Benson, Sandbek win Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League event on Cass Lake

Boater Chad Benson (left) of Bemidji, Minn., and co-angler Marv Sandbek of Menahga, Minn., combined for a total of five walleyes weighing 13 pounds, 7 ounces to claim victory at the FLW Walleye League Minnesota Division tournament held June 25 on Cass Lake. Anglers: Chad Benson, Marv Sandbek.

June 25, 2005 • MLF • Archives

CASS LAKE, Minn. – Boater Chad Benson of Bemidji, and co-angler Marv Sandbek of Menahga, combined for a total of five walleyes weighing 13 pounds, 7 ounces to claim victory at the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League Minnesota Division tournament held Saturday on Cass Lake/Break on the Lake. Benson claimed $1,925 for the win, with Sandbek earning $963.

Benson and Sandbek worked Lindy Rigs with red hooks over deep weedlines to catch their walleyes. Their bigger walleyes came out of 35 feet of water while the rest of their limit came from 13 to 15 feet of water.

Finishing second were Cary Andersen of Faribault ($990) and Scott Geach of Hanover ($495) with five walleyes weighing 12 pounds, 13 ounces. Jack Shriver of Walker ($825) and Dennis Springer of Luck, Wis. ($413) caught four walleyes weighing 12 pounds, 10 ounces to finish third. Geoff Bradt of Osceola, Wis. ($715 plus $250 bonus) and Mike Jungwirth of Arcadia, Wis. ($357 plus $125 bonus) claimed fourth place with five walleyes that weighed 12 pounds, 3 ounces. Finishing fifth were Alan Sholts of Alexandria ($495 plus $200 bonus) and Heidi Schroeder of Norwood ($247) thanks to a five-walleye catch that weighed 12 pounds, 2 ounces.

The Minnesota Division’s next event will be the Super Tournament July 30-31 on Lake Bemidji presented by Evinrude. Boaters and co-anglers who finish in the top 35 in final points standings in each FLW Walleye League division will advance to the no-entry-fee $115,000 Wal-Mart FLW League Finals Sept. 8-10 on the Mississippi River in Winona, Minn. The winning boater at the finals will receive an Evinrude-or Yamaha-powered Ranger 621 boat. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points awarded to the winner, 199 points for second, and so on, except for Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 298 to second, and so on.

FLW Walleye League boaters and co-anglers fish together for a combined boat weight, with boaters competing against other boaters and co-anglers fishing against other co-anglers. The Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League meets the needs of America’s fishing masses by providing professionally administered, close-to-home, affordable events with lucrative cash purses.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

For more information on FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, browse this Web site or call (270) 252-1000.

Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1997 and today is the title sponsor of all FLW Outdoors events. For more information on Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.