OUTDOOR FISHING NEWS WISCONSIN

Wednesday, August 23, 2017 Arnoldussen, Day Win Cabela's National Walleye Tour Championship on Green Bay Championship awards three Ranger boats to top anglers (INSERT IMAGE) Editor's Note: Photo Caption: First-place pro-angler Dean Arnoldussen (left) and first-place co-angler Devin Day (right) raise their champion trophies at the Cabela's National Walleye Tour Championship at Green Bay, at Marinette, Wisconsin, August 20. (For a high-res image, please contact Greg Duncan) NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – Pro-angler Dean Arnoldussen, of Appleton, Wisconsin, brought in a two-day total of 75.13 pounds of walleye to win the pro-angler category of the Cabela's National Walleye Tour (NWT) Championship event on Green Bay, at Marinette, Wisconsin, on August 20. Arnoldussen won $15,000 in cash and a fully rigged Ranger 620FS with a 225 horsepower Evinrude G2 outboard. On day one of the championship, casters dominated as huge stringers were caught from the far north end of Green Bay. After two cancellation days due to dangerously windy weather, the bite changed and trolling took center stage. Dean Arnoldussen, who has been cashing checks on the Great Lakes for years, was quick to capitalize. Instead of gliding and shivering, Arnoldussen trolled crankbaits over a flat on the south side of Chambers Island. The old-school technique earned him an $85,000 payday and his second major championship victory. "This is a flat I've fished for probably 15 years," said Arnoldussen. "I've won a couple tournaments there in years past. It's weird though. Sometimes they just show up and I don't exactly know why. Thankfully, they showed up two days before the tournament." Arnoldussen brought in 39.89 pounds on day one, leaving the angler in fifth place – more than six pounds behind day-one leader Tom Kemos. Two consecutive days of high winds and waves caused NWT Tournament Director Anthony Wright to cancel day two. Better weather arrived Saturday, allowing the tournament to wrap up with only two days of competition. On the final day, Arnoldussen made his 10-mile run and caught a 27-incher right away. An hour later he boxed a 25-incher and after another hour he boxed a 28-incher. At 11 a.m., he moved a quarter mile to a weed line and lost one on his first pass. His second pass yielded a 26-incher. With four fish in the livewell at 12:30, he ran back to his primary area and caught a 21-incher, which he immediately threw back. At 2 p.m., he put the winning fish in the boat, a 28-incher. After catching one more, a 23-incher, he decided to head in, not wanting to incur any potential penalties for dead fish. "I figured if I could get over 30 pounds, I should be in the top five," said Arnoldussen. "I wasn't even thinking about winning. Then I saw Chase come in with two fish and then Sprengel with three and I realized their fish didn't go. Then I heard Kemos and Okada didn't have them and I realized there's nobody that can beat me." While Arnoldussen would occasionally pull a board in and cast to specific fish he graphed, all 10 of his weigh fish came via trolling. His crankbait of choice was a purple (custom painted) No. 9 Berkley Flicker Minnow. Arnoldussen's championship win netted the angler a total of $85,053. Second-place pro-angler Keith Kavajecz weighed a two-day total of 68.04 pounds to win a total of $42,621, including a fully rigged Ranger 1880 with a 150 horsepower Evinrude G2 outboard. Brian Bjorkman (third), Nick Schertz (fourth) Dusty Minke (fifth), Tom Kemos (sixth), John Hoyer (seventh), Roy Vivian (eighth), John Gillman (ninth), and Jay Epping (tenth) round out the top 10 pro-anglers. Kevin Day, of Waupaun, Wisconsin, took first place in the co-angler category. On day one, Day fished with fellow Wisconsin angler Max Wilson and the two caught a 34.23-pound limit. On day two, Day drew Illinois pro Mike Gofron and they improved to 40.61. "Both days we used nothing but Shiver Minnows," said Day. "I fished them anywhere from 40 feet to 4 feet. It's an awesome way to catch them on the bay; it's a fantastic bait." For the win, Day hauled in a Ranger 1682 powered by a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard, plus a $1,500 Triton boat bonus and $739 in Anglers Advantage cash for a total purse of $28,539. "Every co-angler comes into a tournament hoping to hook up with awesome pros," said Day. "Every pro that I've fished with has been fantastic. If you don't learn something from a pro, you're not paying attention. It has made me a better fisherman by far. This is the only format in the country that allows me the chance to learn from the pros and win a boat." Chris Fischer (second), Dan Kraft (third), Mark Alexander (fourth), Dois Chesshir (fifth), Daniel Wilczak (sixth), Jeff Sass (seventh), Bob Bachler (eighth), Steve Atkinson (ninth) and Todd Vesperman (tenth) round out the top 10 for co-anglers. For more details, anglers are encouraged to call 612-424-0708 or 501-317-7548 or check out the new website at www.nationalwalleyetour.com. From here, site visitors can register for events, view the contingency programs and TV schedule and learn more about what's in-store for 2018. National Walleye Tour events are made possible through the sponsorship and continued support of these well-respected brands: Cabela's, Ranger Boats, Lucas Oil, Evinrude, RAM, Mercury, Minn Kota, Triton Boats, Power-Pole, Arctic Ice, Stratos Boats, Lowrance, MotorGiude, Protect the Harvest, Raymarine, Valley Fashions, T-H Marine, Atlas, G-Juice, Powertex Group.