Pro walleye tournament starts today
Pro walleye tournament starts today
PWT ‘school’ gets competitiors ready for the Keweenaw Waterway
By MARK WILCOX, DMG Sports Editor
CHASSELL —Usually in a classroom setting the roles are clearly defined.
There are teachers and there are pupils. But at Tuesday's In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail "school" at Centennial Park in Chassell, the lines were blurred.
"This is an opportunity for our pros to teach the amateurs, let them know what's expected of them," said Jim Kalkofen, executive director of the PWT.
"It is also a chance for the amateurs to share their knowledge and experience with the pros. In which case everybody learns."
The school was one of the last preliminary events prior to this morning's start of the PWT Johnsonville Brats Pro-Am walleye tournament, being held in the Keweenaw Waterway.
Unlike the two previous PWT Championship tournaments held in 2003 and 04 in the Keweenaw, the tournament which started today and runs through Friday, is a pro-am event. Each of the top 60 pros who qualified to be hear will be fishing with a different amatuer angler each day. The combined weight of the five-fish maximum catch between the two will be counted as the pros' total.
The amateurs came to the Copper Country from throughout the nation,abut also include some of the Keweenaw's top fishermen.
Mark Martin, one of the most successful pros on the PWT circuit fits both profiles; PTW pro and local fisherman.
Martin, last year's runner up for the Johnsonville Brats Angler of the Year, lives in Twin Lake, Mich., near Muskegeon, but has a second residence near Eagle River on the Lake Superior shore.
Martin is a pro who knows the local waters very well. "I fell in love with this area when I came up here with a group of outdoor writers ten years ago," he said.
Martin said he has fished the entire waterway and knows there are walleye throughout the qualified waters.
During the last 2003 and 2004 tournaments which were held in September, the vast majority of fishing took place in Chassell Bay, with boats virtually on top of each other.
Martin predicts a more diverse fishhing pattern this year. "There's going to be people fishing from one end of this to the other, this I guarentee," Martin said.
"Because there's fish throughout the whole system right now. I've caught fish from Portage to Torch, using many different methods and styles of fishing so I know they're out there."
While many of the pros fishing today were year for the last tournaments, because the weather conditions are totally different, techniques that worked before may not work this time, which will challenge even the most experienced professionals.
"There will be those who will use methods that worked when we were here the last time, and there's going to be some that are totally different. But the thing is, the fish are located in many small pockets throughout the area, not grouped in one area like they were last time," Martin said.
Judge Jim Broberg is a district court judge in Albert Lee Minn. He has been fishing as an amateur on the PWT circuit for more than 15 years. Although this is his first trip to the Keweenaw he knew of the area's reputation as a good place to fish for walleye.
"Seriously, one of the reasons I signed up for this tournament is because I had not fished up here before," Broberg said.
"I had heard about the fishing up here and a couple of pros I know said the fishing at the championships was top notch."
After just a few days fishing the Keweenaw, Broberg is truly impressed.
"This is just gorgeous up here," he said. "And the water quality is great. We marked a lot of fish, and the fish we caught were fat...big shoulders."
The relationship between the pro and amateur is interesting as one of the boat's occupants is making a living by fishng while the other is along for fun and love of the the sport.
Broberg said he has always been treated well by the pros, although they want to make sure you know your stuff. "They check you out, they want to make sure you know enough about it. They want to make sure you know how to net properly, you know how to use the board, know how to jig properly."
One thing that makes it easier for Broberg is coming out early and pre-fishing with the pros.
"It's a real learning experience," he said.
Local angler Steve Stackhouse of Portage Township, has been fishing the waters of the Keweenaw for twenty years. He was notified just a couple of weeks ago that he would be among the amateurs fishing with the pros. Stackhouse said he appreciated Tuesday's school. "It was really good, they taught me a little about backreeling, I had never really done that before," he said. "I knew about it conceptually, but never had a chance to actually do it. So that was one thing I learned at the school."Although Stackhouse, and the other local amateurs may have insights into the local fishery, there role is not to act as guide. "I've been on these waters for 20 years and I have some ideas..." "But you can't a word," Broberg interjected."True, you're there to help the pro fish. There's some things you might like to say, but you don't say it," Stackhouse said. And while the pros get a tad antsy to while their "partners" are netting or boarding, the experience is a good one for the amatuers. "I was pre-fishing, and i got to fish with them a couple of years ago when they were hear, and now it's really beneficial. Everybody keeps improving all the time."The tournmaent began at around 8 a.m. this morning. Fishing will continue until 5 p.m. All boats will return to shore at the Chassell Centennial Park. Kalfofen said that while this year's tourney will not use Michigan Tech University's SDC as in year's past, there will be plenty of excitment for fans at Centennial Park. "We have our stage set up, and the boat will be hauled in up to the stage. The pros and amatuers will get up on the stage for the weigh-in so there will be a lot of excitment for the fans," Kalfofen said. He said there will plenty of opportunities for the public to meet and visit with the pros after the weigh in. There area plenty of activities open to the public. From 1-7 p.m. each day the PWT Family Fun Outdoors Festival will be held with a rock-climbing wall, air-rifle range, fishing pond and other free family fun events. The awards ceremony and trophy presentation will be held following Friday's weigh-in ceremony. For more information and a complete schedule contact the Keweenaw Peninsula Chamber of Commerce at 482-5240.
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