MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. (June 18, 2018) – The second National Walleye Tour (NWT) tournament of the 2018 season welcomed over 100 boats to Saginaw Bay Michigan on June 14 and 15, and when the scales closed on Friday, Brett King of Hager City, Wisconsin, a regional sales manager for Yar-Craft Boats took home top honors with a two-day catch that totaled 49.83. For his win, he was rewarded with over $59,000 worth of prizes. King edged out Joe Okada of Cambridge, Wisconsin, Yar-Craft’s advertising coordinator, by a mere .12 pounds. Fellow Yar-Craft owner Randy Gaines of Salem, Ohio, finished 11th.
King now leads the Anglers of the Year race, and Okada sits in 5th overall.
All three anglers commented that their Yar-Crafts played a crucial role in their success. King literally finished rigging his new 219TFX the night before he left for Bay City. As the practice period progressed, he continued to push outwards in search of the winning fish.
“The farther away you look, the less time you have to catch them,” he said. “But I knew that I had the right equipment to get me to the fish and back. I can’t say enough about how well my rig handled Lake Huron with amazing fishability to boot.” He traveled approximately 80 miles from downtown Bay City both days. With minutes left on the final day of competition, two upgrades on consecutive casts enabled him to edge out Okada for the win. This was his first NWT victory.
“We hired Brett to put Yar-Craft on the map,” said Bass Cat President Rick Pierce. “I’d say that this victory will go a long way in making that happen.”
Okada, a student in the emerging Great Lakes casting techniques that have seen increased traction in recent years, has been fishing out of a Yar-Craft since 2012. Once again, he credited the boat with enabling him to maximize his efficiency.
“I was fortunate to win the first event I ever fished out of a Yar-Craft,” he said. “That happened to be a Great Lakes event and ever since I’ve had nothing but the utmost confidence in its ability to go the extra mile regardless of the conditions. The past three seasons we’ve pushed these boats in long-distance marathons, I have never been let down. I’m thankful to work for a group of people who understand the fishing game as well as they understand the art of boat building.”
Like King, Gaines was putting the finishing touches on his boat the night before practice started. With less than 10 hours of seat time on this one, he didn’t even flinch at the prospect of a 70-mile daily round trip. He credited the trolling performance of his new boat as essential to his success. Quartering with the large swells his 219 could tack precisely to eliminate the surge and keep his tracking on point.
“This hull simply does things others can’t do,” Gaines commented. “I rotate lots of customers through my boat each year and I’m amazed by how often they comment on how well these boats handle the Great Lakes. Invariably, each year a few of them become Yar-Craft owners themselves.”
Pierce is thrilled at how well his company’s relatively recent acquisition has fit into the existing game plan: “We’ve talked about the ‘Bass Cat Family’ for a long time,” he said. “And you might expect me to say that we now have a ‘Yar-Craft Family,’ too, but the reality is that we all exist under the same umbrella. We put the same attention to detail into every boat we build, and we are proud that many of the best anglers in the world depend on them for their success.”
About Yar-Craft: Celebrating over 46 years of excellence in the marine industry, Yar-Craft (owned by Correct Craft) is the premier walleye fishing boat in the world known for excellent craftsmanship and customer service. For more information visit www.yarcraft.com.
About Bass Cat: Bass Cat, owned by Correct Craft, manufactures the industry’s premier bass fishing boats from its headquarters in Mountain Home, Arkansas. Family operated since it’s founding in 1971, Bass Cat is the longest continuously operating tournament bass boat company in the United States. For more information visit www.basscat.com
About Correct Craft: Celebrating 93 years of excellence in the marine industry, Correct Craft is a Florida-based company with global operations. The Correct Craft family includes Nautique, Centurion, Supreme, Bass Cat, Yar-Craft, SeaArk, and Bryant boat companies, Pleasurecraft Engine Group, and Aktion Parks. For more information please visit www.correctcraft.com.