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2001 PWT St. Mary's River
July 18 - 20
Pete Harsh Claims 3rd PWT Win and
$50,000 on Michigan’s St Mary’s River
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan . . .Pete Harsh landed five walleyes on the final day of the
Mercury/Trilene Northeast Pro-Am in Sault Ste. Marie, MI to capture the $50,000 victory. This is
his third In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail (PWT) win. He did it with a total weight of 47.71
pounds.
Harsh has averaged $5,400 for every PWT tournament fished; won money in 15 of 24 events over
the past four years; and qualified for Championships every year he competed. His speciality is
precise boat control with a Mercury 175-horsepower outboard, which he steers with a tiller arm.
He not only uses the big motor to get to his spots, but positions the boat with the same unit.
Placing second on the St. Mary’s River was pro Joe Lundquist, Maple Grove, MN, with 45.04
pounds. He won $13,500. Third went to Johnnie Candle, Devils Lake, ND. He won $9,000 for
42.13 pounds. Both anglers scored their best finishes to date. Daryl Christensen, Montello, WI won
$6,800 for fourth place. The top amateur, Allan Tourigny, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, won a 17-foot
Lund boat with a Mercury outboard on an Eagle trailer, valued at $12,500.
Bass Pro Shops big fish of the tournament, worth $2,150 was caught by Mike McMaken,
Cedarville, MI. It weighed 8.87 pounds. On day three, the largest walleye, 8.24 pounds, was
landed by pro Brad Davis, Jackson, WI. He earned $1,650. Amateur Richard Whitlock, Goodrich,
MI won $1,000 for a 6.11-pounder. Amateur Mike Davalle, Wauconda, IL caught a six pound
walleye worth $875. Pro Lundquist’s 5.66 pound walleye paid $775.
Special awards included the T-H Marine $500 honors to pro Christensen for the highest placing pro
with the most fish released. He caught a limit each day, and was one of only a few pros jigging rock
piles. Christensen and Keith Kavajecz, Kaukauna, WI, were the only anglers with limits all three
days. The Coleman Cool Under Pressure award of $900 for the pro advancing the most places, 62,
went to Todd Frank, Pulaski, NY. The Coleman amateur winner was Dennis White, Sault Ste.
Marie. He won $600. The Storm Heavyweight $450 award went to pro Harsh and $300 to
amateur Joe Susi, Sault Ste. Marie. Their day one weight was 24.06 pounds.
The PWT Key Award was presented to Sault Ste. Marie Convention and Visitors Bureau
employee Laurie Stewart. “With her attention to details, this stop on the PWT tour was as smooth
as it could be,” said Jim Kalkofen, PWT executive director. The PWT Host Award was accepted
by Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Tony Bosbous for the reception by the entire community. All but 10
percent of the 814 walleyes weighed were released; those filleted were donated to the Salvation
Army Soup Kitchen and other area charities.
Overall, the In-Fisherman Angler of the Year leader is Gary Gray, Oshkosh, WI. At the end of the
season, the Angler wins $22,000, including a Mercury OptiMax outboard. Gray will go out as the
number one angler when the PWT tour stops in Dunkirk, NY, Aug. 8-10. In the Dee Zee Eastern
Division, Nick Homayed, Dearborn Heights, MI, sits in the pole position; knowing that his ninth
place performance could help him qualify for the Championship or even become the Raytheon
Rookie of the year, a $3,000 award. Amateur Tourigny, with a first and a tenth place finish, has an
opportunity to become the Mercury Top Amateur (an award worth $4,000) and qualify for the
Championship.
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
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