Results compliments of the In-Fisherman Network

Day One Bio Data
Air Temperature: 43 degrees @ 7 am; 63 degrees @ 5pm
Winds: 10 - 20 mph northerly
Skies: sunny to partly cloudy
seas: 1 - 2 feet
Water Temperature: (surface) 57 - 60 degrees

Day One Bass Pro Shops Big Walleye
$2,000; Harold Williams, Kerkhoven, MN, amateur, 7.52#
$1,200; Gerrick McComsey, Ft Pierre, SD, pro, 7.44#
$1,025; Dean Sime, Blaine, MN, amateur, 6.16#
$ 950; Reggie Thiel, Walker, MN, pro, 6.15#

PWT Pros Begin Unlocking
Lake of the Woods Secrets


Baudette, MN....In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail (PWT) anglers headed onto Lake of the Woods today and scattered to all corners of the large lake at the Pinnacle Central Pro-Am.

They were competing for a share of $225,000, and the closest pro angler to the first place $50,000 prize after the first day was second year pro Gerrick McComsey, Ft. Pierre, SD. He weighed a PWT 6-fish walleye limit for 18.26 pounds. His amateur partner was Darren Anderson, Watertown, SD.

In second are pro Reggie Thiel, Walker, MN and amateur Glenn Crose, Marion, IA with 17.47 pounds. Holding third place are rookie pro Barry Walker, Big Springs, NE, and amateur Ron Smith, Hudson, WI with 16.97 pounds. Amateurs fish with different pros on days two and three, with the winning amateur claiming a Lund 17-foot boat, Mercury outboard and Eagle trailer, a $12,000 value.  A total of 53 limits came to the scales for the 140 sets of partners. Some 43 pros are within five pounds of leader McComsey.

Anglers fished rocky shorelines from six to 20 feet, with the 9 to 13 foot depth a preferred “spot.” Anglers on the reefs fished down to about 30 feet deep, while some anglers trolled crankbaits. A favorite presentation on the rocks and reefs was rigs with crawlers or leeches. Another popular tactic was a bottom bouncer and spinner with a crawler. Some anglers dropped down to finesse tactics with tiny hooks and a leech behind a bouncer. Some slowly drifted with long leaders, small hooks and a piece of crawler or leech, and gave the walleyes plenty of time to eat the bait.

Bass Pro Shops Big Fish awards, including first place and $2,000 went to amateur Harold Williams, Kerkhoven, MN, with a 7.52-pounder. McComsey claimed $1,200 for second with 7.44 pounds. Third and $1,025 went to amateur Dean Sime, Blaine, MN for a 6.16 pound walleye. Thiel anchored  his second place catch with a 6.15-pounder, good for $950. 

The Pinnacle Bounty of $25,000 for a new PWT record (must beat 12.91 pounds), was not paid out, but two days remain in the tournament. Final weigh-in festivities take place Thursday and Friday on Wheeler’s Point between the launch ramp and Border View Lodge, about a dozen miles north of Baudette.

PWT sponsors include: Aqua Vu, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley PowerBait, Blue Fox Tackle, Carhartt, Coleman, Cotton Cordell, Daiichi hooks, Dee Zee truck accessories, Dodg  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 Lake of the Woods Area Tourism Bureau 800-382-3474.