2001 PWT St. Mary's River
July 18 - 20

 Pete Harsh Converts 6 Bites to Walleyes in The Net, Leads PWT Michigan Tournament

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan . . .Pete Harsh, pro angler from Sauk Centre, MN, took the first-day lead in the Mercury/Trilene Northeast Pro-Am. Fishing the St. Mary’s River, Harsh said, “Today, all six bites made it into the net.” He weighed 24.06 pounds, while fishing with amateur Joe Susi, Sault Ste. Marie.

The In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail (PWT) is a Pro-Am, and both partners fish together for the maximum boat weight each day. Amateurs fish with a different pro daily. The St. Mary’s River flows from Lake Superior to Lake Huron through miles and miles of scenic shorelines in a wilderness setting. The anglers fished as huge freighters passed them each day enroute to or from the famous Soo Locks.

Placing second on day one with 23.53 pounds were pro Perry Good, Eagan, MN and amateur Jason Kerr, Grand Blanc, MI. Both Harsh and Good are multiple PWT winners. The third place partners were pro Joe Lundquist, Maple Grove, MN and amateur Greg Benedict, Bryan, Ohio. They weighed 20.10 pounds. The pro winner nets $50,000, and the amateur with the most weight tows home a new Lund 17-foot boat with a Mercury outboard on an Eagle trailer.

The Bass Pro Shops big fish awards were topped by amateur Kerr. His 6.64-pounder paid $1,650. Pro Harsh won $1,000 for a 6.33 pound walleye. Pro Steve Kagarise, Akron, Ohio, caught a 5.60 pound walleye for $875. Pro Bill St. Peter, Bay City, MI, netted $775 for a 5.58-pounder.

The majority of anglers fished with bottom bouncers (to keep their bait near the bottom) and spinners. The spinners and attractive bead combinations were trailed by night crawlers. Other presentations included jigging and crankbait trolling. More than 90 percent of the 316 walleyes brought to the scales were released.

Several tournament races were juggled, including the In-Fisherman Angler of the Year. Pro Gary Gray, Oshkosh, WI took the lead in this prestigious contest, which is worth $22,000, including a Mercury OptiMax outboard. The Dee Zee Eastern Division race is headed by pro Keith Segar, Muskegon, MI.

The Mercury/Trilene Northeast Pro-Am continues Thursday and Friday, July 19-20, with weigh-in festivities at Aune Osborn Park two miles downstream of the Locks. With free parking and bleacher seating, the 3 p.m. stage festivities provide plenty of fun and opportunities to meet the walleye pros.

The PWT is part of PRIMEDIA, Inc., America’s leading producer of targeted media headquartered in New York City. PWT sponsors include: Aqua Vu, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley PowerBait, Berkley Trilene, Blue Fox Tackle, Carhartt, Coleman, Cotton Cordell, Daiichi hooks, Dee Zee, Dodge truck, Eagle Claw, Eagle Trailers, Evercel, Flambeau, Guest chargers, IMCO Boat Buckles Lindy Little Joe, Lowrance Electronics, Lund Boats, Mack’s Lure, Marinco, Mercury Outboards, MinnKota, Rapala Lures, Northland Tackle, Oceanwave sunglasses, Pinnacle rods and reels, Plano, RAM, Raytheon Marine, Real Tree, Shimano rods, Storm Lures, T-H Marine, Yamaha all terrain vehicles and the Sault Convention & Visitors Bureau: 800-647-2858.