Records Fall As Corrao And Stefan Win Cabela’s North
American Bass Circuit Sturgeon Bay Season Opener
Presented by Ranger Boats
For Immediate Release –
Sturgeon Bay, Wisc.—May 10, 2013—Jason Corrao and Matt Stefan sacked an impressive 27-pound, 15-ounce, 5-smallmouth limit to win top honors at the Cabela’s North American Bass Circuit’s North Region season opener at Lake Michigan’s legendary Sturgeon Bay May 10.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Corrao, of Madison, Wisconsin. The team’s monstrous catch made NABC history, eclipsing the Circuit’s all-time single-day basket record of 23.54 pounds, set by Joshua Douglas and Corey Brant on August 19, 2011 on Lake Minnetonka.
They also broke the NABC’s all-time big-bass record of 6 pounds, 9 ounces, set by Bob Perkins and Justin Ohotto on Bay de Noc on July 30, 2011 with their 6-pound, 15-ounce behemoth bronzeback, which was big fish of the tournament. The tournament itself also made history, as 77 teams competed in the event—breaking the previous NABC benchmark of 52 teams, set September 8, 2012 on Leech Lake.
The victory earned Corrao and Stefan the $15,000 first-place prize purse, plus the $500 Cabela’s Angler Cash contingency. “This is a great way to start the year,” added Stefan, of Park Ridge, Illinois. He explained that their go-to tactic was fishing 3½-inch green tubes on 3/16-ounce jigheads along bottom in depths of three to 18 feet in the shipping canal connecting Sturgeon Bay to Green Bay.
Second-place finishers, Minnesotans Charles Brandt, of Elk River, and Nathan Nipper, of Champlin, weighed 25 pounds, 15 ounces, worth $4,200. In all, the top 20 percent of teams shared more than $30,000 in cash and prizes including a Big Fish Pot and multiple sponsor contingencies.
Sturgeon Bay yielded 277 bass weighing a total of 1,053 pounds, 3 ounces in the Circuit’s catch-and-release format. Fifty-one teams brought limits to the stage despite the morning’s strong winds, and chilly water temperatures hovering in the 40-degree range.
The team-format tournament offered one day of competition on the bay’s world-class smallmouth fishery. The weigh-in was held in Sawyer Park, in the city of Sturgeon Bay. The Cabela’s NABC and National Professional Anglers Association also handed out rods, reels and Future Pro t-shirts to youths in attendance, courtesy of the NPAA.
This was the first of four Cabela’s NABC North Region qualifying tournaments in 2013. The remaining schedule includes Lake Pokegama, Minnesota, June 1; the Mississippi River at La Crosse, Wisconsin, July 20; Leech Lake, Minnesota, out of Horseshoe Bay Lodge, Sept. 20; and the North Region Championship, set for Oct. 11-12 on Wisconsin’s Chippewa Flowage. In addition, the NABC South Region features qualifiers at Lake Hartwell, South Carolina, Sept. 7; and Clark’s Hill Lake, Georgia, November 9. The South Region Championship is set for Lake Lanier, Georgia, Dec. 7-8.
Cabela’s NABC payouts are based on the number of teams entered in each event. Based on a 75-boat field, the payout runs from a cool $15,000 for first place on out to $500 for 15th place, with a total payout of $30,000 in cash and coveted Cabela’s gift cards. Plus, the NABC Big Bass Pot, along with sponsor contingencies including Cabela’s Angler Cash, Ranger Cup and Optima True Blue add thousands in cash and prizes to the total.
Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is entering its third season as title sponsor of the NABC. Other sponsors include: Ranger Boats, Stratos Boats, Mercury Marine, MotorGuide, Optima Batteries, O2 Marine Technologies and Sea Grant.
Based in Ponca City, Oklahoma, the Cabela’s NABC is open to two-person teams regardless of club or sponsor affiliation. Entry fees are $500 per regular season tournament and $600 for each two-day region championship. Payback is 80 percent at the event, with the balance to support the championship and angler of the year prizes. In addition, a small donation is included in each entry fee and matched by NABC and other conservation organizations up to 3-to-1 in support bass conservation projects anywhere NABC does business.
Registration remains open through the Sunday night prior to each tournament or until the field fills. For more information, visit northamericanbasscircuit.com, email info@northamericanbasscircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.
For Full Results CLICK HERE
###
