Pro-Staff

CONNECT-EASE PRO BASS ANGLERS

Mark Courts

Minnesota’s Mark Courts and has been fishing professionally in both bass and walleye tournament circuits since 2000. In the span of nearly 25 years, Courts has had over 35 Top 10 finishes and has placed first in two tournaments. Courts has come to rely on Connect-Ease products over the years to provide reliable, fail-proof, and reliable, clean power to his electronics, whether he’s fishing pro bass tournaments or competing at National Walleye Tournament (NWT) events.

Randy Howell

James Niggemeyer

Mike McClelland

Connect-Ease user and Arkansas-native, Mike McClelland, has won eight tour-level events, amassed 35 Top 10 finishes, 67 top 20 finishes, and more than $2 million in winnings throughout his ongoing career competing in B.A.S.S. and Major League Fishing (MLF) events.

Jay Przekurat

Stevens Point, Wisconsin-based 23-year-old Jay Przekurat has quickly made a name for himself in the professional bass fishing world as the youngest ever competitor to win a B.A.S.S. Elite event. In 2022, Jay earned a Century Club belt with a four-day total of 102-9 while fishing the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at the St. Lawrence River, while also placing first. Jay also competed in the 2023 BASSMASTER Classic on the Tennessee River finishing 7th with an impressive 34-9.

Athlete Summary

Pat Schlapper

Wisconsin native Pat Schlapper joined the ranks of the 2021 Bassmaster Elites after double-qualifying by winning the TNT B.A.S.S. Nation Championship and finishing third in the Bassmaster Eastern Opens Angler of the Year standings for 2020. Schlapper has been using Connect-Ease product for years to provide the clean and reliable power he needs day after day to compete at the highest level in professional bass fishing.

Athlete Summary

Blake Smith

CONNECT-EASE PRO WALLEYE ANGLERS

Brett King

Hager City, Wisconsin native Brett King learned to fish walleyes as a youth on Mississippi River Pool 3 & 4 and has never looked back. With a pro walleye fishing career that spans nearly 30 years, Brett has notched wins in the NWT, AIM, and FLW professional walleye tournament circuits. In 2019, Brett took NWT Angler of the Year.

Brett started working with Connect-Ease founder, Cal Munkvold, over a decade ago, looking for a better way to rig, manage, and maintain clean power to his trolling motor and sophisticated fish-finding electronics. Brett’s input was invaluable in Cal’s design of GRAPH-POWER to meet and exceed the growing needs of professional tournament anglers. Check out the video here!

Brad Mork

Platte, South Dakota's Brad Mork is a walleye expert, with years logged on the waters of the Missouri River system and Lake Francis Case. He fishes both the MWC and NTC professional walleye circuits besides local tournaments.

Mork runs a 2020 Skeeter WX2060 with a Yamaha 250SHO, Lowrance GHOST 36V trolling motor, and (3) 12" Lowrance units, including Active Target forward-facing sonar. Powering his system, Mork uses (3) Norsk Lithium batteries and (1) Optima all networked with Connect-Ease battery power solutions for both the trolling motor and his electronics.

Mork reports: "I had a drop in voltage and interference that would clutter up the screen of my FF sonar. I knew there had to be a better way, so I went with Connect-Ease. I haven't had any problems since. With the correct wire size along with the tinned wire in a protective covering, dedicated for each graph and Active Target black box, I can get clean power to all my devices for a crystal clear picture for a long day on the water."

Joe Okada

2024 marks Madison, Wisconsin-based Joe Okada's 20th year fishing walleyes professionally. He cut his tournament fishing teeth on the MWC in 2004 -- and cites a 2012 MWC win on Green Bay with his dad as the highpoint of his career.

Since, Okada has notched numerous Top 10 finishes in MWC, AIM, and NWT walleye tournament trail events.

Joe runs a Yar-Craft 210TFX and loves fishing big waters, especially situations where he can cast swimbaits, one of his favorite techniques.

Jason Przekurat

Stevens Point, Wisconsin native, Jason Przekurat, grew up fishing the Wisconsin, launching a tournament career in 1995. His first win came not long after in 2000 when Jason won the MWC World Walleye Championship on the Mississippi River. Once again dominating on “Old Man River,” in 2007 Jason won the FLW Walleye Tour event on Pool 4 in Red Wing, Minnesota.

Jason’s a two-time winner of the prestigious FLW Walleye Tour Angler of the Year (AOY) Award (2003 & 2007) and has also earned the Ranger Cup Award. Once again, in 2016, Jason took tops at the National Walleye Tour (NWT) Championship on Lake Oahe in Mobridge, South Dakota, and in 2020, he won the NWT Championship again, becoming the first pro walleye angler to win the NWT Championship twice.

CONNECT-EASE FISHING GUIDES/CHARTER CAPTAINS

Brian "Bro" Brosdahl

Location: Grand Rapids, MN (Red Lake, Winnibigoshish, Lake of the Woods, and hundreds of other open-water and ice fishing lakes)

Web: https://brosguideservice.com/

Phone/E-mail: +218 340 6051

Target Species: Walleye/Perch

John Campbell

Captain John Campbell has fished Lake Okoboji and the Iowa Great Lakes for decades. He knows where the fish are hiding—and how to catch them! Prior to full-time guiding, Campbell fished the highest levels of walleye tournaments for over 25 years, finishing as one of the top anglers of all time.

Retired from a career tournament angling, Campbell enjoys teaching people how to become better anglers. Over the years, he has been a mainstage-featured speaker at outdoors shows in Minneapolis, Chicago, and throughout the Midwest. John has appeared in hundreds of TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines along the way as a true walleye expert.

A typical day on the water with Campbell is a fish-catching experience with walleyes, muskies/pike, bass, bluegills, perch, and crappies. Campbell ensures everyone gets in on the action and personally teaches each client what they need to do to put fish in the boat. For many families, a day in the boat with Campbell is the best day on the water they’ve ever experienced. To book a trip, you can reach Campbell at head_bake@yahoo.com.

Johnnie Candle

Location:

Winter: Carrabelle, FL

Spring/Summer: Devils Lake, ND

Web: https://johnniecandle.com/

Phone: +701 371 9431

Target Species: Walleye, Redfish, Sea Trout

Capt. Clay Shidler

Location:

Crystal River, FL

Web: https://hangemhighsportfishing.com/

Phone: +352 586 2748

Target Species: Inshore - Redfish, Snapper, Sea Trout; Off-Shore - Gag Grouper, Red Grouper, Red Snapper, Mangrove Snapper, Hogfish, Cobia, Amberjack, Kingfish, Grunts & Sea Bass

CONNECT-EASE FIELD STAFF

Ty Macheledt

Third generation Otter Tail County, Minnesota fishing guide turned federal agriculture agent, Macheledt works every day from 5 am until 3 pm, then fishing Lake Sakakawea until dark (or when his wife tells him it's suppertime). Lucky to live right on the NW North Dakota reservoir, Macheledt is a very skilled angler whose kept up with the latest in technology and is constantly refining his game through many hours on Sakakawea, the Missouri River System, Fort Peck Reservoir in Montana, Ontario--and occasionally back on Otter Tail Lake.

Although his government work schedule prevents fishing major walleye circuits, the young Macheledt and his father (a fishing guide on Otter Tail Lake in MN) and other partners have placed high in the ND Governor's Cup over the years.

Macheledt runs a 2024 2090 Warrior Tiller, Norsk Lithium Heated-Core Batteries, and a combination of Garmin and Lowrance electronics, including LiveScope, MEGA Live, and MEGA 360 Imaging. He is a great resource for using electronics with walleye-catching techniques; for example, monitoring bottom bouncers in real-time by pointing his tiller-positioned LiveScope behind the boat.

Ty is also a JT Outdoors and Northland Fishing Tackle field staffer, constantly testing new JT rods and Northland baits for numerous walleye techniques -- and offering his feedback to the companies. In his mid-30s, Ty fishes every day and is fond of saying "You can't learn new techniques by sitting on the couch."

Speaking to Connect-Ease products, Macheledt says: "It really removed the intimidation of rigging, especially with all the graphs and live imaging I'm using on my boat. I have a lot of batteries and different makes of graphs and FF sonar, and it took the best in rigging materials to give me the absolute cleanest power possible so I can always see my bait and fish, super bright and crisp."