ESCANABA---The Cabella's Masters Walleye Circuit Tour wrapped up its world championships on Saturday with Wisconsin anglers Tony Kobriger and Dan Zwick winning for the second straight year. The duo caught 12 fish in the three-day event in the Bays deNoc, and had more than 54 pounds of walleye.
"I didn't think we'd win one championship, let alone two," said Kobriger at the final weigh-ins at the U.P. State Fairgrounds. "We had only caught one fish today at 2:00."
But they caught three more in the final two hours, and ended up winning the tournament by more than eleven pounds over second place.
They won a $20,000 check.
The teams struggled with the cold, rainy weather, and fish that just didn't seem very hungry. Gladstone's Glen and Carol Chenier finished seventh overall with just over 30 pounds of walleye.
"It was rainy, it was cold, and I forgot our sandwiches at home," Carol laughed. "We caught two walleye all day, and three suckers!"
"It was very slow," Glen said. "These fish are very hard to track right now. Water temperatures are changing, the weather is changing. We couldn't track them.
"We couldn't stay with them. Congrats to the guys that did, because it was tough."
Escanaba's Jerry Plourde, along with partner Dan Stier of Mina, S.D., finished 15th out of 47 teams, with just over 21 pounds of walleye.
"The weather wasn't terrible," Plourde said. "The conditions of the water were almost too calm, which is not really characteristic of October.
"It was almost too calm for good fishing. It was so clear that the fish wanted to stay on the bottom," Plourde added. "They didn't want to come up and bite. We got two nice fish today, but for the week, it was a little disappointing."
The other U.P. team, Ryan Gordon of Sault Ste. Marie and Brian Schwiderson of Brimley, took ninth place. They caught 14 fish for just over 27 pounds. "We went through a lot of fish today," Gordon said. "Nine legal fish, and we could keep five, of course. We had a great time here."
CLICK HERE to see how all of the teams fared in the event.
Click the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box at the top of the page to see photos and video interviews, and audio interviews from the tournament.
Gladstone's Glen and Carol Chenier.
But they caught three more in the final two hours, and ended up winning the tournament by more than eleven pounds over second place.
They won a $20,000 check.
The teams struggled with the cold, rainy weather, and fish that just didn't seem very hungry. Gladstone's Glen and Carol Chenier finished seventh overall with just over 30 pounds of walleye.
"It was rainy, it was cold, and I forgot our sandwiches at home," Carol laughed. "We caught two walleye all day, and three suckers!"
Carol and Glen Chenier Comments
"We couldn't stay with them. Congrats to the guys that did, because it was tough."
Escanaba's Jerry Plourde with a big fish.
"The weather wasn't terrible," Plourde said. "The conditions of the water were almost too calm, which is not really characteristic of October.
"It was almost too calm for good fishing. It was so clear that the fish wanted to stay on the bottom," Plourde added. "They didn't want to come up and bite. We got two nice fish today, but for the week, it was a little disappointing."
The other U.P. team, Ryan Gordon of Sault Ste. Marie and Brian Schwiderson of Brimley, took ninth place. They caught 14 fish for just over 27 pounds. "We went through a lot of fish today," Gordon said. "Nine legal fish, and we could keep five, of course. We had a great time here."
CLICK HERE to see how all of the teams fared in the event.
Click the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box at the top of the page to see photos and video interviews, and audio interviews from the tournament.
