Instead, the three-day tournament crown went to Ron Seelhoff of Lewellen, Neb., the most celebrated walleye pro in the PWT's short history.

"I got beat by one of the world's best anglers ä it's as simple as that," said Fairbairn of Walker, Minn., who will speak Saturday at the Bismarck Tribune Sport Show. "Things fell right for Ron, and he deserved to win."

Coming this close to the $100,000 first-place prize is not a bitter pill that Fairbairn continues to try to swallow. Rather, it's an experience that motivates him to try to add a championship this season, or the next, to an already impressive resume that includes 1998 PWT Angler of the Year honors.

"I'm still hungry, you bet I am," Fairbairn, 28, said.

And securing a championship, be it in Bismarck in 2001, or on other waters down the road, is one of the things that drives him.

"And it may drive me for a long time," he said.

Seelhoff is the envy of the walleye fishing world, considering he's the only PWT angler to win a seemingly unheard-of two PWT championships and three qualifying tournaments.

"But he can only fish for so long," joked Fairbairn. "In terms of motivation, catching Ron is part of it. If I was in Ron's position, it might be a little tough to stay motivated, I guess."

If you had to put your finger on it -- "it" being why Fairbairn has been pretty successful in his own right -- it likely boils down to his work ethic. He's tireless in his preparation for a tournament, any tournament.

"It's just like studying for a test," he said of why he's likely the first one on the water and the last one off during pretournament practice times. "The better you have the material down, the better you're going to do during the tournament."

Because of so much time spent on the water, commonalties among walleyes are recognized no matter if Fairbairn is fishing on the Missouri River or another body of water elsewhere.

For example, when the water falls on the Missouri River, the walleye bite typically follows. Fairbairn said this is not something unique to the Big Muddy, but something many waters share.

"In that situation, I know the bite is going to get tougher, but I know where I have to go look for fish," he said. "Predicting what dropping water will do to the fish, what the sunlight is going to do, what a cold front is going to do ä predicting what the walleye's next move is going to be comes with experience and time on the water."

There are anglers on the PWT and across the country, for that matter, who are skilled in terms of being good jig fishermen, can run an incredible crankbait, or whatever. But what separates the field, he said, is good, old fashioned hard work.

"Those of us who are consistently finishing in the money and winning tournaments, the separation, really, is in the preparation and understanding fish behavior and what they are going to do next," Fairbairn said.

In order of priority, Fairbairn said winning Angler of the Year is No. 1, while winning a year-end championship is No. 2.

"Third is to win each event that I enter," he said. "Realistically, however, that's not going to happen. But when I do fall short, I want to know why I did. I want to learn something from it."

At 10:30 a.m., the 1998 In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail Angler of the Year, will tackle walleye myths, followed by a 6 p.m. seminar, where he'll address the four cornerstones of walleye fishing success. Fairbairn also will be part of a fisherman's forum panel on Sunday from 1 to 2:30 p.m.