Professional Musky Tournament Trail qualifier coming to Bemidji, Cass Lake area Aug. 27-28
Aug. 22—BEMIDJI — The Bemidji and Cass Lake area will play host to the Professional Musky Tournament Trail in a two-day angling event set for Friday, Aug. 27, to Saturday, Aug. 28.
The PMTT is entering its 23rd year and is highly regarded by musky anglers, sponsors and host communities as offering premier musky tournaments. There are roughly 100 local and regional tournaments, but the PMTT is the only national musky tournament circuit in existence today, a release said.
The upcoming tournament acts as the third and final qualifying event in this year's PMTT, with the first-place team receiving a $20,000 payout. There are various other prize payouts for ranking teams.
Each year, the PMTT holds three to four qualifying events throughout the country and then holds one championship event for the top qualifying teams. Anglers who qualify will be eligible to participate in the Rangers Boats World Championship in Chippewa Flowage, Wis., in late September.
As a PMTT host site, the Bemidji area and its lakes will be presented on a national level. Brady Laudon of Visit Bemidji — the town's visitor bureau and host of the event — said the PMTT is the largest angling tournament he's seen come to the area.
"It's a great opportunity for the town," Laudon said. "We're excited to have it."
Not only does the event increase exposure to the area, but it promotes tourism and creates an influx of income to the surrounding area. The event will air on the Fox Sports network throughout the Midwest and will be picked up nationally by most satellite TV providers, the release said.
"All PMTT locations gain increased exposure and instant credibility, attracting many musky anglers not participating in the tournament, both before and after the event," the release said. "In addition, many tournament contestants repeatedly return to the sites of previous PMTT events for future trips."
Despite its name, the tournament is open to anyone who wants to participate and averages 110 teams per event (125 team maximum). Every PMTT tournament is a catch, photo and release tournament that uses a point total system.
Tournament anglers may fish all navigable waters that can be accessed by boat from takeoff locations. They will also be allowed to switch between lakes during tournament hours.
Ruttger's Birchmont Lodge, 7598 Bemidji Rd. NE, will be the event's headquarters. It is a take-off location as well as the Hwy 2 Public Boat Landing in Cass County.
There will be an event get-together at 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 27, and an awards ceremony at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28, at Ruttger's. It will be open to the public.
To register for the tournament or for more information, visit the PMTT website at promusky.com.
