NOVAK FAMILY TEAM WINS CABELA’S MWC – MOTORGUIDE TOURNEY
WITH BIG FISH ON LAKE ONTARIO
Minnetonka, MN — A full basket of five big walleyes was just what the father and son team of Kevin and Zachary Novak needed for the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit tournament win on Lake Ontario. The Clarendon, NY team brought in nine out of the ten allowable fish limit over two days, weighing a whopping 67.53 pounds. The 7.5 pound average fish were worth an even $1000 each; as the first place finish netted $9000 in all. This was the first Circuit victory for the team.
The smaller than usual MWC field is due to a new geographic region of the country. This is only the second season of the new East division, and this stop is the furthest East of the three tournaments. But while the field size may have been smaller; the fish were certainly bigger than usual. A total of 140 fish were weighed in over the two days totaling 1085 pounds. That’s a 7.75 pound average walleye. The second place finishing team of Larry Johnson of Corfu, NY and Jason Lawrence of Binghamton, NY pushed the average up to 7.92 pounds for their 8 fish basket – totaling 63.36 pounds. Their second day basket of 40.37 pounds propelled them up from 9th place after day one to second place overall. Theirs was one of three baskets on day two that totaled over 40 pounds. Nate Capton of Niagara Falls, NY and Dave Waldeck of Sanborn, NY brought in 43.45 pounds; moving them from 13th to 4th; and the Bradford, PA team of Doug Yohe and Darrin Pound weighed in 40.77 pounds after a goose egg on day one. Matt Davis of Marion, OH and Dan Gies of Huron, OH won the $1000 bonus from Ranger Cup with their 9th place finish.
The winners used a stealth approach to target the fish. They stayed in their number one location for both days and quietly worked their spot-within-a spot on Chaumont Bay. Boat noise was kept to a minimum and board expanse to a maximum. “Many times the lines would be hugely sagging because of all the line that was out – but that’s just what you had to do to not spook the fish. They were very jittery,” stated son Zachary after all the winning photos were taken. Zachary’s father Kevin added, “the key really seemed to be slowing down the boat speed. We didn’t catch a single fish unless we were going 1.4 or 1.5 miles per hour.” Black and silver cranks seemed to hit the best.
The top seven teams shared the purse of $19,400. An additional $1800 was paid out in big fish money, with $900 to the team of Steve Gould of Watertown, NY and Chris Monica of Adams, NY for their 11.31 pound walleye on Sunday. Another $900 was paid to Fred Maggio of Liverpool, NY and Dan Letiecq of Brewerton, NY for their 11.86 pounder. Maggio and Letiecq were also awarded with a new trolling motor from presenting sponsor MotorGuide for the heaviest fish of the tournament weekend.
“We sure were hoping for the 13 or 14 pounder on stage for this tournament,” pined local tournament director Fred Kucik. “We know we have Henderson Harbor walleye that can shatter the MWC tournament record of 12.34 pounds, just wishing it would have come in over these two days.”
“The quality of the fishery is like none other that I have ever seen” exclaimed MWC stage emcee, and North American Fisherman editor, Kurt Beckstrom. “It’s not just that there’s large fish – it’s that ALL the walleyes here are large fish.” Tournament statistics would back Beckstrom’s exclamation – as the smallest walleye weighed was 5.95 pounds.
The Henderson Harbor Chamber of Commerce served as host and coordinated all volunteers for tournament operations. The community will benefit from the $600 MWC Conservation Fund raised for this tournament to be used in their walleye re-stocking program. “All of the anglers are so professional and so very nice,” shared Diane Gamble, a Chamber of Commerce member in Henderson Harbor. The anglers have, in turn, expressed their affection for this little town that is a great place to live, to vacation, or to hold a walleye tournament. A television show was filmed for Fishing Club Journal on The Outdoor Channel. The show will air three times during the week of June 16th. See the website for exact show times.
Tournament Statistics
Number of Teams: 40 Number of Fish: 140
Total cash and prizes: $21,200 Total Weight: 1085 pounds
Water Temp: 52 to 54 degrees Big Fish: 11.86 pounds
Water Level: Normal Winning Pattern: Trolling Cranks with Boards
Water Clarity: Clear Inside Tip: Slow and Stealthy
Openings exist in some of the remaining 2005 MWC tournaments and anglers are encouraged to sign up. The entry fee is $600 per team. Further information is available at http://www.masterswalleyecircuit.com or call the MWC office toll-free at 1-877-893-7947.
2005 Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Schedule
MWC Central
Oshkosh, WI – Lake Winnebago June 25 & 26 (full)
Menominee, MI – Bay of Green Bay July 16 & 17 (nearing capacity)
MWC East
Dunkirk, NY – Lake Erie August 19 – 21
In addition to Cabela’s the MWC sponsors include: MotorGuide, Lindy, Lowrance, Ranger Boats, Mercury, The Outdoor Channel, North American Fishing Club, Panther Marine, Salmo Performance Lures, Daiichi Hooks, Aqua Innovations and Walleye Central.
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