Tournament rookie lands big one

Dewey Stewart, the muskie fisherman who reached out to his business partners to sponsor his professional fishing career, finished in the top five in the Ranger Cup World Championship held in Kentucky last month.

Stewart owns Midwest Garage Doors in Pawnee. And when he needed financial support to turn pro, he looked to the companies that supply his business.
Stewart and his partner, Forrest Kay, placed fifth out of the 50 top teams in the country during the tournament held Oct. 21 and 22 on Cave Run Lake near Morehead, Ky.

“What a beautiful piece of water that is,” Stewart says. “It’s tucked into the Appalachian Hills with the leaves turning. What a beautiful spot on earth.”

Stewart and Kay were ranked 26th on the Pro Musky Tournament Trail going into the championship and emerged with the No. 9 ranking. Stewart says the rankings reward consistent performance.

Only the top 50 teams were invited to compete.

The team caught a muskie measuring 37.25 inches long the first day, and a fish 38.5 inches long the next morning. Fish must be 30 inches long to be legally kept.

“If you catch a legal fish, you get on your two-way radio and call a judge,” Stewart says. “The judge will come to you, and he has the official measuring board. You pull the fish out of the net and you and the judge agree to the length. Then you grab a photo and immediately release the fish.

“You get 10 bonus points for a good release, it swims away on its own.”

Stewart says the only disappointment for him was the loss of the first fish, which was hooked too deeply and couldn’t be saved. The team lost the 10 potential points and more points when they checked in late, having spent valuable minutes trying to keep the fish alive.

“The fish had really engulfed the bait,” he says. “That happens to be the first one I ever killed.

“It is such a big, beautiful fish. It really weighs heavy on you if you kill one.”

With the penalty, the top-five finish was a surprise to Stewart and Kay.

“We figured we may have finished seventh or eighth, and when they called us up for fifth, I was pleasantly surprised,” he says.

The sponsors who opened the door for Stewart’s entry into the ranks of professional fishing have been pleased with the duo’s successful season. As a rookie, Stewart was having trouble rounding up a sponsor and turned to the companies that supply his garage-door business.

“One of my sponsors flew down to Cave Run with one of his customers,” he says. “We got to take them out for a day of fishing during one of the pre-fishing practice days. That sponsor, Miller Edge, was absolutely ecstatic that a rookie team did so well.”

Miller Edge makes safety devices that sense when something is in the way of a closing garage door.

“The Chamberlain Group was very excited as well,” he says. “Our sponsors have been very excited, very receptive and very supportive of what we have done this year.”

Stewart’s dream season isn’t over. This weekend, he will fish the Illinois Muskie Tournament Trail State Muskie Championship at Lake Shelbyville.

“I get the opportunity to fish the state championship with my oldest son this weekend, and he’s going to fish the professional circuit next year,” Stewart says.

At the beginning of the season, Stewart and Kay were apprehensive, wondering what business they had fishing with the best. With a year under their belts, Stewart says they can relax and enjoy next season.

“It was a lot of fun, and I can go into it next year with a little more confidence.”