*FM Walleyes Introduces the Champions Challenge Mystery Lake Tournament*
FM Walleyes Unlimited Inc has announced a new tournament event with a fresh approach for Tournament anglers. The Champions Challenge Tournament will incorporate a secret lake format, with payouts not affected by participation at less than full fields, and include the Catch, Record, Release (CRR) method to record fish caught.
The FM Walleyes Champions Challenge Tournament will be held between June 15 and August 31 in 2014. The CRR approach allows FM Walleyes to hold a mid-summer tournament with no fish kill as fish are released within seconds of being measured into the same area caught. The tournament date will be set after other top-tier tournament circuits announce their 2014 schedule to eliminate scheduling conflicts for anglers fishing the MWC, AIM, and NWT circuits. The tournament will be on a lake within 60 miles of Detroit Lakes Minnesota.
Tournament Director Barry Chouinard, NPAA 996, explains the tournament is taking a fresh approach to Walleye Tournament competition by placing an emphasis on contestants making winning decisions while on the water with the clock ticking during this one day event. The tournament will be a team event with 2 anglers per team and a $500 entry fee that will be paid back 90% to the top 10% of the field evenly. Defining payouts this way allows anglers to avoid the diminishing payouts resulting from the reduced Walleye tournament participation that is occurring nationwide. Each team in the top 10% will earn a $4,500 check while at the same time incurring fewer expenses due to eliminating prefishing activity and expenses. That payout amount will remain the same regardless of the number of teams entered. Predictable payouts are accomplished by eliminating a heavily loaded first place payout, and payouts deeper into the field. With the reduced expense of participating, every team earning a check is likely to exceed their team’s expenses of participation. To encourage teams to stay for the post tournament awards, one team not in the top 10% will be selected for a $1000 payout if they are present to claim the award during the awards ceremony.
The Champions Challenge Tournament will be limited to teams that qualify through earning a check in one of the 3 FM Walleyes Classic Cup Tournaments during 2013. Those tournaments and dates are The Pelican Spring Classic – May 31-June 1, 2013; Scott’s Bait Ottertail Tournament – June 14-15, 2013; and the Cormorant Fall Classic – September 21-22, 2013. New for the Classic Cup Tournament season is the addition of Scott’s Bait Ottertail Tournament to the season points calculation where the best 2 finishes in these 3 tournaments will count toward season points totals and attractive awards and incentive payouts by the Classic Cup Tournament sponsors.
Lund Boats will again provide anglers fishing out of a Lund boat in all Classic Cup Tournaments a $2,500 bonus if they win the season points Championship. Mike Kerzman and Dave Longtine each won the Lund $2,500 season points bonus in each of the last two years, in addition to winning the Lund Boat and Shoreland’r trailer combo awarded to the Classic Cup Season Points Champion. Additional information for the Classic Cup Tournaments is available online at http://www.fmwalleyes.com or by contacting the Tournament director at [email protected].
The Classic Cup Tournaments of FM Walleyes Unlimited, Inc., a Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame Organizational Award fishing club, are sponsored by Scheels All Sports, Ray’s Sport and Marine, Warrior Boats, Asplin Inc., Lund Boats, Tracker Boating Center, Tracker Boats, The Lake Place, Kovash Marine, Bell State Bank and Trust, Shoreland’r Trailers, Vision Bank, National Professional Anglers Association, KFGO Radio, and Ranger Boats.
