Chris Gasser - 3/31/2005

Fond Du Lac, WI - The World Walleye Association starts it 2005 season with two back-to-back one-day events on the Mississippi River out of Red Wing Minnesota April 2nd and 3rd.

Steve Poll, Executive Director of the WWA had this to say about the opening events. "The tournaments at Red Wing have been some of our most popular events in years past and for good reason. The fishing is exceptional with a good chance at some really big fish. I have been getting reports from guys on the river that fish in the 10lb. plus category are being caught this past week. If the weather cooperates we should have a great opening weekend in the WWA."

The first event on Saturday, April 2nd is an "Open" event in which WWA anglers from any division may fish the event to gain valuable points toward qualifying for the WWA National Championship to be held in the spring of 2006.

The second qualifier on Sunday, April 3rd is the first of four one-day qualifying events in the Minnesota division.

The Open event on Saturday, April 2nd will launch out of Baypoint Park. Sign in will begin at 5:30 A.M. with a brief rules meeting at 6:30 A.M. at the park.

The Minnesota division qualifier Sunday, April 3rd will also be out of Baypoint Park. Sign in and rules meeting will be held on Saturday April 2nd at Baypoint Park. The sign in will begin at 5:00P.M.with the rules meeting at 6:00 P.M.

Entry fee for one-day qualifying and Open events is $210 before the Priority Deadline and $250 after the Priority Deadline.

But there will be NO Priority Deadline for these tournaments or any of the tournaments scheduled in April. This is to give WWA anglers a chance to get accustomed to the new Priority Deadline format.

No entries will be accepted after 10:00P.M.the Friday preceding each event.

Boundaries for both tournaments will be all of pool 4, railroad tracks to railroad tracks and from dam to dam.

Each tournament has a 100-boat limit and tournament hours are from 7:00 A.M. until 3:30 P.M.

A reminder of the new rule this year that at least one member of each team must attend the rules meeting.

The 2005 season will see a change in the format of the WWA in how teams register for tournaments and how teams qualify for the National Championship.

Teams earn points based on position of finish in each of four qualifying events in each division (state). Teams may also earn points by fishing "Open" events. Open events are open to teams in any division and there is no limit to the number of Open events a team may fish.

Teams that pre-register for all four events in a given division will receive $40 off their total fee and will receive 200 valuable bonus points.

Teams that sign up for at least two events in a given division will be eligible to enter the two-day Regional Championship for their region.

The top twenty teams from each region based on their four best one-day qualifying and Open event point totals plus their total points from the Regional Championship and also any bonus points earned will be invited to the WWA National Championship.

The top five teams based on position of finish at each of the two Regional Championships will also qualify for the National Championship regardless of total points.

In addition to the qualifying changes, new this year is a Priority Deadline for each of the one-day qualifying and Open events.

Entry fee for one-day qualifying and Open events is $210 before the Priority Deadline and $250 after the Priority Deadline. No entries will be accepted after 10:00P.M.the Friday preceding each event.

Also new this year is mandatory rules meetings before each event. At least one team member must be present at the rules meetings before the tournament.

"We are very excited about our new format here at the WWA" Said Steve Poll, Executive Director of the WWA. "Qualifying for our National Championship will take dedication and a commitment from the teams trying to get in. When the winner is finally crowned WWA National Champion next year, they will know that they have really accomplished a feat to be proud of."

The WWA is a friendly, fun, and affordable way to participate in the competitive world of walleye fishing. Extensive media coverage of tournament results can be found on numerous websites along with coverage in the Badger Sportsman Magazine, the official publication of the WWA. Subscriptions to the Badger Sportsmen are included when anglers become members of the WWA.

These are just some of the reasons anglers choose to fish the WWA, a tournament circuit for fisherman, run by fisherman.

The World Walleye Association is sponsored by Yarcraft Boats and Outdoors First Media.

For information on entering this tournament, tournament details, or complete information on the World Walleye Association Team Challenge Circuits, please visit the WWA website at www.worldwalleye.com or by calling 920-651-1066

WWA MN Qualifier - Mississippi River Pool 4 Results