LIJEWSKI AND SCHROEDER WIN AT OKAUCHEE

Photo Album ( Not All Photos Available )

A cold front moved in the night before the Wisconsin Muskie Tour’s qualifying event on Lake Okauchee, held on May 21st, threatening to shut down the muskie fishing. However, five teams out of a full field of anglers, managed to make contact with six muskies that made for a dramatic ending for the tourney.

The cold front had reduced the activity level of the muskies and it took over two hours after the ease-out for the first muskie to be tallied. At 8:06am, Chad Slama and Ryan Fiebig grabbed the early lead with an impressive 42 inch muskie, caught on the weed flats on a Giant Jackpot. Surprisingly, Slama and Fiebig’s 42 incher would hold on to the lead until there was only 33 minutes left in the competition. That’s when Mark Lijewski and Clay Schroeder scored on their second muskie of the event, a 47 incher at 3:27pm, to go along with their first muskie of 39 ¾ inches caught at 11:11am, earning them a $10,000.00 first place check. Mark and Clay would watch their fish along the weed lines where bait fish were present.

At 10:56am, Tyler Titus and Steve Lighthart would tally a 35 ¾ inch muskie that would land the team a fifth place finish. Not a stranger to catching big fish on Okauchee when he scored on a 51 ¼ inch lunker on the tour in 2005, Joe Perry and his partner Scott Kuharske (who caught the 2006 muskie) registered a 39 inch beauty at 2:48pm. At 3:12pm, two time WMT winners Joey Rozanski and Chris Draeger would score on a 39 ¼ inch muskie.

The WMT’s Lake Okauchee tournament paid down five places:

1st place: Mark Lijewski and Clay Schroeder, both of Hazelhurst
2nd place: Chad Slama, Janesville and Ryan Fiebig, Orfordville
3rd place: Chris Draeger and Joey Rozanski, both of Wauwautosa
4th place: Scott Kuharske, Milwaukee, Joe Perry, Oregon, OH
5th place: Tyler Titus, Baraboo and Steve Lighthart, Richfield

Sponsors of the Lake Okauchee tournament are: Heckel’s Marina, Ranger Boats, Minn Kota, MidWest Outdoors, Fittante Taxidermy, G Loomis, Smokey’s Muskellunge Shop and Rollie and Helen’s Musky Shop.