Winterfeldt, Herd, Neumann, Greengo, Servin and Grochow named to future tournament planning and advisory posts

Walleye Classics Tournament Director, Corey Bohn, is pleased to announce the formation of the Walleye Classic Tournament Series Advisory Committee, which will serve as a tournament planning and advisory board representing the Walleye Classic Tournament Series teams and anglers.

"With the growth of the Spring and Fall Walleye Classics tournaments and the addition of the Buffalo Ridge Resort Fins & Feathers Outdoor Challenge as the year-end marquee event for the Walleye Classics tournament series, I felt it was important that the teams and anglers have representation in the planning process, as we look forward to the expected and continued growth of the tournaments and the Fins & Feathers Outdoor Challenge," said Bohn.

Bryan Winterfeldt, Darrin Herd, Kenny Neumann, Jack Greengo, Tim Servin and Dean Grochow were appointed to the advisory committee by Bohn. "This group of anglers has fished every Walleye Classic tournament to date," said Bohn, "and have been very supportive of the Walleye Classic tournaments since the beginning. Four of the six committee members are past Walleye Classic champions, while the group as a whole has a lot of experience fishing team tournaments throughout the upper-midwest."

"As I look to the future and continued growth of the Walleye Classic tournaments, their input and opinions will be sought on behalf of the teams and anglers fishing the Walleye Classic tournaments," said Bohn. Topics discussed late this past fall and acted upon included dates for the 2010 Lake Minnewaska Fall Walleye Classic, and upon a unanimous recommendation of the advisory committee, the dates were set for Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 11-12. "There was some discussion on moving the dates back a week or two, but we found that it would raise potential conflicts with other tournament and circuit championships that a fair number of our teams fish in addition to the walleye classics," said Bohn.

In further action, the advisory committee recommended raising the entry fees $50 per tournament in 2010 with 100% of the increase in entry fees applied to the payout purse for the year-end qualifying event, the Buffalo Ridge Resort Fins and Feathers Outdoor Challenge in Gary, SD (set for Oct. 16-17, 2010). "We discussed two options," said Bohn. "We looked at raising the entry fees either $50 per tournament or $100 per tournament in 2010, and upon the unanimous recommendation of the advisory committee the decision was made to raise the entry fees $50 per tournament so that the Fins and Feathers Outdoor Challenge could be a no-entry event for the teams that qualify, and to provide for a considerable payout purse."

As noted by Bohn, the top 20% who fish both tournaments in 2010 will be eligible to qualify for the year-end Buffalo Ridge Resort Fins & Feathers Outdoor Challenge. Teams must sign up initially to fish both tournaments to be eligible. Teams will be awarded points for the place they finish at the Spring and Fall Walleye Classics, and top 20% with the lowest point total advance to the year-end, no-entry fee Fins and Feathers Outdoor Challenge.

Teams that qualify for the Fins and Feathers Outdoor Challenge will participate in a Day 1 competitive pheasant hunt at Dakota Ridge Hunting
(Feathers Challenge), followed by 6 hours of walleye fishing on Day 2 (Fins Challenge). Team and individual points will be tabulated both days and the top 3 teams with the highest point total will be awarded the cash payouts, with the overall individual winner receiving a prize payout.

Complete details on the Buffalo Ridge Resort Fins and Feathers Outdoor Challenge can be found by scrolling down the page on this website. Video highlights of the 2009 Fins and Feathers Outdoor Challenge (featuring the top 3 Walleye Classic teams from 2009) can also be viewed. A minimum of 10 teams will qualify in 2010 with up to 15 teams possible, based on the total number of teams that fish both Walleye Classics in 2010. If 60 teams fish both tournaments, 12 will qualify and if 75 teams fish both tournaments, 15 will qualify.