Maury Schmerbach – Loves to Catch His Silverado’s From Runde’s

Maury Schmerbach

Maury Schmerbach is a fisherman. It’s in his blood. He always has and always will like to fish, you can see it in him when he lights up every time you talk to him about fishing. He is a loyal customer of Runde Auto Group and was more than happy to explain a bit more about what he does as a fisherman and the experiences he has had with Runde’s.

Hey Maury, so what kind of fishing tournaments do you participate in?
I fish the Walleye Circuits. The Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC), which is a professional circuit as well as others all over the country… Michigan, South Dakota and others.

How have you, or your team been doing?
We’ve won quite a bit of circuits. In 2005 we won the national championship held here in Dubuque which was $25,000 and a new boat.

The AIM Pro Walleye Series is a tournament that actually runs through Dubuque, IA. It’s a very large tournament that has quite a large prize for first place. It takes place all over the Tri-States.  As part of the Mississippi Walleye Club, we recently took out 100 kids fishing for the annual Kids Day Fishing Tournament. We all go out there and teach the kids how to properly fish.  There is also a tournament for the biggest catch for a group where the group with the four biggest fish wins and our group actually won it this year.

How long have you been fishing?
I’ve been fishing all over the country for about forty years now.

Maury Teaching the Kids How to Handle a Fish.

Is it all team based?
The AIM Walleye Series is actually an individual tournament, but the rest of them are team based.

How did you start your relationship with Runde’s?
I first started coming to Runde’s in ’78 or ’79 when I bought my first truck, since then I’ve been coming back every 3 or 4 years for a new truck. I use them for all of my outings. They have helped tremendously with pulling the boats, carrying equipment and everything else I’d ever need it to do.

I come back because of the service Runde’s has provided me. They have been loyal to me and I have no problems being loyal to them. I proudly wear Runde’s logos on my vehicles.

How many tournaments do you participate in each year?
I used to fish about 18-20 tournaments each year. Now I’ve slowed down quite a bit and only do about 12-15 a year and it depends on how many tournaments we have locally.

Maury Winning 1st place at a large tournament.

Are they usually local tournaments?
I’ll go out about 500-600 miles out typically, I do go all over the country for some circuits. There’s a big circuit in Escanaba, Michigan which you have to get in the top 3 to qualify to go to the national tournament. We actually got 2nd place and are now eligible to go to the national tournament.

How do they determine the winners?
They determine the winner by total weight. You can weigh in 5 fish which you have to collect within 8 hours. This year they are trying a different format, its catch, photo, and release right on the spot which is a little different from previous years. Someone takes a picture of the fish as soon as it’s caught, it’s documented, and we release it right where we picked it up.

Are the tournaments always catch and release?
Yes, It’s always catch and release.

What does it take to become a great fisherman?
A lot of time and dedication. Years ago I’d fish 4 or 5 nights a week and mingled with the professionals to get better. It was more or less trial and error back in the day but now they have computers and equipment and a large knowledge database for new people to get good right away.

What’s the biggest fish you’ve caught?
I’ve caught 10 pound Bass and 11 pound Walleye.

Anything else you’d like to add?
Runde’s has been really loyal and great to me. The service is absolutely excellent, they deserve nothing but the highest marks.
I love the 1500 vehicles too, they have great fuel mileage and power. With pulling a boat and everything on the interstates I’ll still get around 14MPG which is really good considering the load.

Thank you Maury Schmerbach for the kind words, we wish you great luck in your tournaments!