With a solid day on the Wolf River, In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail pro Ken Van Oss, captured the lead of the Mercury Pro-Am. The Chilton, Wisconsin angler landed a 5-walleye limit of 11.30 pounds, and showed his skills to a large crowd at Waterfront Park in Winneconne.

Van Oss fished a special jigging technique that he said he would reveal Friday afternoon during the final weigh-in. PWT pros cross the stage beginning at 3:15 p.m. Thursday and Friday. They come to the scales with their amateur partners who learn from three different pros at each tournament.

This is the first tournament of the Regional Series presented by Motor Guide. Holding second is Merrill, Wisconsin pro Tom Gatzke with 8.93 pounds. In third is pro Tom Kemos, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, with 8.49 pounds. Two Oshkosh, Wisconsin anglers scored fourth and fifth. Ryan Standke is in fourth with 8.15 pounds and Greg Golliher is fifth with 6.88 pounds.

The PWT Outdoors Festival running in conjunction with the Mercury Pro-Am offers the fun-to-watch Dock Dogs, air-rifle shooting for youngsters, a rock-climbing wall and a catfish tank. These activities are free of charge and families are invited to participate. They open at 11 a.m. daily at Waterfront Park.

The Coleman big fish of the tournament, through day one, weighed 5.99 pounds for pro Brad Davis, Jackson, Wisconsin and Jeff Roberts, New London, Wisconsin. Even though the top five pros are Wisconsin anglers, fishermen from 18 states and Canada participated.

The Regional series moves to Devils Lake, ND in May, followed by Mobridge, SD in July and Escanaba, Michigan in August. The PWT also conducts a Super Pro series of four tournaments. Some amateur openings exist in a few events. Contact the PWT at their website: www.professionalwalleyetrail.com. A Mercury Real-Time Scoreboard runs during weigh-ins and posts results immediately as anglers weigh their catches.

Wisconsin DNR biologist Kendall Kamke said, “This catch doesn't represent the system, because the weather and water-flow did something to the fish that doesn't normally occur. This should be the hot-bite for Winneconne.”

The PWT is an integral element of the In-Fisherman Communications Network headquartered in Brainerd, Minnesota, and PRIMEDIA, America's leading producer of targeted media. PWT promotional partners include: Mercury Marine, Lund, The Outdoor Channel, Berkley, Optima Batteries, Realtree, MotorGuide, Lowrance, MinnKota, Trilene, Frenzy, Blue Fox, Powerbait, Johnsonville Brats, Northland Fishing Tackle, Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle, GULP!, Coleman, Storm, Tommy Docks, Smooth Moves Seat Mounts, E-Village, Kwik Pfyt, Raymarine, Rapala, Pflueger, Ram rod holders, Gerbing’s Heated Clothing, Aqua-Vu, Plano, Stowmaster.net, Navionics, Yellow Bird, Beckman, Drift Control, Gemini Sport Marketing, Yo-Zuri and Reef Runner. The PWT is an integral element of the In-Fisherman Communications Network headquartered in Brainerd, Minnesota, and PRIMEDIA, America's leading producer of targeted media.