Challunges

                            KLEEBA  CHALLUNGE

The Kleeba Challunge is a travelling tournament held annually among the Wisconsin chapters of Muskies, Inc. There are currently nine chapters.  The tournament was named after a member of Headwaters chapter, Larry Kleeba, who held the position of “Director at Large”.  Larry moved to the Conover, Wisconsin area from Illinois.  He was well known in the area and had many friends in Muskies, Inc.  He has been described as a party kind of guy who loved to fish for muskies and was very good at it.  Larry died in a tragic car accident near his home, after which during a Musky Club Alliance meeting, it was decided to name this tournament in his honor.

The tournament is a trophy only tournament whereas Headwaters chapter sponsors all club members fishing for the honor of having the chapter’s name added to the trophy for winning the tournament in any given year.

The 2010 Larry Kleeba Challunge was held on the Holcombe Flowage, June 18th - 20th, hosted by God's Country Chapter at Big Swede's Resort.

• 71 members from 7 chapters participated in the event.

• God's Country Chapter Team #1 (Leif Tolokken, Brad Foss, Scott Cornish, Mike Weidemann, Jim Hawkins and Bob Nontelle) won the event with 4 fish that totalled 44 points.
  

          2nd Place - God's Country #2 = 3 fish for 35 points.
          3rd Place - First Wisconsin #1 = 4 fish for 31 points.
          4th Place - First Wisconsin #2 = 2 fish for 20 points.
          5th Place - Milwaukee = 1 fish for 18 points.
          6th Place - Central Wisconsin = 1 fish for 12 points.
          7th Place - Between the Lakes = 1 fish for 11 points.
          8th Place - Headwaters #2 = 1 fish for 10 points.

• The 2011 Larry Kleeba Challunge will be hosted by the Central Wisconsin Chapter on waters yet to be determined.
  
• Contact Jerry Hollnagel decoys@mwwb.net or (920) 295-4174 if you want more information and/or if you wish to fish this event.

Kleeba  Hosting  Chapter

Year                    WI Chapter

2011           Central Wisconsin

2012                     Capital City

2013               First Wisconsin

2014                        Titletown

2015               Hayward Lakes

2016                      Milwaukee

2017         Between the Lakes

2018                     Headwaters
2019                 God's Country

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Headwaters Teams  Lake Holcombe

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The first Muskies, Inc. Chapter Challunge (later named the Chapter Challunge and then in 1985 was again renamed the Gil Hamm Memorial Chapter Challunge) was held on the Minocqua Chain in Wisconsin, September 1977, and hosted by the Chicagoland Muskie Hunters Chapter.  The first winner of the famous “Lunge Bucket” went to the Fargo-Moorhead Chapter.

The original Challunge concept was pioneered by one of our past presidents and at the time the president of the Chicagoland Muskie Hunters Chapter…Steve Statland.  This chapter event was conceived as an outing where anglers would represent their chapters, get to know other chapter members, and have a friendly muskie fishing competition.

This still happens today.  The “Lunge Bucket” was created by Steve as a suitable trophy commemorating the event.  This bucket held the sucker that caught the very first muskie at around 10:00 am, opening day of the first Challunge by Steve.  He had it brass plated, bolted a leaping brass muskie to the lid and had it appropriately engraved.  Each year a new chapter is awarded the “Bucket” and has the date, location, winning team and number of points appropriately engraved.

One more note regarding that first Challunge…Statland, as team captain for the Chicagoland Muskie Hunters, made a wager with Bob Schmidt, who was the team captain with the Fargo-Moorhead Chapter.  The stakes were a bottle of good whiskey.  At the 1978 Spring Awards Banquet in the Twin Cities, Steve presented Bob with the Lunge Bucket, inside, Steve placed a small bottle of Crown Royal.  That same bottle remained in the Lunge Bucket for several years until the Hayward Chapter won their first Challunge, whereupon the Crown Royal mysteriously disappeared.

This tournament is open to all MI members. The winning Chapter of the prior year's tournament sponsors the next tournament and chooses the body of water to fish.

The 2010 Challunge is sponsored by the "Star of the North" Chapter on Lake Vermilion near Tower, Minnesota, August 21 - 28th with tournament fishing days Wednesday through Friday, August 25 - 27th.  The tournament headquarters will be at the Vermilion Dam Lodge on the western part of the lake.  Headwaters chapter will cover the tournament fees, participants are responsible for their lodging.

Visit the Gil Hamm Tournament website: www.vermilionchallunge.com for Vermilion information, agenda, teams and leaderboard updates (after the Challunge is underway).

Contact Dale Peterson muskypete@frontiernet.net or (715) 542-2012 for more information or for assistance in making reservations.

 

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