Corey Bohn
09-24-2008, 03:53 AM
Glenwood, MN---It was the kind of finish that makes walleye tournament fishing extremely exciting, and proves that under tough bite conditions, all teams are still in the running on Day 2, regardless of how they fared on Day 1.
Such was the case at this year's Warrior Boats Lake Minnewaska Fall Walleye Classic, (Sept. 6-7) as brothers Mark Berle, Gibbon, MN and Brian Berle, Shakopee, MN, jumped from 18th place on the leaderboard on Day 1 (one walleye, 3.66-lbs.) all the way to the top spot on Day 2, with a 6-walleye limit of 13.69-lbs. to win the Lake Minnewaska Fall Walleye Classic title ($21,000), with a total weight of 17.35-lbs (7 walleyes).
"And a dramatic finish it was," said Fall Walleye Classic tournament director, Corey Bohn. "Not only did the winning team take home the $6,000 guaranteed first place payout, but they also claimed an additional $15,000 in Warrior Boats manufacturer / dealer contingency cash after owning, fishing and winning from a 2007 or newer Warrior Boat (original owner). That's a huge payday for a $350 entry fee, Bohn added. "It just goes to show that when the bite is tough on the first day, it's still anyone and everyone's tournament to win on Day 2."
Just three teams broke eight pounds on Day 1. Larry Hogan, North Mankato, MN, and Matthew Yach, Menomonie, WI, posted a 4-walleye weight of 8.69-lbs. to take the Day 1 lead, followed by 2005 Fall Walleye Classic Champions, Tim Schoeck, Osakis, MN, and Josh Schoeck, McGrath, MN, in second place, with a 5-walleye weight of 8.60-lbs. Rod Kral, Sartell, MN, and Greg Sadelmeyer, Osakis, MN, sat in third place, with a 6-walleye limit of 8.02-lbs., and were the only team in the 75-team field to weigh a 6 fish limit on Day 1. Rounding out the top 5 were: Kent and Adam Andersen, Amery, WI, 4th, 5-walleyes, 7.09-lbs.; and Troy Eggert, Buffalo, MN, and Felix Eggert, Elk River, MN, 5th, with 5-walleyes weighing 6.89-lbs.
Day 2 would see the LakeMaster leaderboard undergo major changes, as only one of the top 5 teams from Day 1 would remain in the top 5 on Day 2. Three teams, meanwhile, would come from 18th, 14th and 20th place respectively, to claim the top 3 spots in this year's Warrior Boats Lake Minnewaska Fall Walleye Classic.
"What a finish," said Bohn. "It just goes to show how important it is to fish hard both days, and to continually keep adjusting to the conditions and the bite. The teams that made the correct adjustments on Day 2 were the teams that raced to the top of the leaderboard under tough bite conditions."
According to Bohn, wind and sky conditions really drove the bite on Day 2 according to the top teams, who all caught their fish in deeper water, as did the Day 1 leaders. The bite, however, changed from a live bait bite on Day 1, to predominantly a deep crankbait bite on Day 2.
For the first place Berle brothers, Saturday's Day 1 bite was slow as they logged one 3.66-lb. walleye to put them into 18th place heading into Day 2. "The wind made a big difference for us on Day 2," said Mark Berle. We fished the same location on Day 2, but made some changes that paid off big time. On Day 1, we were pulling leadcore with a 15 ft. Fireline leader along the gravel in 22 ft. using a #5 orange Rapala. On Day 2, we changed over to a Rip Shad and caught all our fish in the same spot along an inside turn. It really made a difference whether or not the sun was out, because when it was cloudy the fish were outside of the weeds on the gravel, and when the sun was out, we had to pull right through the weed clusters to get our fish."
For the second place team ($3,000) of Duane Kriese, Shakopee, MN, and Kevin Beyer, Alexandria, MN, a move late in the day on Day 1 proved to be a big move. "We didn't find the fish until about 1 p.m. on Saturday," said Kriese. "We moved to a spot where we had caught some fish while prefishing, and caught two measure fish there, and had a 4-lb. walleye up to the boat that we lost at the net. On Day 2, we headed to the same spot and spent the entire day working an area west of Priest Pt."
Kriese and Sadelmeyer were using bottom bouncers, spinners and crawlers along a 17 to 20 ft. weedline to catch their fish. "We were marking a lot of fish, but they weren't the easiest to catch," added Duane. "Overall, we caught 12 to 14 walleyes per day, but most were just under 15-inches."
Day 2 also proved to be a big day for Tony O'Keefe and Steve Paulson, from Morris, MN, who vaulted from 20th place on Day 1, to third place on Day 2. After weighing two walleyes for 3.07-lbs. on Day 1, the two decided to try something different and landed their first keeper just a few hundred yards from the blast off site on Day 2. "We figured we'd try the north end shallow right around the corner from the launch site," said O'Keefe. "We tookoff in the second flight, made a sharp left turn, and had a 20-incher in the boat before the last teams took off in the third flight."
From there, O'Keefe and Paulson headed to a spot where they had caught some nice walleyes while prefishing prior to the tourney on Friday. "We pulled into a deep water spot and caught a 25-incher and an 18 and 16 right away when the wind was howling during Friday's prefish. We went back to that same spot on Saturday but couldn't get them to go, so we went back on Sunday after getting our first fish and they were there, and they were hungry," said O' Keefe.
O'Keefe and Paulson were using leadcore and Long A Bombers in 24 ft. of water and filled their remaining 6 walleye limit (12.06-lbs.) with five nice fish, including a 4.11-lb. walleye to secure a third place finish (8 walleyes, 15.13-lbs., $2,000).
Rounding out the top 23 teams on this year's LakeMaster leaderboard were (top 15 received cash payouts, 16th through 23rd place received prize payouts consisting of a Stearns competitor series lifejacket and a Digger Anchor).
1st---($21,000)**--Mark Berle / Brian Berle 7 walleyes 17.35-lbs.
2nd--($3,000)------Dunae Kriese / Kevin Beyer 8 walleyes 15.40-lbs.
3rd--($2,000)------Tony O'Keefe / Steve Paulson 8 walleyes 15.13-lbs.
4th--($1,500)-------Rod Kral / Greg Sadelmeyer 11 walleyes 15.05-lbs.
5th--($1,350)-------Chris Vanderweyst / Tim Schoeberl 7 walleyes 13.77-lbs.
6th--($1,200)-------Larry Hogan / Matthew Yack 9 walleyes 12.86-lbs.
7th--($1,000)-------Troy Eggert / Felix Eggert 9 walleyes 11.94-lbs.
8th--($700)---------Matt Paumen / Troy Paumen 4 walleyes 10.46-lbs.
9th--($600)---------Terry Lorentz / Greg Lorentz 8 walleyes 10.31-lbs.
10th-($500)---------Josh Schoeck / Tim Schoeck 6 walleyes 10.03-lbs.
11th-($350)---------Wayne Johnson / Tom Johnson 6 walleyes 9.82-lbs.
12th-($350)---------Tony Renner / Charline Renner 3 walleyes 9.70-lbs.
13th-($350)---------Brian Bjorkman / Eric Bjorkman 7 walleyes 9.39-lbs.
14th-($350)---------Joe Justi / Darrell Justi 5 walleyes 8.45-lbs.
15th-($350)---------Darrell Peters / JerryPeters 5 walleyes 8.31-lbs.
16th (prize)---------Rocky Burgau / Jeff Hanson 3 walleyes 8.09-lbs.
17th (prize)---------Dan Gulan / Adam Arnquist 4 walleyes 8.00-lbs.
18th (prize)---------Paul Reiland / Chuck Tillotson 5 walleyes 7.82-lbs.
19th (prize)---------Bill Bigalke / Mark Marohl 6 walleyes 7.76-lbs.
20th (prize)---------Randy Svihel / Jerome Svihel 3 walleyes 7.49-lbs.
21st (prize)---------Brad Carr / Jared Carr 6 walleyes 7.48-lbs.
22nd(prize)---------Jon Prischman / Derek Lee 2 walleyes 7.41-lbs.
23rd(prize)---------Steve Boraas / Rene Marelic 3 walleyes 7.32-lbs.
**($6,000 first place cash payout plus $15,000 in Warrior Boats manufacturer / dealer contingency cash for owning, fishing from, and winning in a 2007 or new Warrior Boat (original owner). $7,500 manufacturer contingency from Warrior Boats; $7,500 Warrior Boats dealer contingency from Minnewaska Marine, Starbuck, MN, if boat was purchased from that dealership. Team Berle qualified for both contigencies, thus $21,000 in total winnings. Of the 75 teams (boats) in this year's field, 11 were qualified for the Warrior manufacturer contingency cash, with 2 of those 11 also qualified for the Warrior dealer contingency cash).
Winning the Father/Son/Daughter Division and a check for $450 were Troy and Felix Eggert, who also placed 7th overall ($1,000) with a two-day, nine-walleye weight of 11.94-lbs. Rick and Resa Jenneke, Hutchinson, MN, took top honors in the Husband/Wife or Boyfriend/Girlfriend Division, with a two-day, three-walleye weight of 6.68-lbs.
Day 1 biggest walleye of 5.40-lbs. ($650) was caught by Burgau / Hanson; Day 2 biggest of 7.04-lbs. ($650) was caught by Tony and Charlie Renner. 222 legal walleyes were caught with an average weight of 1.76-lbs.
In 2009, the Fall Walleye Classic venue will be expanded to include a Spring Walleye Classic on the Alexandria, MN, Chain of Lakes. Dates for the Spring Walleye Classic have been set for June 6-7, 2009 (permit pending). Entry fee is $350 with same payouts and team format as the Minnewaska Fall Walleye Classic, which will be held Sept. 12-13, 2009. Entry forms for both tournaments are available on the official tournament website at www.fallwalleyeclassic.com. Email: minnkotaoutdoors@msn.com or by calling 320-424-1382.
Such was the case at this year's Warrior Boats Lake Minnewaska Fall Walleye Classic, (Sept. 6-7) as brothers Mark Berle, Gibbon, MN and Brian Berle, Shakopee, MN, jumped from 18th place on the leaderboard on Day 1 (one walleye, 3.66-lbs.) all the way to the top spot on Day 2, with a 6-walleye limit of 13.69-lbs. to win the Lake Minnewaska Fall Walleye Classic title ($21,000), with a total weight of 17.35-lbs (7 walleyes).
"And a dramatic finish it was," said Fall Walleye Classic tournament director, Corey Bohn. "Not only did the winning team take home the $6,000 guaranteed first place payout, but they also claimed an additional $15,000 in Warrior Boats manufacturer / dealer contingency cash after owning, fishing and winning from a 2007 or newer Warrior Boat (original owner). That's a huge payday for a $350 entry fee, Bohn added. "It just goes to show that when the bite is tough on the first day, it's still anyone and everyone's tournament to win on Day 2."
Just three teams broke eight pounds on Day 1. Larry Hogan, North Mankato, MN, and Matthew Yach, Menomonie, WI, posted a 4-walleye weight of 8.69-lbs. to take the Day 1 lead, followed by 2005 Fall Walleye Classic Champions, Tim Schoeck, Osakis, MN, and Josh Schoeck, McGrath, MN, in second place, with a 5-walleye weight of 8.60-lbs. Rod Kral, Sartell, MN, and Greg Sadelmeyer, Osakis, MN, sat in third place, with a 6-walleye limit of 8.02-lbs., and were the only team in the 75-team field to weigh a 6 fish limit on Day 1. Rounding out the top 5 were: Kent and Adam Andersen, Amery, WI, 4th, 5-walleyes, 7.09-lbs.; and Troy Eggert, Buffalo, MN, and Felix Eggert, Elk River, MN, 5th, with 5-walleyes weighing 6.89-lbs.
Day 2 would see the LakeMaster leaderboard undergo major changes, as only one of the top 5 teams from Day 1 would remain in the top 5 on Day 2. Three teams, meanwhile, would come from 18th, 14th and 20th place respectively, to claim the top 3 spots in this year's Warrior Boats Lake Minnewaska Fall Walleye Classic.
"What a finish," said Bohn. "It just goes to show how important it is to fish hard both days, and to continually keep adjusting to the conditions and the bite. The teams that made the correct adjustments on Day 2 were the teams that raced to the top of the leaderboard under tough bite conditions."
According to Bohn, wind and sky conditions really drove the bite on Day 2 according to the top teams, who all caught their fish in deeper water, as did the Day 1 leaders. The bite, however, changed from a live bait bite on Day 1, to predominantly a deep crankbait bite on Day 2.
For the first place Berle brothers, Saturday's Day 1 bite was slow as they logged one 3.66-lb. walleye to put them into 18th place heading into Day 2. "The wind made a big difference for us on Day 2," said Mark Berle. We fished the same location on Day 2, but made some changes that paid off big time. On Day 1, we were pulling leadcore with a 15 ft. Fireline leader along the gravel in 22 ft. using a #5 orange Rapala. On Day 2, we changed over to a Rip Shad and caught all our fish in the same spot along an inside turn. It really made a difference whether or not the sun was out, because when it was cloudy the fish were outside of the weeds on the gravel, and when the sun was out, we had to pull right through the weed clusters to get our fish."
For the second place team ($3,000) of Duane Kriese, Shakopee, MN, and Kevin Beyer, Alexandria, MN, a move late in the day on Day 1 proved to be a big move. "We didn't find the fish until about 1 p.m. on Saturday," said Kriese. "We moved to a spot where we had caught some fish while prefishing, and caught two measure fish there, and had a 4-lb. walleye up to the boat that we lost at the net. On Day 2, we headed to the same spot and spent the entire day working an area west of Priest Pt."
Kriese and Sadelmeyer were using bottom bouncers, spinners and crawlers along a 17 to 20 ft. weedline to catch their fish. "We were marking a lot of fish, but they weren't the easiest to catch," added Duane. "Overall, we caught 12 to 14 walleyes per day, but most were just under 15-inches."
Day 2 also proved to be a big day for Tony O'Keefe and Steve Paulson, from Morris, MN, who vaulted from 20th place on Day 1, to third place on Day 2. After weighing two walleyes for 3.07-lbs. on Day 1, the two decided to try something different and landed their first keeper just a few hundred yards from the blast off site on Day 2. "We figured we'd try the north end shallow right around the corner from the launch site," said O'Keefe. "We tookoff in the second flight, made a sharp left turn, and had a 20-incher in the boat before the last teams took off in the third flight."
From there, O'Keefe and Paulson headed to a spot where they had caught some nice walleyes while prefishing prior to the tourney on Friday. "We pulled into a deep water spot and caught a 25-incher and an 18 and 16 right away when the wind was howling during Friday's prefish. We went back to that same spot on Saturday but couldn't get them to go, so we went back on Sunday after getting our first fish and they were there, and they were hungry," said O' Keefe.
O'Keefe and Paulson were using leadcore and Long A Bombers in 24 ft. of water and filled their remaining 6 walleye limit (12.06-lbs.) with five nice fish, including a 4.11-lb. walleye to secure a third place finish (8 walleyes, 15.13-lbs., $2,000).
Rounding out the top 23 teams on this year's LakeMaster leaderboard were (top 15 received cash payouts, 16th through 23rd place received prize payouts consisting of a Stearns competitor series lifejacket and a Digger Anchor).
1st---($21,000)**--Mark Berle / Brian Berle 7 walleyes 17.35-lbs.
2nd--($3,000)------Dunae Kriese / Kevin Beyer 8 walleyes 15.40-lbs.
3rd--($2,000)------Tony O'Keefe / Steve Paulson 8 walleyes 15.13-lbs.
4th--($1,500)-------Rod Kral / Greg Sadelmeyer 11 walleyes 15.05-lbs.
5th--($1,350)-------Chris Vanderweyst / Tim Schoeberl 7 walleyes 13.77-lbs.
6th--($1,200)-------Larry Hogan / Matthew Yack 9 walleyes 12.86-lbs.
7th--($1,000)-------Troy Eggert / Felix Eggert 9 walleyes 11.94-lbs.
8th--($700)---------Matt Paumen / Troy Paumen 4 walleyes 10.46-lbs.
9th--($600)---------Terry Lorentz / Greg Lorentz 8 walleyes 10.31-lbs.
10th-($500)---------Josh Schoeck / Tim Schoeck 6 walleyes 10.03-lbs.
11th-($350)---------Wayne Johnson / Tom Johnson 6 walleyes 9.82-lbs.
12th-($350)---------Tony Renner / Charline Renner 3 walleyes 9.70-lbs.
13th-($350)---------Brian Bjorkman / Eric Bjorkman 7 walleyes 9.39-lbs.
14th-($350)---------Joe Justi / Darrell Justi 5 walleyes 8.45-lbs.
15th-($350)---------Darrell Peters / JerryPeters 5 walleyes 8.31-lbs.
16th (prize)---------Rocky Burgau / Jeff Hanson 3 walleyes 8.09-lbs.
17th (prize)---------Dan Gulan / Adam Arnquist 4 walleyes 8.00-lbs.
18th (prize)---------Paul Reiland / Chuck Tillotson 5 walleyes 7.82-lbs.
19th (prize)---------Bill Bigalke / Mark Marohl 6 walleyes 7.76-lbs.
20th (prize)---------Randy Svihel / Jerome Svihel 3 walleyes 7.49-lbs.
21st (prize)---------Brad Carr / Jared Carr 6 walleyes 7.48-lbs.
22nd(prize)---------Jon Prischman / Derek Lee 2 walleyes 7.41-lbs.
23rd(prize)---------Steve Boraas / Rene Marelic 3 walleyes 7.32-lbs.
**($6,000 first place cash payout plus $15,000 in Warrior Boats manufacturer / dealer contingency cash for owning, fishing from, and winning in a 2007 or new Warrior Boat (original owner). $7,500 manufacturer contingency from Warrior Boats; $7,500 Warrior Boats dealer contingency from Minnewaska Marine, Starbuck, MN, if boat was purchased from that dealership. Team Berle qualified for both contigencies, thus $21,000 in total winnings. Of the 75 teams (boats) in this year's field, 11 were qualified for the Warrior manufacturer contingency cash, with 2 of those 11 also qualified for the Warrior dealer contingency cash).
Winning the Father/Son/Daughter Division and a check for $450 were Troy and Felix Eggert, who also placed 7th overall ($1,000) with a two-day, nine-walleye weight of 11.94-lbs. Rick and Resa Jenneke, Hutchinson, MN, took top honors in the Husband/Wife or Boyfriend/Girlfriend Division, with a two-day, three-walleye weight of 6.68-lbs.
Day 1 biggest walleye of 5.40-lbs. ($650) was caught by Burgau / Hanson; Day 2 biggest of 7.04-lbs. ($650) was caught by Tony and Charlie Renner. 222 legal walleyes were caught with an average weight of 1.76-lbs.
In 2009, the Fall Walleye Classic venue will be expanded to include a Spring Walleye Classic on the Alexandria, MN, Chain of Lakes. Dates for the Spring Walleye Classic have been set for June 6-7, 2009 (permit pending). Entry fee is $350 with same payouts and team format as the Minnewaska Fall Walleye Classic, which will be held Sept. 12-13, 2009. Entry forms for both tournaments are available on the official tournament website at www.fallwalleyeclassic.com. Email: minnkotaoutdoors@msn.com or by calling 320-424-1382.