OSD Guide Outfitter Ryan Buddie Wins Team of the Year in the Cabela's Master Walleye Circuit

2010 MWC's Overall Team of the Year-left to right: Ryan Buddie and Mike Knippenberg

The overall Team of the Year for the entire MWC’s three divisions, which can only be won by fishing one three event division along with a challenge event from another division, is the Ohio team of Mike Knippenberg of Hiram, OH and Ryan Buddie of Lakewood, OH. Mike and Ryan fished the Eastern Division and also competed in the Central Division’s event at Escanaba last weekend.

When asked how it felt to win the title Mike said, “I'm excited! Really excited! It has not sunk in yet and I don't know if it will! I'm on cloud nine! It was a dream season for sure. It was a great season fishing the MWC with Ryan. I had a lot of fun! I learned a lot this year fishing the different bodies of water. The level of competition in the MWC is amazing! It is a great circuit and I can't wait until next year to do it again.

I’d just like to thank my “team” for their hard work and the fun we had. Thanks to Ranger Boats and Lowrance for the dependable equipment that they produce, and a BIG thanks to my great Sponsors, Vics Sport Center, Erie outfitters, Wolverine Tackle, Silverstreak, ReefRunner Lures, The Boat Dock, and Cisco Fishing Systems.

Ryan was also very excited about this win, and had this to add, “Going into my first season fishing in a professional level circuit, I really didn't know what to expect. To compete against some of the best walleye sticks in the world and come out on top is beyond my wildest dreams.

Although I've only technically been 'tournament fishing' for a few years, I came to realize this year that I have been tournament 'style' fishing for all 27 years of my life. The 14 hour days on the water, late nights prepping gear, constant networking, eating out of a gas stations, energy drinks, focus, and straight up hard work is nothing new to us. I think that is the reason we are sitting in the position we are in right now. I am a believer that luck is when preparation meets opportunity, and we got lucky.

I am so thankful for all that have helped me in my fishing career including my family, friends, and teammates, who in my eyes are the hardest working and most honest guys in the circuit.

To add some gravy to this whole situation, here's a little story for you. I was planning on fishing the championship of the LEWT the weekend the MWC went to Escanaba, but after finishing so well in Saginaw, and having a chance to win the TOY title, Mike and I knew we had to go to Escanaba. My partner for the LEWT, Jason Kopf, was one spot from making the cut for the MWC championship next year. If we won the MWC TOY, they'll pull us from the east for the championship, and then he would move up a spot and that would get him in. We did that to get Jason in next year, and he got a sub for me in the LEWT, won the tournament, and won us the LEWT team of the year title. Long story short, I ended up winning 2 Team of the Year titles in one weekend, and we got Jason into the MWC championship next year! Life is good!”

The MWC’s Championship field from 2009 will be fishing the Mississippi River (Pools 9 and 10) out of Prairie Du Chein, WI October 13-16th, 2010. For more information on this event or any MWC events to come, please visit the Masters Walleye Circuit’s site at www.masterswalleyecircuit.com.
As for Walleye Central, please join us next week as we travel northeast to Leech Lake in Walker, MN for the FLW Walleye Tour Championship September 22-25th, 2010. Due to the weigh in location and non-access to an internet line there, we will not be streaming the championship live during the weigh in. We will however, bring you continued coverage with articles and photos and up to the minute results beginning Wednesday, September 22, 2010.

Hope to see you all there!

Guide's With Experience

Montana marvels

Glacier country lures lovers of the outdoors with a raft of adventures

BY PAUL SCHULTZ new york daily news

Sunday, July 22nd 2007, 4:00 AM

Whitefish is a shopping mecca and home to a ski resort.

A flyfisherman tries to fool a trout on the Bitterroot River.

"Jammer" buses are a good way to check out the scenery along the 52-mile Going-to-the-Sun road.

St. Mary Lake in Glacier National Park.

Whitewater rafting on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River.

One of the best things about ice ages is that, besides getting rid of pesky dinosaurs, they feature a lot of glacier action.

Glaciers, of course, being those huge rivers of ice that carve valleys like a Ginsu through butter, and make for a lot of rugged and beautiful scenery.

The last slashing ice rivers melted about 10,000 years ago, leaving behind the peaks, ridges, valleys and sparkling lakes of Glacier Country in northwest Montana.

To reach Glacier Country, you fly into either Missoula or Kalispell. If you choose the former, you're at the north end of the Bitterroot Valley, an incredible swath of relative flatland flanking the Bitterroot River. Lewis and Clark, America's most intrepid explorers, journeyed here on their way to the Pacific in 1805.

The valley lies north and south, along Route 93, with the Sapphire Mountains rising on the east and the more rugged Bitterroot Range (part of the Rockies) on the west. Grassy canyons run up between the Bitterroot peaks with creeks and hiking trails offering inviting daytrips. If you're energetic enough to hike up one of the trails, chances are you'll be rewarded with your own private Montana - a gorgeous alpine lake with no one around.

Though the Bitterroot Valley is a little less known than other parts of Glacier Country, such as Flathead Lake and Glacier National Park, it has its own attractions.

Foremost is fishing. You can catch trout any number of ways - just wade into almost any creek or river and drop the right fly on top of the water.

But the ultimate fishing experience is a raft trip on the Bitterroot River. Hook up with an experienced guide, like Owen Murphy of Blackfoot River Outfitters, and you'll soon be reeling them in.

Murphy gave my 11-year-old son and me a quick tutorial on casting and soon put us alongside feeding trout - which both of us fly-fishing novices somehow managed to catch. You can float down the main branch of the river or its east or west forks.

However you do it, you're right on top of cutthroat, brown and rainbow trout and their big buddy, the whitefish. There are quite a few reasons Montana is known for fly-fishing - and the Bitterroot is one of them.

HEAD OFF-ROAD FOR ADVENTURE

For land-based thrills and amazing vistas, an ATV ride is the way to go. Book some time with someone like Brent Nelson of Bitterroot Adventures - he'll take you up into the old logging roads and trails in the mountains, where you'll have a hard time keeping your eyes on the path in front of you. That's because of distractions like panoramic views of the valley, towering ponderosa pine, soaring eagles and the odd elk or wild turkey moseying about.

Bonneville Dam Portland, Oregon Steelhead-Salmon Run the Ladder

I recently took a trip out west to get in touch with some old college buddies. I found myself visiting Hood River, Oregon, where I was told numerous times that as a visiting fisherman I must check out the running Steelhead and Salmon Ladder at the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. There were multiple viewing areas which allowed visitors to watch as these fish made their way up the ladde. Above is a video from one of these viewing windows.

A view from atop the ladder

A view looking up the ladder