The In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail (PWT) and several major marine and fishing tackle companies are offering PWT pro anglers a combined $2.2 million in prize, bonus, and challenge award money throughout the 2003 PWT season. That's a lot of dough, which is sure to alter the way pro anglers think and develop tournament and seasonal game plans.

Mercury Marine's Seasonal Challenge is to reward $250,000 to any PWT pro driving a Mercury outboard who wins both Angler of the Year and the Championship in the same season. Although the accomplishment has never been done, it's been close and is definitely possible.

Pro anglers skilled enough to win Angler of the Year honors are prime candidates for winning the Championship. We'll keep our eyes on Mike Gofron, 1999 Angler of the Year who won the 2001 Championship. Ron Seelhoff took Angler of the Year honors in 1995 and won back-to-back Championships in 1999 and 2000, plus two second-place Championship finishes. And we can't count out 2002 PWT Championship winner Keith Kavajecz who has six top-10 Angler of the Year finishes.

According to 2002 Angler of the Year John Kolinski: "My goal is to fish even harder than ever in order to win back-to-back PWT Angler of the Year titles, then try to cap the year off with a Championship win. Competing against the top walleye anglers in the world is tough, but once I get into a groove, the pieces seem to fall naturally into place. One angler winning both honors is definitely possible and will pay big dividends."

Gary Parsons, the PWT's only 2-time Angler of the Year, is looking forward to the contest. "I love new challenges," Parsons says, "and any time a new challenge accompanies big rewards, it creates a natural drive in me to compete at my best. Many Angler of the Year winners have finished near the top in the Championship, but nobody has won both titles in the same year--one of us is overdue."

Mercury Marine also is offering a $10,000 bonus to the PWT Angler Of The Year whose boat is powered by a Mercury, and $10,000 to the Championship winner who drives a Mercury outboard.

Berkley's $50,000 Artificial Challenge will be offered at the opening tournaments in both the East and West divisions. The challenge is for any pro to win the tournament using Berkley soft or hard plastic baits. The Eastern Division Artificial Challenge is at Lake Erie at Port Clinton, Ohio, where trolling crankbaits is one of the most popular methods for catching behemoth Great Lakes walleyes. Trolling spinners rigged with livebait also is popular, but many pros have discovered that Berkley Power Bait also is effective dressed on spinners.

According to Tommy Skarlis, who won the PWT tournament in 2002 on Lake Erie, "Winning the Berkley Challenge on Erie is entirely possible. Last season I trolled up a victory there using crankbaits. I primarily used stickbaits, and one of my key fish came on a Frenzy Diving Minnow. I've also had success trolling Berkley Power Crawlers and other Power Bait shapes behind spinners. "With the money on the line, pros will be forced to try to gain enough experience with Berkley baits to gain the confidence to use them exclusively during a tournament."

The Lund/Power Bait Western Division Artificial Challenge will be held on Lake of the Woods near Baudette, Minnesota, where more anglers are discovering and relying on the effectiveness of Berkley Power Bait. Rigging and jigging are top producers. Expect the pros to experiment with spinners and Power Crawlers or Power Leeches, and jigging Power Leeches, Jigworms, and Minnows. Scott Fairbairn, who won the PWT tournament on Lake of the Woods in 1999 says, "I've gained so much confidence in using soft plastics over the past three years that I believe Power Bait will work at Lake of the Woods, particularly if spring is late and the fish are still in or near the river and the jig bite is good. I like fishing with jigs and Power Bait, and I'm confident I can win a PWT tournament using only Power Bait."

Quantum will pay $1 million to the angler who breaks the Michigan walleye record (17.3 pounds) during the 2003 Championship. The Championship will be held near Houghton, Michigan, where for the first time, contestants will fish the Keweenaw Waterway, a 27-mile canal across the Keweenaw Peninsula, including two interior lakes (Portage and Torch), and Keweenaw Bay in Lake Superior.

The Quantum Performance Tuned Rod and Reel One-Million Dollar Record Breaking Challenge may seem like a long shot, but some of the biggest walleyes ever caught in Michigan came out of these waters. Michigan's research nets have revealed walleyes much bigger than the state record, and with the world's top walleye anglers fishing these waters, odds of breaking the state record logically increase.

This year, In-Fisherman payouts exceed $1.4 million through the season's six qualifying tournaments; the PWT Championship's 6-figure purse amounts to well over $100,000 to the winner, plus a host of big fish and special awards. Mercury's $250,000 challenge, Berkley's two $50,000 challenges, and Quantum's $1 million awards push the total to more than $2 million for the richest PWT tour in history. Several other marine and tackle manufacturers offer their pros an accumulated $1 million in bonus earnings as well. That's a good living for consistently catching more and bigger walleyes than other contenders.