JOHNSON/LAWRENCE BY A NOSE AT LAKE CHAUTAUQUA
PAIR WINS CABELA’S MWC WALLEYE TOURNEY WITH 23.88 LBS.
Jamestown, NY-By the slimmest of margins, a scant .69 of a pound, New
Yorkers Larry Johnson (Corfu) and Jason Lawrence (Binghamton) topped a 36
team field to win the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit tourney held July
17-18 on New York’s Lake Chautauqua at Jamestown. After weighing a hefty
first day five fish limit of 17.12 lbs., which put them at the top of the
leaderboard, they added two more walleye on day two for a 23.88 lb. total
and the victory. Their first MWC win, at this Outdoor Channel sponsored
tournament, earned them $8,500.
“I thought we blew it. Good thing we had a good first day. I’m going to
pay off my boat with my share of the winnings,” explained a relieved and
happy Johnson. He continued, “I fish this lake a lot, for fun and
tournaments, it’s my home lake. This is one of the toughest bites I’ve ever
experienced. We usually troll but the fish weren’t having any of that, so
we switched to jigging the weeds.”
Lawrence said, “We fished two areas, Chaney Point and Smith Boys Marina in
the southern half of the lake. The water was seven to nine feet deep and
you could only see about two feet down. We cast lightweight jigs, 1/16 to
1/4 ounce tipped with crawlers parallel to the weedline until the sun was
fully up. After that time, we moved into the weeds and vertical jigged the
pockets. Chartreuse and green were our best colors. It’s a tough and
demanding way to fish but it sure paid off.”
Second place finishers, also from New York, were brothers Wade (Bemus Point)
and Bob Oram (Franklinville) with nine fish weighing 23.19 lbs. worth
$4,200. They also jigged the Smith Boys Marina area but used orange and
gold 1/8-ounce jigs.
Third place went to the Bradford, PA brother team of John and Mike Maholic.
Their eight fish weighed in at 20.27 lbs., earning them $2,000. Like the
previous teams, they jigged the weeds with crawlers but found success at the
Shaney’s Point area of the lake.
The top six teams shared the $17,300 cash purse. An additional $1,350 was
paid in big fish prize money. Pennsylvanians Fred Lorenzo (Kane) and Mike
Pura (Johnsonburg) took day one big fish honors and $675 for their 6.22
lb.walleye, while Fred Forsythe (Coudersport, PA) and Peter Lewis (Webster,
NY) collected the same amount the second day with a 5.81 lb. walleye.
Richard Nagy and Bill Pinskey (Mt. Pleasant, PA) won $1,000 for the highest
finishing Ranger Boat owner team in the Ranger Cup series. They finished
sixth for an additional $600. Tournament teams donated $540 to the MWC
Conservation Fund which will be used for fishery related projects in states
where MWC tournaments are held.
The Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency, Chautauqua County
Visitors Bureau and the Chautauqua County Sports Fishing and Hunting
Promotions assisted the MWC staff in tournament operations.
Tournament Statistics
Number of teams: 36 Number of fish:
113
Total cash and prizes: $19,650 Total weight:
318.42 lbs.
Water temp: 70 to 75 degrees Big fish:
6.22 lbs.
Water level: Normal Winning pattern:
Jigging the weeds
Water clarity: Two feet Inside tip:
Light weight jigs
Openings exist in the remaining 2004 MWC tournaments. Entry fee is $600 per
team. Further tournament information can be obtained at
http://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