Parsons Wins First Walleye Fishing Tournament with Father Watching
gengberg August 28th, 2011
Parsons Wins First Walleye Fishing Tournament with Father Watching
8/27/2011 10:55:42 PM
Young Chase Parsons wins his first major walleye tournament on Lake Oahe with father Gary in the field Pro Chase Parsons of Brillion, Wis., and co-angler Christopher Hanson of New Hope, Minn., caught five walleyes weighing 18 pounds, 5 ounces to win the National Guard FLW Walleye Tour 
tournament on Lake Oahe. Parsons had a three-day catch of 15 walleyes weighing 53-2. He won by 3-pounds,14-ounces over his closest competitor in an event featuring anglers from 18 states and Canada. Parsons took home $52,000 for his efforts.“Aside from the birth of my son and my wedding day this is the greatest day of my life,” said Parsons, who won his first ever major walleye tournament. “I’ve been close a lot of times, including on this body of water. I have a bunch of seconds, a bunch of thirds and a ton of fifths - fifth is my number. And to have Keith (Kavajecz, Parsons uncle) come in second and Kemos third is just so special. The only thing I would have wished for is that dad (Gary Parsons) would have had better luck getting his fish in the right order the first two days, but he didn’t and that is probably what cost him standing on the stage with me today.”
“I know a lot of guys were trolling tree lines. I was pulling spinners through the trees. I lost a lot of bait and about a dozen fish over the course of the tournament, but man were the fish biting,” Parsons went on to say. “I only fished a total of nine hours over the three days, I was done by 11:30 each day.“The early bite was on fire for me. I caught all of my overs within a half hour of hitting my spot. I was fishing Peoria Flats. Today in one pass we got a 19-inch, 19 ½-inch, and then a 19 7/8-inch all in a half hour! You can’t ask for anything better than that.“I have had an incredible year and I hope that in 20 years my son (who is 10 weeks old) will be in this exact spot I am in and I will be where my dad is.”Fishing in another tournament in two weeks Parsons was still hesitant to reveal too much of how he was trolling spinners through the trees. He did say that it will revolutionize the walleye world. He indicated that he was fishing in several depths; 32 to 35 feet for the overs and about 18 feet for the slots.Rounding out the top 10 pros are:
2nd: Keith Kavajecz, Kaukauna, Wis., 15 walleyes, 54-2, $15,000
3rd: Tom Kemos, Oconomowoc, Wis., 15 walleyes, 54-0, $10,000 plus $1,000 bonus
4th: Tommy Skarlis, Waukon, Iowa, 15 walleyes, 52-3, $8,000 plus $3,500
5th: Tom Keenan, Hatley, Wis., 15 walleyes, 49-8, $7,000 plus $2,500
6th: Walmart pro Dean Arnoldussen, Appleton, Wis., 15 walleyes, 48-8, $6,000 plus $2,500 bonus
7th: Darrell Peters, Slayton, Minn., 13 walleyes, 47-12, $5,000
8th: Joe McCartin, Land O Lakes, Wis., 14 walleyes, 46-2, $4,000 plus $2,500 bonus
9th: Lynn Jurrens, Watertown, S.D., 14 walleyes, 43-4, $3,500 plus $1,000 bonus
10th: Pete Harsh, Sauk Centre, Minn., 15 walleyes, 41-2, $3,000 plus $2,500 bonus
A complete list of results can be found at FLWOutdoors.comChristopher Hanson of New Hope, Minn., earned the victory in the Co-angler Division and took home $6,000. Continue Reading »
