Day Two Bio Data Air Temperature: 60 degrees @ 7 am 88 degrees @ 5 pm Winds: 5 - 15 mph; NW Skies: Mostly sunny Water Temperature: 73-80 degrees

Day One Bass Pro Shops Big Walleye $2,000; Larry Lambert, Marblehead, OH, pro, 11.22# $1,200; Joe Mitchell, Cambridge, MN, amateur, 11.05# $1,025; David Blow, Fargo, ND, pro, 10.45# $ 950; Jason Enerson, Mandan, ND, amateur, 10.03# Day Two Bass Pro Shops Big Walleye $2,000; Ellis Boucherie, Henderson, KY, amateur, 12.19# $1,200; Pete Parkinson, Ankeny, IA, pro, 10.15# $1,025; Chris Gilman, Chisago City, MN, pro, 10.02# $ 950; Gene LaMere, Amery, WI, amateur, 9.73#

August 3, 2000 

For Immediate Release

3-Time PWT Winner Takes Fort
Peck, Montana Tournament Lead

Glasgow, MT..Nebraska pro walleye angler Ron Seelhoff moved into familiar territory on day two of the PowerBait Western Pro-Am. A 3-time In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail winner, Seelhoff leads the Fort Peck Reservoir tournament with 62.34 pounds. 

Four pounds behind is day one leader Larry Lambert, Marblehead, Ohio, and pro Rick Olson with two 29 pound days is third with 58.17 pounds. The final competition day on sprawling Fort Peck, Montana’s largest reservoir and the uppermost impoundment on the Missouri River, takes place Friday, Aug. 4.

Pro anglers from New York to Washington state and three Canadian provinces face each other and the elusive walleyes with $242,000 in prize money on the line. Pros fish with different amateurs for the combined boat weight each day. Some 22 pros caught PWT 6-fish limits today.

Most anglers fished nightcrawlers or leeches behind bottom bouncers, combing the depths from 8 to 18 feet for walleyes which didn’t stay at home for most anglers. A few pros trolled crankbaits, while others jigged. They were spread out upstream from the dam about 50 miles.

Leading the amateur division is day one leader Mark Fling, Arvada, Colorado. With 66.66 pounds, he has a 12 pound advantage over second place. The winning amateur tows home a 17-foot Lund boat, Mercury outboard and Eagle trailer valued at $12,000. The top pro earns $50,000.

Bass Pro Shops big fish of the tournament, 12.19 pounds, earned $2,000 for amateur Ellis Boucherie, Henderson, KY. Second, $1,200, went to pro Pete Parkinson, Ankeny, Iowa, for a 10.15-pounder. Pro Chris Gilman, Chisago City, MN, won $1,025 for a 10.02 pound walleye, while amateur Gene LaMere, Amery, WI pocketed $950 for fourth with a 9.73-pounder.

The In-Fisherman Angler of the Year race has a new leader with one day remaining in the tournament. Rick Olson, Mina, SD leads by six pounds over Mike Gofron, Antioch, IL. The winner receives a Mercury 150-hp OptiMax and $10,000 cash. Final day weigh-in festivities take place at Fort Peck Marina, about 15 miles east of Glasgow, beginning at 3 p.m. 

PWT sponsors include: Aqua Vu, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley PowerBait, Blue Fox Tackle, Carhartt, Coleman, Cotton Cordell, Daiichi hooks, Dee Zee truck accessories, Dodge trucks, Eagle Claw, Eagle Trailers, Energizer Automotive and Marine brand batteries, Guest chargers, Lindy Little Joe, Lowrance Electronics, Lund Boats, Mack’s Lure, Marinco, Mercury Outboards, Master Lock, MinnKota, Rapala Lures, Northland Tackle, Oceanwave sunglasses, Pinnacle rods and reels, Plano, Pugsley’s, the official PWT sandwich, Raytheon Marine, Shimano rods, Storm Lures, Stren fishing lines, T-H Marine, Veryfine, the official PWT beverage and the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, (406) 228-2222.