A CROWNING ACHIEVENT
EICHORN & FELBER ARE CABELA’S MWC WORLD WALLEYE CHAMPS
Prairie du Chien, WI-Eric Eichorn and Dan Felber outlasted fierce
competition and some of Mother Nature’s challenges to claim top honors and
$26,000 at the 20th annual Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) World
Walleye Championship.
Eichorn and Felber of Red Wing, MN brought 55.31 lbs. to the scale during
the three-day event, held October 14-16 on pools nine and ten of the
Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien, WI. The champs were also awarded
customized trophies and gold rings for their crowning achievement.
Though the competition was intense, a trio of heavy baskets-21.36, 20.76 and
13.19 pounds, a 15 fish MWC allowable limit, built an 4.65 pound cushion
between the champions and the second-place finishers, Minnesotans Dennis
Clark and Kent Eide of Rochester.
Conditions were less than ideal for the 42 championship qualifying teams.
The water and air temperatures dropped steadily each day of the tournament
with wind speeds up to 35 m.p.h. on the final day. The field consisted of
the top point accumulating teams who competed during the 2003 MWC season
plus the top five finishing teams from the 2003 Cabela’s National Team
Championship. They were allowed to weigh five fish per day measuring 15
inches or more.
Teams were required to launch in pool ten. Yet, a majority of teams opted
to fish pool nine, which presented the added challenge of locking through
the dam twice a day. The prevailing strategy was to catch five 15 inchers,
then upgrade to larger fish. Pool nine had been producing larger fish prior
to the competition days.
WINNING CHAMPIONSHIP TECHNIQUES
Per Eichorn, “We fished pool nine all three days. The day before the
championship started, we found a honey hole just north of the town of
Desoto. It was between a wing dam and a small island. What can I tell you?
It was great. We limited out by ten thirty every morning. We Lindy rigged
with two-inch willow cat minnows. The walleyes really hammered the baits.”
Added Felber, “We were anchored, then cast the rigs into four feet of water,
slowly reeling down to 15 feet to the wing dam. Man, it was a blast. The
MWC is full of great walleye sticks. We were hoping to do good. I guess we
did.”
Second place finishers, Clark and Eide, weighed 13 fish totaling 50.66 lbs.
worth $13,000. Third place went to the father/son team of Donald and
Michael Olson of Andover, MN. Their 15 fish weighed 47.83 lbs., earning
them $9,000. The entire field shared the $100,250 cash purse.
A total of 414 walleyes and saugers, weighing 965.55 lbs. were caught in the
MWC catch and release format. Cabela’s employees and members of the Falling
Rock Walleye Club assisted the MWC staff in championship operations.
The Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship will be aired November 15th at 9
p.m. Eastern Standard Time on The Outdoor Channel. Repeated airings will be
November 17th at 7 a.m. and November 21st at 8 a.m.
Tournament coverage and related articles also appear in the North American
Fisherman magazine, the official publication of the MWC. Circuit events are
conducted from the Cabela’s state-of-the-art, computerized mobile transport
vehicle, which is specifically designed for tournament television coverage.
Additionally, all MWC tournaments serve as qualifying events to the 2005
Cabela’s National Team Walleye Championship.
Championship Statistics
Number of teams: 42 Number of
fish: 414
Total cash and prizes: $101,200 Total
weight: 965.55 lbs.
Water temp: 54 to 48 degrees Winning
pattern: Lindy rigging.
Water level: Normal Inside tip:
Bait/willow cats
Water clarity: To three feet Ranger Cup:
Ken Bjorkman
Big fish: 9.00 lbs (Don & Mike Olson)
Thanks, Bill