--Cousins,
father and son teams finish in top positions in 24th Annual catch and
release event Fond du Lac, WI --- In keeping with the family festival
theme of the 1999 Mercury National Walleye Tournament on Lake Winnebago,
the only team of cousins bested 598 other anglers in the final day on
Sunday, including a father and son combo finishing just 4/100 of a pound
behind.
Rick Cavanaugh, Oshkosh, Wisc., and his Franklin Park, Ill., cousin Jim
Cavanaugh took home the $13,000 top prize to split after winning with a
two-day total of 23.96 lbs. of walleye. The Cavanaugh?s were in fourth
place on Saturday with a limit of six fish but brought just three to the
scales on Sunday.
"With our catch today we knew we?d get a check for our
efforts" but not this check," Jim said proudly. "We were
shocked to find out just how little weight we just managed to win
by,"responded Rick looking at the scoreboard of teams. Both said they
fished the upper lakes region of Winnebago where many of the 300 teams
said they competed.
In second place with 23.92 lbs. were the father and son team of James
O?Brien Sr. and Jr. both of Waukesha, Wisc. Their winnings were $7,500.
Finishing third were Kyle Harmsen and teammate Joe Durant, both of
Waupun, Wisc., at 23.68 lbs. good for a $5,500 prize, followed by Quin J.
Papp, West Allis, Wisc., and Barry Wanasek, Waterford, Wisc., at 23.60
lbs. which netted them $3,500. Fifth place was captured by Mark Presta,
Racine, Wisc., and John Kennedy, Waterford, Wisc., with a catch of 23.12
lbs. to pay $2,500. The weight difference over the top five places was
just .84 lbs.
Appleton, Wisc. teammates Joe Cartwright and Art Walters, who had the
lead with a limit of fish in Saturday?s first round, fell to 19th place
after the pair came in early when Walters suffered a hook in his hand with
just an hour to go. They boated only two fish to finish at 19.79 lbs.
winning $1,100.
Lonny Ziemer, Kaukauna, Wisc. and Lance Ziemer, Fond du Lac, brought in
the biggest fish of the day, a 7.06 pounder, winning a 9.9 hp 4-stroke
Mercury Outboard. They finished 35th overall and $500 in prize money.
The 300 hundred teams representing six states competed for a total of
$85,000 in cash and prizes. Payouts went to 75th place. The
tournament is the most prestigious single walleye event in the nation and
is part of an annual community festival in Fond du Lac.
Forty teams brought a limit of fish to the scales Sunday compared with
56 teams on Saturday.
Of the 679 second day total of fish weighed, 74% were released alive.
Fish deemed by officials of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
to have a high survivability rate were returned to the water while dead
fish and those not released were filleted and donated to local charitable
organizations that provide meals for their residents.
Kendall Kamke, Sr. Fisheries Biologist for the Wisc. Department of
Natural Resources, reported a total 1062.62 lbs. of fish were weighed.
Kamke credited a higher release rate than that of Saturday?s 60% to rain
and slightly colder weather on Sunday which cooled the waters.
Also credited with helping the fish release rate were more than 20
volunteers from the Lighthouse Anglers of Fond du Lac who assisted with an
"assembly line" staging of oxygen fed tanks leading to the weigh
stand plus
