The Wisconsin Muskie Tour's (WMT) season ending Invitational Championship concluded September 29th and 30th on the Sugar Camp Chain in Eagle River. Thirty three muskies were registered for the event, setting a new record for the Invitational Championship, eclipsing the old record set the previous year on the Eagle River Chain.

The top sixty six teams of the 2007 season qualified to compete at the WMT's Invitational. With big dollars at stake and bragging rights on the line, the feeling in the air was electric for the anglers during the Championship weekend. For the team of Neil Barnett and Bill Hill however, over a quarter of a million dollars was available to them if they would win the event. By winning a one-day event and a Major Open Championship earlier in the regular season of the WMT, Barnett and Hill were eligible to win the "Muskie Grand Slam" bonus, the "Muskie Triple Crown" bonus and other cash and prizes worth over $250,000.00. It would turn out that Barnett and Hill would come very close to winning the biggest prize in muskie fishing history, but they would come up one fish shy. The team would score on two muskies on Sunday, but loose a very nice third fish on Saturday that might have changed the outcome of the event.

What did win the contest was a decision by Dan Sheehan and Scott Gindt to spend thirty minutes, or more, to travel from each day's ease-out location at Pitlik's Sand Beach Resort on Sand Lake, to the top of the Sugar Camp Chain and concentrate their efforts on Chain Lake. All three of Sheehan and Gindt's muskies would come from Chain Lake, fishing a soft plastic lure, the Bull Dawg, next to the shore in just inches of water. The team had discovered their winning pattern while pre-fishing, and by the large amount of muskies that they had spotted prior to the event, gave the duo confidence the pattern would hold up for the tournament.

The WMT 2007 Invitational Championship paid down ten places:
1st - Scott Gindt/Dan Sheehan - 371/4", 37 3/4", 41 3/4"
2nd - Andy Mann/Kraig Kolka - 44", 36"
3rd - Mike Bruggink/Bryan Schaeffer - 43 1/4", 36"
4th - Tom Wilson/Jim Komar - 40 1/2", 37 1/4"
5th - Neil Barnett/Bill Hill - 37 3/4", 40"
6th - Ryan Fiebig/Chad Slama - 36 1/2", 39 1/2"
7th - Greg Stezinski/Matt Haut - 38", 34 1/4"
8th - Larry Mengsol/Will Wiese - 47 3/4"
9th - Marcus Malyuk/Roy Sclais - 46 1/2"
10th - Tony Piantek/Dan Buss - 44"

The winners of the 2007 Heckel's Cup, for the highest finishing Heckel's boat owner at the WMT's Invitational Championship, was Andy Mann and Kraig Kolka, when they took second place with 80 points.

At the conclusion of the WMT's 2007 season, many awards were handed out to the teams who finished on top for the year. Neil Barnett and Bill Hill won the Tommy Docks "Muskie Trifecta" and took home $6,100.00. Also, Barnett and Hill would capture the $5,000.00 check for winning the Lapp Trophy (the team of the year) by accumulating 498.50 points.

Winning the Frabill Big Kahuna "Hunter Trophy" award was Tony Piantek and Dan Buss for the largest muskie of 2007, with their 49 1/2" muskie that they caught at Lake Okauchee, with second place going to Larry Mengsol and Will Wiese scoring a 47 3/4" muskie, and third place going to Greg and Rick Stezinski tallying a 47 1/2 incher. Also, Piantek and Buss received a certificate for a free graphite reproduction of their 49 1/2" muskie from Fittante Taxidermy in Antigo.

Sponsors of the WMT's 2007 Invitational Championship were Heckel's Marina, G.Loomis, Frabill, Tommy Docks, Fittante Taxidermy, Rollie & Helen's Musky Shop, Smokey's Musky Shop, Badger Sportsman Magazine, and Pitlik's Sand Beach Resort.