MWC Team of the Year. Consistently good, always toward the top of the pack, Davis and Gies have improved each year during the six years they have fished the MWC. With coming in 2nd place Team of the Year in 2008 and 3rd place in 2007, they were sure hoping that this could be the year. Indeed it was. Davis and Gies grabbed 4th place at Dunkirk , 14th place at Sandusky , 15th place at Trenton and 6th place at Spring Valley . The honor of Team of the Year comes with beautiful custom trophies, custom 14 karat gold rings and a pay-day of $13,000.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” shared Davis during a telephone interview from Ohio . “When you look back at who has been MWC Team of the Year previously – it is a great honor to be on that list now.” Gies agreed. “We’re so excited and really proud of the progress we’ve made.” Davis and Gies were self-proclaimed Great Lakes trollers who found themselves foiled the first year or two when faced with fishing rivers – particularly challenged on the Illinois River. It took awhile, but they figured it out and it has definitely made a difference when in the hunt for Team of the Year. In 2004 they came in 194th. 2006 – 108th. 2008 – 6th. 2009 – 6th. Becoming versatile and expanding your comfort zone is what it takes to win a title like Cabela’s MWC Team of the Year. Davis and Gies have learned, improved, and now in 2009, earned it.
Rounding out the top five of the Team of the Year and cashing $1,750 each were:
2nd place: Kevin Dahl of Muskego , WI & Steve Stack of Muskego , WI
3rd place: Doug Yohe of Bradford , PA & Tim Waltz of Williamsport , PA
4th place: Brad Engebretsen of Rochester , MN & Brian Sularz of Maple Grove , MN
5th place: David Atkinson of Sault Sainte Marie & Bob Propst, Jr. of Pierre , SD
The 2010 Championship field will consist of the following 28, possibly 29 teams:
MWC West
1. David Atkinson of Sault Sainte Marie , MI & Bob Propst of Pierre ,
2. Nate Huebner of Correll, MN & Jay Sandness of Pollock,
3. Guy Ryan of Salina , KS & Troy Ethridge of Salina , KS
4. Johnnie Candle of Devils Lake , ND & Dave Noble of Dixon , IL
5. Corey Heiser of West Fargo , ND & Ken Cumber of Jamestown ,
6. Al Freidig of Devils Lake , ND & Clinton Devier of Devils Lake , ND
MWC East
1. Dave Truett of Valparaiso , IN & Daniel Stier of Clearwater , MN
2. Matt Davis of Marion, OH & Dan Gies of Huron, OH
3. Robert Gooding of Lincoln Park , MI & Michael Gooding of Monroe , MI
4. Nate Capton of Niagara Falls, NY & Dave Waldeck of Sanborn , NY
5. Douglas Yohe of Bradford , PA & Tim Waltz of Williamsport , PA
MWC Central
1. William Sutton of Lindenhurst , IL & Bill Vojak of Antioch , IL
2. Brad Engebretson of Rochester , MN & Brian Sularz of Maple Grove , MN
3. Kevin Dahl of Muskego , WI & Steve Stack of Muskego , WI
4. Dan Zwick of Wrightstown , WI & Tony Kobriger of Chilton , WI
5. Don Olson of Andover , MN & Randy Carroll of Oswego ,
6. Rob Crowe of South Elgin , IL & Jim Passo of St Charles , IL
7. David Kolb of Ada , MI & James Preissner of Hastings , MN
8. Scott Aydelotte of Garner, IA & Tim Harms of Owatonna , MN
9. Maury Schmerbach of Dubuque , IA & Marty Berns of Dubuque , IA
MWC Challenge
1. Dennis Lantzy of Warren, MI & Steve Vande Mark of Linwood , MI
2. Dan Johnson of Fayetteville , OH & Larry Rhoads II of Oregonia , OH
3. Wayne Butz of Hobart , WI & Don Frederick of Appleton , WI
4. Jeff Manz of Vanderbilt, MI & Greg Yarbrough of Port Clinton , OH
5. Gary White Jr. of Prairie Du Chien , WI & David Siegele of Patch Grove , WI
6. Alan Baumgardner of Essex , MD & Jeff Lash of North Lawrence , OH
7. Jeff Koester of Brookville , IN & Scott Rhodes of Traverse City , MI
NTC
1. Chris Clemmons of Newark , IL & Bob Hausler of Plano , IL
WWC
The Champions that will be crowned in October 2009 will be invited back to defend their title in 2010 should they not have qualified through the regular season.
The Webster Chamber of Commerce brought out a force of volunteers to help with tournament logistics for the Waubay Lake event. From set up to tear down and everything in between, including inspecting boats and weighing fish, the Webster, South Dakota community embraced the MWC anglers in their midst and went out of their way to welcome them to the area. “I’ve got to hand it to the town,” shared Corey Heiser from West Fargo , North Dakota . “Everyone was so friendly and they had so many people helping with all the details, it made for a really great tournament and showed a lot of us a fantastic new lake and a wonderful small town.” The MWC walleye conservation fund of $660 will be given to the Chamber for fisheries or boat landing improvements. “We plan to use the money to make the dock out at the boat launch handicap accessible,” shared LeAnn Suhr, Webster’s Chamber President.
The Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship is the last event of the 2009 season and will be held October 7th through 10th on the Detroit River/Lake Erie out of the Cabela’s store in Dundee , Michigan .
Cabela’s, the world’s foremost outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is in their eighth season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors of the MWC include: Ranger Boats, Mercury, MotorGuide, Lowrance, Fishouflage, Versus (Vs.) Television Network and North American Fishing Club. Associate Sponsors include: Farm & City Insurance Services, O2 Marine Technologies, 3-IN-ONE No Rust Shield, Fin-tech, Ryjus and Reflections.
For more information on the Cabela’s MWC or to view the 2009 schedule, visit: www.masterswalleyecircuit.com. Questions – email: events@masterswalleyecircuit.com or call: 877-893-7947.