Keith Kavajecz Wins 2002 PWT Championship

September 14, 2002 - Bismarck, ND ....

He's one of the most recognized names in professional angling, a National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame Legendary Angler, highly sought after seminar speaker, TV Fishing Show host, and now he's the reigning PWT (Professional Walleye Trail) National Champion. Keith Kavajecz of Kaukauna, Wisconsin is definitely at the top of his profession.

Keith was one of the 52 qualifying contestants in this year's 2002 PWT Mercury Championship held on the Missouri River in Bismarck, ND. These anglers represent "The Best of the Best" in the walleye fishing game, having qualified for the Championship over the course of the 2002 season PWT circuit. A little jigging and a lot of trolling proved to be the key to success for the Wisconsin pro angler as he netted a four fish limit each of the 3 tournament days for a winning weight of 19.69 pounds. "My biggest fish came on day one using a 1/16th ounce Bass Pro Shops XPS Walleye Jig in the Chartreuse/Lime Hologram color." Kavajecz explained, "I was jigging a key spot amongst several other contestants that were trolling through the general area. 

After an hour, I went to my trolling pattern to cover more water and contact more fish." Keith's trolling pattern turned out to be a unique one too. He trolled #4 Jointed Shad Raps in Silver Shad and Shad colors in four to eight feet of water using 18# Bass Pro Shops MagiBraid leadcore line and a 10 foot leader of 10# test FireLine. "I was running the crankbaits 60 feet back, and the leadcore allowed me to control the depth the baits were running by the speed I ran my motor. When I needed them to run in eight feet, I slowed down to 1.8 mph and they'd follow the break down. As I moved shallower, I simply sped up to 3.1 mph and the baits would rise to run in four feet." Trolling in this section of the Missouri River wasn't without its obstacles either. "The areas I trolled were littered with trees and timber. I used the #4 Jointed Shad Raps because it seemed the smaller hooks on the baits did not hang up in the trees nearly as much, although I still lost 12 to 18 lures a day to snags, as I didn't have time to turn around and retrieve lures."

The area Kavajecz fished was nearly 50 miles from the tournament take-off point. That meant he had to make long runs each day through some of the most "unfriendly" water imaginable. "This tournament was as much about catching the right fish as it was about endurance … both of my nerves and my equipment. It was an hour run (one way) to my fishing spots on a river strewn with sandbars that would move from day-to-day, winding channel and stump fields. On the final day, we also had to deal with gusty winds and waves. I had my Lowrance GPS plotted with 100 icons for the trip down and back, and I still ended up skidding my 21 foot Tracker Tundra across a 100 foot sandbar that had formed during the day coming back for the final weigh-in."

The PWT Championship win awarded Kavajecz with a prize purse of $100,000.00. He also pocketed an additional $1000.00 for the 2.66 pound walleye he caught on day one … the prize for "Big Fish of the Day" honors. Keith has fished the PWT since its inception, is a past PWT Tournament winner, and has qualified for 12 of the circuit's 13 Championships. The Championship win boosts Keith's PWT career winnings to over a quarter of a million dollars.