hartwig and St. Clair Win at Winneconne!
Winneconne August 26, 2006, by Chris Jones

  Abts & Revolinski Claim Division Points Championship

Despite what most anglers consider to be one of the toughest times to fish a tournament on the Winnebago system, half of the 24 boat field brought limits to the scale for the final tournament of the season held in Winneconne, August 26^th.   6:00 AM brought patchy fog which delayed take off for a few minutes but then cleared by mid-morning, leaving the rest of the day with relatively cool, overcast conditions. 

Heading into the tournament, most anglers were in agreement that it would take 12 to 14 pounds to secure a victory, although where those limits would come from would remain to be seen. The Wolf River , known historically for producing big bags of fish, had been “off” this season with the lower pool lakes, including Lake Winnebago , beginning to produce more consistent limits of fish and playing a factor in the outcome of several recent tournaments. On this day Winnebago would be King, as smallmouth bass dominated the top two spots. 

Capturing first place with a dandy limit of Smallmouth bass were 2005 point champs Rick Hartwig of Waupun and Jeff St. Clair of Neenah . Their five fish limit which settled on the FOM scale at 14.33 pounds was anchored by a chunky 3.54 pounder which won the MG Lures Big Bass Award for the tournament. Rick and Jeff caught their fish on Carolina rigged lizards and crankbaits on Lake Winnebago . This was the first win of the season for the defending champs, and it pulled them into 3^rd place for the final season standings. “After a long season it was nice to win one and get back up on stage during the awards ceremony.” Hartwig replied.

Finishing in second place also with a solid limit of Lake Winnebago smallies were Neenah’s Chris Wenzel and Fond du Lac’s Jeff Miller, who brought 12.75 pounds to the scale. The pair was able to secure the second big bass award for the tournament with a 3.12 pound smallie which was caught dragging a tube. “Since Jeff’s partner couldn’t fish the event and I don’t qualify as a legal sub for him under the FOM rules, we decided just to fish it as if it were an open,” commented Wenzel. 

Finishing in third place with a solid limit of Largemouth were Mark Schonscheck of Omro and Jeff Kowalik of Sugar Grove , Illinois who weighed in with 11.61 pounds. Both Mark and Jeff were fishing in their first FOM event! Congratulations guys! 

In fourth place was the father son team of Art and Joe Sukowatey who weighed in with 11.42 pounds. The local favorites who reside in Winneconne most of the summer months are just one of several father-son teams fishing the WI East Division this season. Rounding out the top five were brothers Dave and Jeff DeLeeuw, who weighed in with 11.16 pounds.  Although the two were the first to finish out of the money they along with the 6^th and 7^th placing teams were awarded $20.00 gift certificates from MG Lures, proud sponsor of the WI East division. A huge crowd estimated at more than 150 people showed up to watch the weigh in, and they cheered mightily as the plaques and over $3,500 in cash and prizes were awarded.

One of the highlights of the awards ceremony was when the 2006 WI East Point Champions were announced. Going into the tournament Jim Abts of Fountain City and Kevin Revolinski of Oshkosh had a solid lead in the points, but several teams were within striking distance. Lurking in the rear view mirror were Rich Rhein of Bj Mortgage (a new sponsor for the 2007 season) and partner Dave Deprey who had quietly crept up the leader board throughout the season. But when Abts and Revolinski weighed in with three fish all that Rhein and Deprey could do was say congratulations and secure the runner up spot in the division standings. Abts and Revolinski’s title secures them an automatic bid in the 2007 FOM National Championship May 7-12 on Lake Murray along with point champions plaques, jackets and the season ending championship money pot worth $760.00. When asked about their phenomenal year, Revolinski said it best when he replied, “A lot has to go right to win the season standings in this division.  There’s just too many good teams fishing. To say that it was all luck and not acknowledge that there’s a higher purpose going on here would be a mistake. That’s what Fishers of Men is all about. We just hope to be as humble about it and to represent everyone at the national tournament as well as Hartwig and St. Clair did last year.” Congratulations on a fantastic season guys!

Next up for the Wisconsin East Division is the Fishers of Men Midwest Regional Championship, September 20^th thru 23^rd on the Detroit River . Qualifying anglers have until September 5th to pay their entry fee. There, the top seven finishers along with the highest placing team from the Wisconsin East Division will join Abts and Revolinski at the 2007 FOM National Championship in May.

With its second season in the books, Division Director Chris Jones took a moment to reflect on the year. “Anglers throughout Wisconsin and Illinois are finding out about FOM and making the decision to fish. We had a total of 57 different teams compete this season, and we averaged 30.5 boats per tournament, up from 22 during our first season. I believe that anglers are starting to realize that Fishers of Men is a top notch tournament on Saturday, with an equally rewarding experience Friday night at the pre-tournament meeting. With fantastic food, great door prizes and an inspirational speaker, the message of Fishers of Men is starting to spread. I also think that anglers are beginning to see we’re clearly not just a bass fishing tournament trail. Our passion for sharing our faith through the sport of bass fishing is our number one priority, and I’m confident that God is using Fishers of Men to change people’s lives! Look for the 2007 Wisconsin East Division schedule in late October.”

The Wisconsin East division would like to thank Custom Interiors & Canvas, MG Lures, Steve’s Marine Service, Customized Solutions, Stump Bumper Jigs, Kipawa propellors, WT Financial Services, Bj Mortgage company, Calvary Bible Church, Monroe Bible Church, Oshkosh Community Church, Straight Shooters Christian Sportsmen, the Fox Valley F.O.C.A.S. chapter, Bob Lloyd and Joe Stiehl for their support this season. A special thank you goes to Kim Johnston for taking the fantastic photographs of our tournaments. Fishers of Men would also like to take this opportunity to thank all our fine National Sponsors. Without them this would not be possible. Triton Boats, Mercury, Strike King Lure Co., Kistler Custom Fishing Rods, Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits, Marshall’s Marine Lake City SC, Solar Bat, Spike-It Bait Co., V&M Bait Co., Castrol, KEELSHIELD, MotorGuide, Lowrance, All-Terrain Tackle, Stanley Jigs, XTools, Dual Pro Charger, Spot Remover by Buckeye Lures, Hot Rods Marine Care Products, Deka Marine Master Batteries, Jacobs Glass, BassRx, and Keep Alive Oxygen Infusor, The Original Fish Formula.

 PLEASE VISIT WI EAST FISHERS OF MEN FOR COMPLETE RESULTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS