Korfmacher, Brunson Win Cabela’s NABC World Bass Championship
OutdoorHub 10.10.12
Brian Korfmacher and Todd Brunson rode a pair of massive baskets to victory at the Cabela’s North American Bass Circuit’s 2012 World Bass Championship, held on the mighty Mississippi River Oct. 5-6 at Red Wing, Minnesota.
Their 34.39-pound, 10-fish NABC limit of beefy bronzebacks earned them a $20,000 first-place check in the two-day event, along with a $1,000 Cabela’s gift card through the Cabela’s Angler Cash program, $250 PRADCO baits package for being the highest-finishing team using Bomber, Booyah, XCalibur and YUM products, $500 in cash from the Big Bass Pot, plus a prize package of Rapala, Trigger X and Sufix baits and line.
“This is awesome!” exclaimed Korfmacher, of Cottage Grove, Wisconsin, moments after topping the elite field of 28 two-person teams from five states in a cold-front, tough-bite shootout. “It’s a great feeling,” added Brunson, of Marshall, Wisconsin. He explained the team targeted sunken rocks and timber in three to 12 feet of water along the main channel near Wabasha. An arsenal of crankbaits, including square-billed Bombers, and Texas-rigged tube baits yielded the winning smallmouths-including a 4.06-pound bruiser that was the biggest bass weighed in on Day One.
The Championship capped an exciting season that included tournaments on Wisconsin’s bass-rich Lake Winnebago and Madison chains, and Minnesota’s Gull and Leech lakes. Teams earned a coveted berth in the invitation-only Championship by accumulating points at the four qualifiers.
Second-place finishers Casey Gallagher, of Pulaski, Wisconsin, and Ty Cornell, of Black Creek, Wisconsin, weighed in 29.40 pounds, worth $4,000 cash plus the U2 Pro Formula bonus and a $100 Normark prize pack. In third, Minnesotans Mark Fisher, of Nowthen, and Scott Bonnema, of Zimmerman, cashed a $2,000 check, claimed the Oxygenator contingency, and donated their $100 Normark prize pack to the Winona State University Bass Club, which provided volunteer support for the event. In all, the top 10 teams shared a $30,000 payout plus thousands more in contingencies and Big Bass Pot winnings.
The Mississippi’s legendary bass fishery produced large- and smallmouth bass on a variety of presentations. A total of 227 fish weighing a combined 551.56 pounds were weighed in and released back into the river during the two-day event, under the NABC’s strict catch-and-release format. The Circuit also donated $15 per boat to Winona State University for its conservation and youth outreach efforts. To date, the Cabela’s NABC and its sister trail, the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit, have donated more than $300,000 to conservation and angler recruitment in states where its tournaments are held.
During the weigh-ins, held riverside at scenic Colvill Park, the Cabela’s NABC presented kids age 12 and under with free rod-and-reel combos and NPAA “Future Pro” T-Shirts, courtesy of the National Professional Anglers Association and Pure Fishing.
This was the final event of the NABC’s 2012 season, and plans are already under way for 2013. The NABC is open to all anglers, and its popular team format-which lets anglers choose their partner and cut their costs-has stood the test of time for 28 tournament seasons on the Cabela’s MWC.
