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TEAM BENSON CRANKS UP A MISSISSIPPI RIVER WIN
We talked about diversity all
season long and the Mississippi River Qualifier proved that through.
The 44 mile long stretch of tournament legal water, which includes Lake
Pepin, provided an opportunity to use, and to be successful with,
whatever style of walleye fishing you have confidence in. The top 3
placing teams employed, and were successful with, 5 different types of
presentations to put winning tournament limits in the box. Stable water
levels and favorable weather in the days preceding the tournament were
beneficial in providing a good bite for the fourth and final Qualifier
of the 2003 MWT season. This event would determine who made the
cut for the Championship field and which team would claim the MWT
“Team of the Year” honors.
Jack and Jay Benson, from Oakdale
and Becida, respectively, would need only one type of presentation to
claim the first place check of $2,000.00. The pair trolled #5
black and silver Shad Raps all day. The Benson’s spent the morning
working the 4’ to 6’ depths in the north end of the Wisconsin Channel
backwaters letting out just enough line so that their crankbaits
occasionally bumped across the hard sand and gravel bottom. The action
was good as they boated a lot of 14 1/2" walleyes along
with some legal sized fish too. Strippers and catfish would keep them
busy in between walleye bites. At about 1:30 pm the pair decided to
move down to where the Wisconsin Channel opened up into Lake Pepin.
They would longline these same crankbaits in the 12’ to 14’ depths. At
about 2:15 one of the rods would double over and a 7.33 pound walleye
was on it’s way to the boat. While playing that fish a 2nd rod would
double over and a double was on!
The only problem with the program
was that the second fish turned out to be a big catfish. Still a lot of
fun but not what they were hoping for. Lines were reset for the final
15 minutes of the tournament. When it was decided to clear the lines
and head in for the weigh-in is when the Benson’s enjoyed some more
fun. Two cranks on the reel handle of the last line to be cleared
provided a little extra burst of speed on the Shad Rap which proved to
be too much for a 6 lb walleye to take. She engulfed the crankbait and
took a ride to the weigh-in with Team Benson.
Jay credited much of the win to
Kobilka’s Sporting Goods in Bemidji for helping him with the correct
electronics for his new boat, and to the guys at Bemidji Marine for
getting it properly rigged this spring with all the accessories.
Second place finishers, Mark and
Brian Berle from Gibbon and Prior Lake, also fished the Wisconsin
Channel, but in 10’ to 13’ depths in the vicinity of Goose Lake. The
Berle brothers used long, limber deadsticks set in rodholders to present
small leeches on 3-way rigs as they drifted with the current. They found
their fish close to bottom using a 3/8 oz. rattlin’ No-Snagg sinker on a
6” dropper. A small leech on a #6 yellow/gold hook trailed behind on a
18” leader. Team Berle was able to upgrade 2 fish late in the day to
bring in 6 fish with a total weight of 14.79 lbs to earn a $1,250.00
check.
The team of Larry Hogan, North
Mankato, and Matt Yach, Janesville, caught 12 weigh fish throughout the
day using 3 different techniques. They fished the north entrance to
Lake Pepin which proved to be a popular spot, as many teams were
concentrating on that area. Larry and Mail began the day with 1/8 oz.
chartreuse jigs with a half of crawler and lindy rigs with leeches on a
2’ leader. The pair had their 6 fish limit in the box by 10:30 and it
was time to start looking to upgrade. Noon found the pair south of
Frontenac, fishing Ehlers Flats out from Hanson’s Harbor. But now they
were trolling bottom bouncers with silver/blue and hammered gold JB
Lures spinners with crawlers. Larry said they found the classic pods of
baitfish in 15’ of water surrounded by the bigger hooks of predator
fish. They ran their bottom bouncers up a little higher off the bottom
to pass through the bait-fish and catch the larger more active walleyes.
They caught their largest 2 walleyes of the day in this location. The
largest 6 walleyes weighed in at 13.26 lbs., good enough for third place
and a $1000 check. Big Fish of the event went to Jack and Jay Benson
with their 27 ¾” beauty which weighed 7.33 lbs to earn them
$500.00 cash in the “Big Fish” pot in addition to a pair of Drift
Control Sea Anchors. Second largest fish of the tournament, caught by
Don and Joe Marx from St. Micheal and Clearwater, was also 27 ¾” long,
weighing 6.96 lbs and worth $220.00 cash. |
