Press
Release's
CABELA'S
MWC EAST CLOSER AUGUST 7 & 8 ON LAKE HURON
TOURNEY TO DECIDE DIVISION TEAM OF THE YEAR WINNERS
Minnetonka, MN-Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay will be the setting
for the Cabela's Masters Walleye Circuit east division third
and final tournament of the year. The Lowrance
Electronics titled event takes place August 7 & 8 and
will be headquartered at Hoyle's Marina in Linwood, MI. Kristine
Houtman, Director of Events & Sponsorships for the MWC,
states, "The east division team of the year title is up
for grabs. It's a tight
race and won't be decided until the last team weighs in.
It's going to be a real shootout."
Teams
are awarded points according to their finish at each
tournament. Alan Baumgardner (Whitehall, MD) and Paul
Kemery (Russell, PA) are tied for the east division team of
the year race with Pennsylvanians Ed Engler (Salladasburg)
and Tim Waltz (Williamsport) with 56 points. The top
five point-accumulating teams will share the division team
of the year purse, which is based on the total number of
teams fishing a division.
Currently,
176 teams are competing for $5,280 in east division team of
the year prize money. Kemery, who serves on the MWC anglers
advisory panel, commented, "My partner and I are as
nervous as cats going into this tournament. There's a
lot riding on it-team of the year, the Challenge and
qualification to next year's championship. Of course
we'd like to win, and we're glad the MWC expanded this year.
It's given us eastern anglers the chance to compete and
match our skills with some of the best walleye sticks in the
country. The
MWC is a first class operation."
In
addition to the east and central division team of the year
races, a team completing a division is eligible to take the
$20,000 MWC Challenge by fishing a fourth tournament.
Challenge winners will be awarded $13,000 and the overall
MWC Team of the Year title. Second to fifth place
Challenge finishers will each receive $1,750. The top
20 percent of the Challenge field along with the top ten
percent from each division will qualify for the
no entry fee 2005 MWC World Walleye Championship with a
payout of over $100,000.
Nearly
150 teams representing nine states and Canada have already
entered the tournament. Jim Diedrich of Hoyle's Marina
will serve as tournament director. He, his staff and
the Saginaw Bay Area Convention & Visitors
Bureau will assist the MWC with tournament operations.
Two flights of boats will leave the launch site at 7:00 and
7:30 a.m. daily. The public is invited to attend the
weigh-ins, which begin at 3:00 p.m.
MWC
sponsor, The Outdoor Channel, will televise the Saginaw Bay
tournament, allowing teams to receive national media
recognition. Tournament coverage
and related articles will also appear in the North American
Fisherman magazine, the official publication of the MWC.
All MWC tournaments serve as qualifying events to the 2005
Cabela's National Team Championship. Each team donates
$15 to the MWC Conservation Fund which is used for fishery
related projects in tournament areas.
Tournament
openings still exist. Further circuit information
including entry forms or website registration can be
obtained at www.masterswalleyecircuit.com,
or by calling the MWC toll-free at 877-893-7947.
2004 Cabela's MWC Remaining Schedule
MWC East Linwood, MI, Saginaw Bay, August 7 - 8
MWC Central Walker, MN, Leech Lake, September 18 - 19 MWC
World Walleye Championship Mississippi River, Prairie du
Chien, WI, October 13 - 16, qualifying teams from 2003
Cabela's, MWC sponsors include-Lindy Legendary Tackle,
Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, North American Fishing
Club, Ranger Boats, Smithwick Lures,
Cotton Cordell, The Outdoor Channel, MotorGuide, Daiichi
Hooks, Panther Marine, Lure Eyes, Xtreme Sports and Walleye
Central.Com.
