Fact Sheet:

•  2009 Champion - A.I.M. Pro Walleye Series – Saginaw Bay

• 2008 FLW Walleye Tour Champion

• World Record Holder - Largest Professional Walleye Tournament Total Weight.
  (3-Day Total of 15 walleyes weighing 138.28 lbs – a 9.22 lb average)

•  2007 Ironman Champion – www.walleyesfirst.com

•  2004 and 2005 Ranger Cup Champion

•  2004 Angler of the Year - In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail

• 2004 Champion – PWT Winnebago Chain – Winneconne, Wisconsin

• 2003 Champion - PWT Lake Erie – Dunkirk, New York

• 2002 Champion - PWT Lake Erie – Port Clinton, Ohio

• 2001 Champion - PWT Detroit River – Trenton, Michigan.

• 1997 Masters Walleye Circuit Team of the Year.

• 1996 Masters Walleye Circuit Big Stone Champion.

• 13 time straight PWT Championship Qualifier.

•  6 time straight MWC Championship Qualifier

• 9 time straight RCL/FLW Championship Qualifier

• 1 time A.I.M. Pro Walleye Series Championship Qualifier

Promotional Partners

Lindy Legendary Tackle, Evinrude E-Tec, Navionics, Ranger Boats, Berkley Trilene, Berkley Powerbait and Gulp!, Humminbird Electronics, Minn Kota Trolling Motors, Beckman Nets, Off Shore Tackle, Fenwick, Abu Garcia, Drift Control, Tempress Products, Optima Batteries, Gemini Sports Marketing

Tommy Skarlis

Biography of a Professional Angler and Educator
October, 2009

Most notable fishing experts are stereotyped by species like Bass, Walleye, Muskie, and even Pan fish.  Tommy Skarlis breaks the mold - he’s a touring walleye professional who enjoys hooking crappies through the ice as much as walleyes on a raging river.  The acute ability to share this multi-species knowledge with others makes Skarlis even more significant to the fishing world.

An Iowa native, Skarlis’ first fishing memory was hooking a Bluegill while fishing with his Mother. He continued honing his fishing skills on Clear Lake (In Iowa) and the Mississippi River and its backwaters, along with the small lakes, farm ponds, and expansive reservoirs throughout the Midwest.  Skarlis’ knack for stalking Walleyes turned into a tournament-fishing career, which took roots in 1991. From 1993 to 1998 he fished the Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC), and along the way earned Team of the Year and Team of the Year Runner-up honors.  In additional to qualifying for the MWC Championship six straight times, Skarlis also reeled in a Big Stone Lake Champion title in 1996 with partner Chad Kinkade.

In 1996, Skarlis joined In-Fisherman’s Professional Walleye Trail (PWT).  He has since thundered through the circuits, winning the prestigious “PWT Angler of the Year” title in 2004, snatching 23 top-ten finishes, capturing several “Big Fish” Awards, and qualifying for the PWT Championship thirteen straight times. Skarlis earned the nicknames “Mr. Erie” and “Mr. April” by winning the first PWT event of both 2001 at the Detroit River, and in 2002 at Lake Erie.  In fact, his total weight of 138.28 pounds for 15 fish at the 2002 Lake Erie Event set an all-time world-record for total tournament weight in a professional event.  In July of 2003 he became part of an elite group by winning his 3^rd PWT event, held on Lake Erie in Dunkirk, NY and in April of 2004, he advanced that status a notch or two by winning his Fourth PWT event in as many years – setting numerous records in the PWT. And in 2008, he won the most prestigious title in walleye fishing – the FLW Walleye Tour Championship.  In 2009, Skarlis continued his winning streak by winning the inaugural A.I.M. Pro Walleye Series tournament in Saginaw Bay, MI.  All totaled, Skarlis has qualified for 29 straight national championships and is one of the hottest tourney sticks in the history of walleye fishing.

Contact Info:
Tommy Skarlis
P.O. Box 169
Waukon, IA  52172
(563) 568-3977
(319) 215-2559
Birthplace: Waterloo, IA; Age: 44
Wife: Michelle / Children: Jacob, Nicholas