Carp Pros Feted on Whirlwind Tour

Your three time defending tournament champions were celebrated last week as they embarked on the first leg of nationwide victory tour.

The highly sought after dynamic duo's first stop was

northern Minnesota, an area known for great fishing. On February 5th, the tournament plane carrying the champs touched down in International Falls and within minutes the grateful townsfolk handed Steve the keys to a midnight blue 2006 Subaru Tribeca for their use during the two day speaking engagement.

After a magnificent lunch at the Chocolate Moose Restaurant Company (an excellent walleye sandwich), the three time champs headed to Orr, Minnesota for a round table discussion of techniques and tips for dominating company sponsered fishing tournaments. Despite the sub zero temperatures (-6 f was the high on Monday), the team was greeted warmly. Steve, always the diplomat, stressed good sportsmanship and inclusion of others in order have a successful experience for everyone. Merle had the packed room in awe as he related the story of a young college student named Patrick who had the tournament abuzz as he landed close to 80 fish in one magical hour at MI-40 pond. The awes turned to cheers as Merle went on to describe his five step plan to quickly erase the memory of the lads victory in subsequent events leading up to that fateful day at Shull's Hole where Merle so dominated the fishing that many spectators recall actually seeing the soul leave young Patrick's body during the fish count. What a hoot.

After a tour of the area and a wonderful nights lodging at the AmericInn on beautiful Pelican Lake (including a free coupon for fudge at the General Store) the team headed back north to "the Falls" for the return leg of the trip with a morning temperature of -22 f. The team could not leave town however without another stop at the Chocolate Moose for the local favorite breakfast of sliced pecan rolls, dipped in french toast batter, grilled until the roll is gooey, saucy and topped with maple syrup and served with a side of golden brown sausage.

Stay tuned for more adventures as your three time, undefeated champions continue the nationwide goodwill tour.