Bill Sutton, Matzuo America® Pro Staffer, won the Cabela’s National Walleye Tour (NWT) in Lake City, Missouri on May 8, 2015. Using Matzuo America tackle, he caught a two-day total of 46.58 pounds of walleye. Sutton took home over $70,000 in combined winnings, including a new Ranger 620FS, by winning the first-place prize and participating in the Ranger Cup, Mercury Marine and Angler’s Advantage programs.
“We couldn’t be prouder of what Bill accomplished in the NWT event in Lake City,” said Doug Jenner, Vice President of Sales & Product Management for Big Game International, the makers of Matzuo America products. “The competition at this event was world-class, and Bill showed that he has all the skills that it takes to compete and win at this elite level. We expect he’ll be a threat to win the Tour this year and for many years to come. Bill’s win is also a great testament to the effectiveness of the walleye products we’ve developed here at Matzuo®.”
Matzuo America pro staffers are always big players in walleye tournaments due to the long history that Matzuo® has had in developing innovative baits and tackle specifically for walleye fishing. Bill, describing his pre-fishing work just prior to the start of the tournament, said “I let the fish tell me which type of action they preferred. It was clear in that one hour while pre-fishing my primary spot that the Matzuo Rip-N Roll™ had better action than the competition!”
Matzuo Sickle® and Rip-N Roll hooks helped Sutton secure the big win. Rip-N Roll hooks are designed to slowly roll live bait while trolling or drifting, to create a tantalizing, distressed action through the water. The patented design of the Matzuo Sickle hooks features an acute angle bend below the hook point that holds fish more firmly than regular hooks.
Each hook is carefully crafted to be more effective than other hooks of the same size and weight, as their built-in strength and field-tested angles keep the hook firmly planted in the fish’s mouth throughout the fight. Sutton has been using the Rip-N Roll and other Matzuo Sickle hooks since before he was on the Matzuo Pro Staff because he trusts that they are the best. “The Matzuo hooks are sharp out of the package. I never need to put a sharpener to them and the hook-up percentage is much better than any hook I have ever used,” Sutton said.
Matzuo’s Rip-N Roll hooks are often best when paired with Matzuo Fast-Slide Clip Bottom Bouncers. These bottom bouncers make it fast and easy to change weights. No matter the diameter of your line, the Matzuo Fast-Slide Clip Bouncer continues to slide freely, so you feel the fish on your line but the fish doesn’t feel the weight of any bouncer. It slides over jagged rocks, timber or whatever is on the bottom of the water without snagging.
Finally, when using hard baits in pursuing walleye, there are few better than the Matzuo Kinchou Minnow. Originally introduced in 2012, the Kinchou Minnow was the first in what would become an established family of innovative and effective hard baits featuring signature “bloody red” flared-gills. The gills create an excellent visual representation of a small baitfish, and help produce the bait’s strong water displacement and signature wobbling action. The Kinchou, available in five styles including the Nano, mimics the nervousness of an eccentric baitfish with its curved body and incredible wide wobble. The Kinchou is effective for cranking but is excellent for deep water trolling. Covering depths from 2 to 20 feet (depending on size), this bait is perfectly balanced to float at rest, yet dive quickly when retrieved slowly.
For more information about Matzuo America, please visit www.matzuo.com.
For more information about Big Game International, please visit www.biggameintl.com.
