Professional Muskie Tournament Trail
Published October 13, 2009

Absolutely Priceless!!!

The words that best describe the finish
of the 2009 season for the #1 musky tournament circuit in the country,
PMTT - Ranger Boats World Championship. Gary Lehnherr and his 7 year
old son Carson from McFarland, WI were absolutely dialed in and
completely untouchable during this event. They caught four fish in all
and not only will they carry the coveted title of 2009 PMTT Ranger
Boats World Champions, but they also won a brand new 2010 Ranger Boat
619 Fishermen, Rangertrail Trailer and Mercury powered Opti Max for
first place valued at around $40,000.

The anglers had more to
compete against then each other as Mother Nature also added some tough
conditions. Snow, wind, clouds changing to sunny and lake turn over to
name a few. There were a total 26 muskies caught between 34"- 45.25" in
these ever changing conditions with the water temps in the mid fifties.
To make matters even worse, the winds were blowing out of the northwest
at about 20mph, making the 28 degree morning air temps seem bitter
frigid.

Gary and Carson trolled crank baits and spoon plugs in
their Mercury powered Ranger Boat just off the deep breaklines in the
18 to 22 foot range at about 4mph, while they tried to keep the baits
as close to bottom as possible even making contact with the bottom as
they trolled. When a fish would hit, Carson reeled them in while his
dad Gary handled the net. Keyes Outdoors TV Show captured the winning
fish and all the excitement on film as they hooked up with the final
fish while conducting an interview with them. Absolutely priceless
watching this 7 year old crank in the fish and his dad putting the net
under the $40,000 musky.

The really enjoyable finish at the
awards ceremony was seeing all of the anglers watch as a proud father
shared a great moment in musky fishing history with his son and hearing
the story. This is unbelievable as some of these fish were over 20
pounds. A lot of the anglers in the room had butterflies in their
stomachs seeing this unveil. It was awesome as any parent can relate to
the great bond these two will always share through the great sport of
musky fishing.

Second place went to two well known anglers who
are no strangers to winning. Jason Summers of Lino Lakes MN. and Troy
Bilbrey of Wyoming, MN. caught 3 muskies that were 38.75", 36.75" and
35.25". The two anglers were also the Ranger Cup winners worth
$1,000.00 which is awarded to the top finishing registered Ranger Boat
owner.
The two anglers used crank baits trolling 3-4 miles per hour in close proximity to the bottom.

Third place went to Dewey Stewart of Pawnee, IL. and Forrest Kay of St. Charles, IL.
These
two fishermen used Rapala Xrap crank baits and Jake crank baits that
were chartreuse in color to entice a 35.25" and 43" muskies. The two
also received $500 for the big fish on Sunday.

Fourth Place
winners were Dan Sheehan of Harford, WI and Scott Gindt of Jackson, WI.
These anglers trolled crank baits over deep gravel areas to entice
muskies that were 41.75" and 35" in length. Fifth place went out to
Aaron Templin and Joe Anderson of Bemidji, MN. used cowgirl buck tails
and manta jerk baits on weed flats on break lines. The muskies they
caught and released were 38" and 34".

The prestigious Top Gun
Team of the Year went down to the wire with lead changes the last day
of the trail! This award goes out to the team who is most consistent in
catching fish throughout the trail season. Scott Donovan of Carbondale,
IL and Chris Riebe of Montgomery, IL. is your 2009 Team of the year
edging out Jason Summers and Troy Bilbrey by one point. Third place
went to the father and son team of Ron and Rich Weidner of Spring
Grove, IL.

Tournament Director Tim Widlacki thanked Ranger Boats
for sponsoring the World Championship and for supporting the entire
2009 PMTT trail. In addition Musky Hunter Magazine, Mercury Marine,
Keyes Outdoors Television, Eagle River Area Chamber of Commerce, Rollie
& Helens Musky Shop, Musky Mayhem Tackle, Howard Johnson Hotels,
Crash's Landing, Chaos Tackle, Morehead Kentucky Tourism Commission and
all the associate and contributing sponsors. Please let these fine
folks know that you appreciate their promotional efforts in support of
freshwaters most challenging fish ... and those extreme anglers who chase
her on the first, best and only truly National Professional Musky
Circuit ... the PMTT!

To obtain more information on becoming a
member of the 2010 PMTT, or to view event photo album, please visit
them on the Web @ www.promusky.com or call PMTT office @: 815-478-4351


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