Billy B
07-01-2005, 04:17 PM
June 29, 2005
For Immediate Release
Billy Brenton, Director
Phone: (307) 472-9887 Email: bbrenton@westernwalleye.com
PAT BROWN & RAY RINTAMAKI WINS LOWRANCE OPEN
AT BOYSEN RESERVOIR
Casper, WY -- With a healthy basket of six walleyes, the team of Pat Brown of Lander, WY and Ray Rinatmaki of Riverton, WY, took this year’s Lowrance Open’s first place prize of $10,000 on Shoshoni, Wyoming’s Boysen Reservoir this past weekend. The winning team brought in a Day 3 weight of a whopping 20.26 lbs, beating out the 17.37 lb basket of the 2nd place team, Keith Walters of Gering, NE and Rob McMullen of Bailey, CO.
This is the second season of the Lowrance Pro Team Walleye Circuit and the final tournament of the year that teams could qualify for the Princecraft Championship to be held on Lake Oahe in Pierre, SD on September 8, 9, and 10. The top twenty teams from the open, forty teams from Division I, and forty teams from Division II have been invited to attend the championship. Division I consisted of Lake Francis Case and Lake Sharpe and Division II consisted of Big Stone Lake and Devils Lake. Division I was won by Gerrick McComsey and Max Sheets from Pierre, SD, and Rick Walter and Bruce Brugger, both of Casper, Wyoming, won Division II. The winners of the divisions are to receive $2500 cash, coats, plaques, and entries into the championship.
The winners caught their winning basket all before noon on Day 3. They fished an area of about 400 yards in a small bay on the east side of the lake using pink and orange eight-ounce Walleye Gator Jigs, tipped with a leech. The bait was presented very slowly with more of a drag than a lift. The winners noted that, “There was really no "home lake advantage" in this tournament. This was the first year in the past 6 that the water was high. Many of our old "go to" spots are overgrown with willows. We discovered the winning area while pre-fishing Wednesday afternoon. During qualifying we tried to stay out of the area as much as possible...however, we determined to live or die by this area on Saturday.” Obviously, it paid off for them.
The top twenty teams shared all $43,700. An additional $500 in cash and prizes was paid out to the team of Joe Johnson and John Green, both of Casper, WY for the Beckman Net’s Big Fish award with a 5.33lb walleye. There were also eight Shootout Awards of $250 each sponsored by FoodSource Lures, Crestliner Boats, and Western Walleye Magazine, where two teams are drawn to go head to head on day one for $250. The winners of the Shootout Awards were the teams of Mitch Howe and Mike Gibbs, Mike Effle and Tom Baysinger, Ryan Vowers and Jason Vowers, Pat Brown and Ray Rintamaki, Mike Kulm and Butch Abelseth, Keith Walters and Rob McMullen, Shaun Clauson and Willard Lage, and Walt Paddock and Dennis Skadsem.
The Team of the Year honors was also decided at the Boysen Tournament. The team of Brent & Colin Beitelspacher won this year’s honors with 348.009 points, which just edged out Rick Walter & Bruce Brugger who had 334.263 points. Team of the year receives $10,000 cash, all five entries for 2006 tournaments paid, an entry into the 2005 Princecraft Championship, coats, and plaques for a total of $18,750 in cash and prizes.
Sponsors of the Lowrance sponsored Pro Team Walleye Circuit are: LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS, PRINCECRAFT BOATS, FOODSOURCE LURES, NAVIONICS, DRIFT CONTROL, SHOREMASTER, MINN KOTA, TROLL MASTER, TOW TECTOR SHIELD, FISH ITT FIRST LURES, MACK’S LURES, X TOOLS, DEVILS LAKE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, BIG STONE LAKE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS, AQUA VU, BECKMAN NETS, RAM MOUNTS, BAIT RIGS, WHITES MARINE CENTER, WESTERN WALLEYE MAGAZINE, and INNOVATIVE OUTDOORSMAN MARKETING.
Upcoming Schedule
Princecraft, Championship – Lake Oahe September 8, 9, 10
For Immediate Release
Billy Brenton, Director
Phone: (307) 472-9887 Email: bbrenton@westernwalleye.com
PAT BROWN & RAY RINTAMAKI WINS LOWRANCE OPEN
AT BOYSEN RESERVOIR
Casper, WY -- With a healthy basket of six walleyes, the team of Pat Brown of Lander, WY and Ray Rinatmaki of Riverton, WY, took this year’s Lowrance Open’s first place prize of $10,000 on Shoshoni, Wyoming’s Boysen Reservoir this past weekend. The winning team brought in a Day 3 weight of a whopping 20.26 lbs, beating out the 17.37 lb basket of the 2nd place team, Keith Walters of Gering, NE and Rob McMullen of Bailey, CO.
This is the second season of the Lowrance Pro Team Walleye Circuit and the final tournament of the year that teams could qualify for the Princecraft Championship to be held on Lake Oahe in Pierre, SD on September 8, 9, and 10. The top twenty teams from the open, forty teams from Division I, and forty teams from Division II have been invited to attend the championship. Division I consisted of Lake Francis Case and Lake Sharpe and Division II consisted of Big Stone Lake and Devils Lake. Division I was won by Gerrick McComsey and Max Sheets from Pierre, SD, and Rick Walter and Bruce Brugger, both of Casper, Wyoming, won Division II. The winners of the divisions are to receive $2500 cash, coats, plaques, and entries into the championship.
The winners caught their winning basket all before noon on Day 3. They fished an area of about 400 yards in a small bay on the east side of the lake using pink and orange eight-ounce Walleye Gator Jigs, tipped with a leech. The bait was presented very slowly with more of a drag than a lift. The winners noted that, “There was really no "home lake advantage" in this tournament. This was the first year in the past 6 that the water was high. Many of our old "go to" spots are overgrown with willows. We discovered the winning area while pre-fishing Wednesday afternoon. During qualifying we tried to stay out of the area as much as possible...however, we determined to live or die by this area on Saturday.” Obviously, it paid off for them.
The top twenty teams shared all $43,700. An additional $500 in cash and prizes was paid out to the team of Joe Johnson and John Green, both of Casper, WY for the Beckman Net’s Big Fish award with a 5.33lb walleye. There were also eight Shootout Awards of $250 each sponsored by FoodSource Lures, Crestliner Boats, and Western Walleye Magazine, where two teams are drawn to go head to head on day one for $250. The winners of the Shootout Awards were the teams of Mitch Howe and Mike Gibbs, Mike Effle and Tom Baysinger, Ryan Vowers and Jason Vowers, Pat Brown and Ray Rintamaki, Mike Kulm and Butch Abelseth, Keith Walters and Rob McMullen, Shaun Clauson and Willard Lage, and Walt Paddock and Dennis Skadsem.
The Team of the Year honors was also decided at the Boysen Tournament. The team of Brent & Colin Beitelspacher won this year’s honors with 348.009 points, which just edged out Rick Walter & Bruce Brugger who had 334.263 points. Team of the year receives $10,000 cash, all five entries for 2006 tournaments paid, an entry into the 2005 Princecraft Championship, coats, and plaques for a total of $18,750 in cash and prizes.
Sponsors of the Lowrance sponsored Pro Team Walleye Circuit are: LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS, PRINCECRAFT BOATS, FOODSOURCE LURES, NAVIONICS, DRIFT CONTROL, SHOREMASTER, MINN KOTA, TROLL MASTER, TOW TECTOR SHIELD, FISH ITT FIRST LURES, MACK’S LURES, X TOOLS, DEVILS LAKE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, BIG STONE LAKE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS, AQUA VU, BECKMAN NETS, RAM MOUNTS, BAIT RIGS, WHITES MARINE CENTER, WESTERN WALLEYE MAGAZINE, and INNOVATIVE OUTDOORSMAN MARKETING.
Upcoming Schedule
Princecraft, Championship – Lake Oahe September 8, 9, 10