|
[Chat]
Newsletter
pages
|
Indiana
Walleye
The
website for people who love walleye fishing
       
Tournament
News
GNWC
[ GNWC Opener at Detroit River ] [ GNWC at Clear lake ] [ GNWC Opener at Winneconne ] [ Lake Shelbville, IL. ]
 Osborn,
Kasak Take Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup Opener at Detroit
River
By Steve Weisman
Gander Mountain GNWC Publicity Director
Sticking to a traditional Detroit River presentation,
the team of Dennis Osborn from Warren, MI and Kevin Kasak from Sterling
Heights, MI weighed a six-fish limit of 22.47 pounds to take first place
at the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup's Michigan Region
opener, Sunday, April 25.
According to Gander Mountain GNWC Tournament Director
Gary Bowman,
walleyes were caught on the Detroit River tournament in three distinctly
different areas. "We had teams catch walleyes on the American side
and the Canadian side of the Detroit River and even on a portion of Lake
Erie. That's what is so great about this fishery. We are in close
proximity to such great fishing areas that it allows anglers the
privilege of being able to catch quality fish almost any time of the
year."
Using a chartreuse 5/8-ounce jig and a 3"
Detroit River Rubber Worm, Osborn and Kasak worked their magic to
capture the $1400 first place check. According to Osborn and Kasak, they
worked the south end of the Detroit River vertical jigging off a drop in
16-30 foot of water. Kasak said, "We just had a ball, and just
caught lots of fish."
Second place and a check for $700 went to Steve
Carlson from Oak Harbor,
OH and Jim Stebke from Wapak, OH with four fish weighing 20.28 pounds.
However, they made a 70-mile round trip run to fish between Lake Erie's
Lucky Point and Kelly's Island. "It was definitely a gamble,"
noted Bowman, "but it paid off with four quality fish. I knew that
they had been on big fish during pre-fishing, but last night's storm
shut down their big fish."
Carlson and Stebke pulled blue/silver, green/silver
and red/silver Reef Runners 35-50 feet behind planer boards. However,
the key was to pull the Reef Runners between .8 and 1.2 mph.
Hand-lining #7, #9 and #11 Rapalas on the Canadian
side of the Detroit River helped the team of Mike Jurik from Saginaw, MI
and Paul Curmi from Belleville, MI weigh a 6-fish limit of 18 and a half
pounds to take the third place $520 check. They used a 30-foot top lead
with a 15-foot bottom lead and worked into the current at less than 1
mph in 18-25 foot of water to catch their fish.
"Three different presentations in three
different areas," added Bowman. "That is what makes this area
such a great fishery."
Meanwhile, Bert Murlich and Bret Bremer from Saginaw,
MI took the Berkley Trilene Big Fish Award of $400 in Berkley products
for their 7.09-pound walleye taken vertical jigging with a Detroit River
Rubber Worm.
The "Yo So Close" award of a Yo Net folding
net valued at $80 went to the three teams that placed just out of the
money. Tim Brewer and Steven Slivoski placed 11th; Bert Murlich and Bret
Bremer finished 12th; and Ryan and Robert Lescoe finished in 13th place.
John Fletcher and Frank Madjecke were the winners of
the Gander Mountain
"Need More Stuff" drawing of $200 for a Gander Mountain
Shopping Spree.
For complete results of the Detroit River tournament,
check out the Gander Mountain GNWC website at www.walleyecup.com.
Next up for the Michigan teams will be a trip to
Muskegon to fish Lake Muskegon and the waters of Lake Michigan on
Sunday, May 23.
Anglers interested in signing up for a future
qualifier or simply wanting more information on the GNWC circuit can
call 1-800-890-FISH (3474), or they can email the GNWC at info@walleyecup.com.
Title Sponsor for the GNWC is Gander Mountain with
other major national sponsors including Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards,
the Sportsman Channel, Berkley, Aqua Innovations, YoNet Folding Nets by
AMFYOYO, VIB"E" Lure Company, TowTector Shield and UpNorth
Outdoors.com.
Prefishing
Pays Off for Clear Lake Duo
By Steve Weisman
Gander Mountain GNWC Publicity Director
Six days of prefishing were definitely worth the effort for the team of
Randy Mumm and Jim Juhlin as they took the Iowa Region opener of the
Gander
Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup on Sunday, April 25 at Clear Lake.
Although they only boated four walleyes, their weight
of 8.72 pounds
earned them the $1800 winner's check and the Clear Lake tournament
championship plaques. Their kicker fish weighing 4.04 pounds gave them
the
Berkley Trilene Big Fish Award of $400 in Berkley products and separated
them from the rest of the field.
Earning the second place check of $900 with a
six-fish limit weighing
7.71 pounds was the team of Denny Miller from Fairfax, IA and Steve
Miller
from Cedar Rapids, IA.
Third place went to Jamee Wallingford and Don Poole
from Farmington.
Their five walleyes weighed 7.49 pounds good for a $600 check.
With rain until mid-morning and winds increasing to
20 mph out of the
northwest, you would have thought that the teams would try to get out of
the
wind. Just the opposite! The best bite was at the east end of the lake
where
3-4 foot waves were rolling into the shoreline.
For the winners, it came down to locations gleaned
from six days of
prefishing and using an 1/8-ounce jig tipped with a minnow. "We
prefished
six days and had six spots to fish," said Randy. His partner Jim
continued,
"When one place died out, we just kept moving."
The second and third place teams fished in the waves
but instead of jig
fishing, they pulled crankbaits. The Millers cranked "the windiest
corner of
the lake," according to Steve. They worked their plugs in 2-5 foot
of water
using Shad Raps and Berkley Frenzeys in the lighter, natural color.
"It was
funny," added Steve. "When the crankbaits got into water
shallower than two
foot, muskies would hit the cranks. We actually caught three muskies."
Wallingford and Poole found color made a difference
with their
crankbaits. Don noted, "When it was cloudy, the darker colored Shad
Raps
worked better, but when the sun came out, the chrome worked
better."
The "Yo So Close" award of a Yo Net folding
net valued at $80 went to
the three teams that placed just out of the money. The went to Joe and
Kathy
Kirk in 13th place; Jesse Rouse and Cory Batterson in 14th place; and
Dan
Schnetzler and Ben Thoresen in 15th place.
Al Wittmus and Mike Clarke were the winners of the
Gander Mountain "Need
More Stuff" drawing of $200 for a Gander Mountain Shopping Spree.
Gander Mountain GNWC Tournament Director Dean Higgins
felt the weather
had an impact on the teams. "The front and the rain definitely
changed
things. However, we still had six teams weigh in six-fish limits. What I
thought was really great was the number of family teams. We had 14
family
teams fishing this first tournament of the Iowa Region. That is one of
the
many strengths of the Gander Mountain GNWC."
For complete results of the Clear Lake tournament,
check out the Gander
Mountain GNWC website at www.walleyecup.com.
Next up for the Iowa teams will be a trip to the
Okoboji Chain of Lakes
on Sunday, May 9.
Anglers interested in signing up for a future
qualifier or simply
wanting more information on the GNWC circuit can
Title Sponsor for the GNWC is Gander Mountain with other major national
sponsors including Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards, the Sportsman
Channel,
Berkley, Aqua Innovations, YoNet Folding Nets by AMFYOYO, VIB"E"
Lure
Company, TowTector Shield and UpNorth Outdoors.com. Iowa Regional
sponsors
include Carlson-Sanderson Real Estate, Motor Inn, Inc., and Triggs Bay
Resort.
Father-son
Team Take Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup Opener at
Winneconne
By Steve Weisman
Gander Mountain GNWC Publicity Director
The father-son team of Russell and Steve Wagner from Pewaukee, WI took home both the $1200 first place check and the Berkley Trilene Big Fish Award at the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup's opening tournament of the Wisconsin Region held on Winneconne's Lake Winnebago chain and the Wolf River on Sunday, April 18.
The Wagners, with a winning weight of 10.94 pounds, were the only ones to bring a six-fish limit to the scales. They found success by drifting the rocky areas of the Wolf River, vertically jigging leadheads. Russ noted, "We lost a lot of jigs in the rocks, so we're definitely going to need to restock." They both agreed, however, that losing a few jigs was a small
price to pay for taking the Winneconne title and the Berkley Trilene Big Fish Award of $400 in Berkley products. Their big fish weighed 4.41 pounds.
Taking second place and cashing a check for $600 was the team of Dale Helgeson from Elkhorn, WI and Michael Sigl from Black Creek, WI with four fish weighing 6.25 pounds. They found that the strong south winds hampered them as they trolled baby Thundersticks to catch their four walleyes.
Third place and a check for $500 went to Doug Sasse from Winneconne, WI and Jeff Graves from Oshkosh, WI with four fish weighing 5.72 pounds. They caught their fish working Wolf River rigs and minnows upstream against the current.
The "Yo So Close" award of a Yo Net folding net valued at $80 went to the three teams that placed just out of the money. They include Brad Davis from Jackson, WI and Joe Palmer from Manitowoc, WI in 8th place; Robert Blosser from Lodi, WI and Gary Tomlinson from Poynette, WI in 9th place; Dan Gosenheimer from Wild Rose, WI and Adam Hackbarth from Oshkosh, WI in 10th place.
Erik Potter from Fort Atkinson, WI and George Meris from Beloit, WI were the winners of the Gander Mountain "Need More Stuff" drawing of $200 for a Gander Mountain Shopping Spree.
According to Gander Mountain GNWC Tournament Director Dean Higgins, the bite was tough. "The wind really hampered the teams, so it was quite an achievement for the Wagners to put together a six-fish limit the way they did. In spite of the wind, this is a great fishery, and the teams showed
good sportsmanship throughout the tournament." Higgins went on to say, "The volunteer help was outstanding. Doug and his crew of volunteers really helped make everything go smoothly."
The Wisconsin teams are back in action on Sunday, May 16 at Petenwell.
Anglers interested in signing up for a future qualifier or simply wanting more information on the GNWC circuit can call 1-800-890-FISH (3474), or they can email the GNWC at info@walleyecup.com.
Title Sponsor for the GNWC is Gander Mountain with other major national sponsors including Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards, the Sportsman Channel, Berkley, Aqua Innovations, YoNet Folding Nets by AMFYOYO, VIB"E" Lure
Company, TowTector Shield and UpNorth Outdoors.com.
Teamwork Makes the Difference at Alum Creek
By Steve Weisman
Gander Mountain GNWC Publicity Director
Building on their third place finish at Indian Lake, the team of Mike Defibaugh and Tom Defibaugh from Bellefontaine, OH captured the Alum Creek tournament on the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup's second stop of the Ohio Region on Sunday, April 18. The Defibaughs brought in five fish weighing 6.43 pounds to take home the $1000 first place check. With winds gusting out of the south, it took total teamwork for the winning team. Tom Defibaugh said of his partner, "Mike basically controlled the boat on these two points so that we could vertical jig." They worked chartreuse and orange jigs tipped with minnows on two points at the south end of the lake and found their fish along the rocky bottom in 15-20 foot of water.
"That's what teamwork is all about," said Gander Mountain GNWC Tournament Director Gary Bowman, as he talked about the winning effort. "If Mike wouldn't have done that, it would have been tough for them to catch their fish." Bowman continued, "Most of the teams worked the south end of the lake because it was clearer. Torrential rains muddied the reservoir, and that really changed the bite. Most of the fish taken were
saugeyes."
Todd Kunk from St. Henry, OH and Adam Harlamert from Cold Water, OH took second place and a $500 check with a two-fish weight of 5.28 pounds. They also captured The Berkley Trilene Big Fish Award of $400 in Berkley products
for their 3.42-pound saugeye. Their presentation was also a jig and minnow, but they worked 30-foot edges.
The team of Gary Schiller from Fairview, PA and Rick Winkleman from Erie, PA cashed the $200 third place check for a three-fish weight of 4.59 pounds. They also vertical jigged with a minnow in 15-20 feet of water.
The "Yo So Close" award of a Yo Net folding net valued at $80 went to the team that placed just out of the money. That team was Kevin Vernon from Westerville, OH and Phillip Ames from Reynoldsburg, OH.
Matt Sands from Union, OH was the winner of the Gander Mountain "Need More Stuff" drawing of $200 for a Gander Mountain Shopping Spree.
A series of special awards came from David Calhoun, owner of Boat Boys, the official Ohio Regional Skeeter Boats sponsor. Calhoun handed out $2500 in Skeeter Boats certificates to the top placing teams toward the purchase
of a new Skeeter boat or toward accessories.
With half of the qualifiers now in the books, Mike Defibaugh and Tom Defibaugh hold the lead for the Ohio Region Team of the Year honors.
The Ohio teams now head to Port Clinton on Sunday, May 2 where they continue their quest for a berth in the Ohio Gander Mountain GNWC Regional Championships.
Anglers interested in signing up for a future qualifier or simply wanting more information on the GNWC circuit can call 1-800-890-FISH (3474), or they can email the GNWC at
info@walleyecup.com.
Title Sponsor for the GNWC is Gander Mountain with other major national sponsors including Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards, the Sportsman Channel, Berkley, Aqua Innovations, YoNet Folding Nets by AMFYOYO, VIB"E" Lure
Company, TowTector Shield and UpNorth Outdoors.com. The Ohio Regional Skeeter Boats sponsor is Boat Boys out of Newark, OH.
Gander
Mountain Grand National
(L to R) Jon Clark and Mark Colwell show their winning
fish. At right is "Bo" Bowman, tournament director.
Cold Front Makes Bite Tough at Indian Lake
By Steve Weisman
Gander Mountain GNWC Publicity Director
Up
against classic cold front conditions that shut down a good pre-tournament
bite, the team of John Clark from Dayton, OH and Marc Colwell from
Springfield, OH made the most of their 5.84-pound walleye to win the Ohio
Region's first qualifier as the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup
(GNWC) kicked off its 2004 season at Indian Lake on Sunday, April 4.
In addition to cashing the first place $1000 check, Clark and
Colwell walleye was also the big fish of the tournament and earned them
the Berkley Trilene Big Fish Award of $400 in Berkley products.
Second place and a check for $500 went to Chris and Matt Sands
from Union, OH with one fish weighing 2.59 pounds. Mike and Tom
Defibaugh from Bellefountaine, OH took third place and a check for $400
with a weight of 2.54 pounds.
The
"Yo So Close" award of a Yo Net folding net valued at $80 went
to the team of Charles Hill and John Hill from Exenia, OH for being the
team that just finished out of the money. A special series of awards
came from David Calhoun, owner of Boat Boys, the official Ohio Regional
Skeeter Boats sponsor. Calhoun handed out $2500 in Skeeter Boats
certificates to the top placing teams toward the purchase of a new Skeeter
boat or toward accessories. "This is really an exciting opportunity
for our Ohio GNWC teams because Boat Boys will be giving out these
certificates at all four Ohio qualifying tournaments," said Gander
Mountain GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer. Meanwhile, the Gander
Mountain "Need More Stuff" drawing of $200 for a Gander Mountain
Shopping Spree went to Todd Kunk from St. Henry, OH and Adam Harlament
from Cold Water, OH. "This was a walleye tournament for
the hardy!" exclaimed Barringer. "The teams showed great
determination to scratch together a few fish under very difficult
circumstances. Everybody had a fear that this might happen. Indian Lake is
a very good walleye fishery, but it is also a shallow basin and a cold
front like we experienced today totally shut the fish down."
With
temperatures plummeting into the 30s and strong northwest winds, the teams
worked extremely hard to trigger the neutral walleyes. Clark and Colwell
felt the need to cover water and trolled Reef Runner Rip Shads, while the
Sands duo caught their fish vertical jigging with a chartreuse jig and
minnow combination by Orchard Island. The Defibaugh team also used a jig
and minnow, but spent their time slowly dragging the bait in 12 foot of
water. The Ohio teams now have two weeks to prepare for their
second qualifier, which will be held on Sunday, April 18 Alum Creek.
Anglers interested in signing up for a future qualifier or simply
wanting more information on the GNWC circuit can call 1-800-890-FISH
(3474), or they can email the GNWC at info@walleyecup.com.
Title
Sponsor for the GNWC is Gander Mountain with other major national sponsors
including Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards, the Sportsman Channel, Berkley,
Aqua Innovations, YoNet, VIB"E" Lure Company, TowTector Shield
and UpNorth Outdoors.com. The Ohio Regional Skeeter Boats sponsor is Boat
Boys out of Newark, OH.
Coffey
County Lake Produces Limits of Walleyes
By Steve Weisman
Gander Mountain GNWC Publicity Director
How is this for walleye tournament excitement and a
tournament
director's dream? Every team brings a limit of fish to the weigh-in!
That's exactly what happened at the Great Plains Region
of the Gander
Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup's (GNWC) first qualifier at Coffey
County Lake in Kansas on Sunday, April 4.
Leading the way and capturing the $1000 first place
check was the team
of J. D. Baker from Hoxie, KS and Greg Meckleberg from Yuma, CO with a
four-fish limit weight of 7.28 pounds.
Second place and a check for $500 went to Robert
Purcell, Missouri
Valleye, IA and Blaine Presley from Wahoo, NE with a four-fish limit
weighing 7.24 pounds.
The third place check of $400 went to Ron Erhard from
Wellsville, KS and
Rob Masterson from Spring Hill, KS with four fish weighing 7.23 pounds.
"Wow!" said Gander Mountain GNWC Tournament
Director Dean Higgins. "It
was phenomenal. Team after team came to the scales with four-fish limits.
What made the weigh-in so incredibly close was the 18-26 inch slot. We had
a
lot of teams that had to throw back 23 and 24 inch fish, but that's what
makes a tournament like this so exciting."
Higgins continued. "This is the first trip for the
Gander Mountain GNWC
to the Great Plains Region of Kansas and Nebraska. Coffey County Lake
showed
us just how great a walleye fishery it is. The teams indicated they had a
great time and displayed a lot of camaraderie in rooting for other teams
at
the weigh-in."
The Berkley Trilene Big Fish Award of $400 in Berkley
products went to
Randall and Randy Orine from Minden, NE for their 1.94 pound walleye taken
on a 1/4-ounce jig.
Special awards include the following. The "Yo So
Close" award of a Yo
Net folding net valued at $80 was awarded to the three teams that placed
out
of the money. Those teams include Kevin Johnson and Cheryl Counts from
Kansas City, KS; Justin Miller and Mark Joy from Wichita, KS; Mark Joslyn
from Hoxie, KS and Kevin Jenny from Gretna, NE.
The Gander Mountain "Need More Stuff" drawing
of $200 for a Gander
Mountain Shopping Spree also went to Miller and Joy.
As mentioned earlier, the fishing was phenomenal with
Baker and
Meckleberg catching their walleyes on 1/8-ounce pink and chartreuse
Whistler
Jigs tipped with Berkley Gulp. They sorted through nearly 70 walleyes
during
the tournament.
Meanwhile, Purcell and Presley pulled silver spinners
and bottom
bouncers tipped with Berkley Gulp Worms. They trolled their spinners in
depths ranging from 10-27 feet and reported that they caught over 150
walleyes in three days of fishing, including Sunday's tournament.
Finally, Erhard and Masterson tried several
presentations ranging from
jigging with 1/8-ounce and 1/4-ounce jigs, to trolling minnows and
nightcrawlers to speed trolling with lead core line and crankbaits. All
presentations caught fish.
The next qualifier on the Great Plains circuit will be
Glen Elder on
Sunday, May 30.
Anglers interested in signing up for a future qualifier
or simply
wanting more information on the GNWC circuit can call 1-800-890-FISH
(3474),
or they can email the GNWC at info@walleyecup.com.
Title Sponsor for the GNWC is Gander Mountain with
other major national
sponsors including Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards, the Sportsman Channel,
Berkley, Aqua Innovations, YoNet Folding Nets by AMFYOYO, VIB"E"
Lure
Company, TowTector Shield and UpNorth Outdoors.com.
Alum
Creek is Site for Second Ohio Qualifier on Gander Mountain Grand National
Walleye Cup Circuit
By Steve Weisman
Gander Mountain GNWC Publicity Director
The second qualifier on the Ohio circuit of the Gander
Mountain Grand
National Walleye Cup (GNWC) is set for Sunday, April 18 at Alum Creek.
According to Gander Mountain GNWC Executive Director,
"The Alum Creek
qualifier should be a good one. We had our first tournament at Indian Lake
two weeks ago, and even with the tough cold front conditions, the teams
still were able to scratch out some nice fish. The Alum Creek qualifier
will
put the Ohio Region at the halfway point in the season."
After the first tournament, the team of John Clark from
Dayton, OH and
Marc Colwell from Springfield, OH are the leaders in the battle for Team
of
the Year honors.
Openings still exist for the Alum Creek qualifier and
Barringer
encourages interested anglers to contact him at 1-800-890-FISH (3474), or
email the GNWC at info@walleyecup.com.
The tournament director will have the trailer at Alum
Creek State Park
from 6-8 p.m. the evening before the tournament to take late entries and
answer questions.
Teams are to meet at Alum Creek State Park the morning
of the tournament
for registration and mandatory boat check. Host bait shop is the Cheshire
Market.
Take-off is at 7 a.m. with the weigh-in commencing at 3
p.m. sharp.
"Once again, we hope that a lot of people will turn out for the
weigh-in.
The weigh-ins give spectators the chance to see what has been caught and
to
hear what presentations worked to catch the fish."
Title Sponsor for the GNWC is Gander Mountain with
other major national
sponsors including Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards, the Sportsman Channel,
Berkley, Aqua Innovations, YoNet Folding Nets by AMFYOYO, VIB"E"
Lure
Company, TowTector Shield and UpNorth Outdoors.com. The Ohio Regional
Skeeter Boats sponsor is Boat Boys out of Newark, OH.
Gander
Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup Kicks Off Wisconsin Circuit April 18
By Steve Weisman
GNWC Publicity Director
Teams competing in the Wisconsin Region of the Gander Mountain Grand
National Walleye Cup (GNWC) are making final preparations for the
Winneconne opener on the Lake Winnebago chain and the Wolf River, Sunday,
April 18.
GNWC director Bernie Barringer had this to say about the Wisconsin
opener. "This is our second year in Wisconsin, and we're seeing lots
of interest in our 2004 circuit. This is an excellent fishery, and if we
get stable weather, I think we will have a good bite."
Openings still exist for the Winneconne qualifier and Barringer
encourages interested anglers to contact him at 1-800-890-FISH (3474), or
email the GNWC at info@walleyecup.com.
According to Barringer, competing teams should be at the Wolf River
House Resort in Winneconne between 6-6:30 Sunday morning to sign in and
participate in mandatory boat inspections. However, the tournament
director will have the GNWC trailer at the check-in site from 6-8 p.m. on
Saturday evening to answer questions and to take any late registrations.
The tournament hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Weigh-in begins precisely
at 3 p.m., with awards to follow. "I encourage the public to come to
the weigh-in. It is always exciting to see what fish were caught and to
learn the presentations used to trigger the fish," added Barringer.
Barringer shared his excitement about the 2004 season for the
eight-region partner circuit. "This is the second year for the GNWC,
and we are looking forward to more and more teams joining what we think is
the most exciting partner walleye circuit in the country. We are also very
excited about the enthusiasm of the sponsors. It's been great to see the
way top national fishing companies have cast their support behind Gander
Mountain GNWC walleye tournament anglers."
Another important part of the circuit is the GNWC website(www.walleyecup.com),
which offers detailed information for both Gander Mountain GNWC members
and Internet browsers. The site includes detailed scheduling information
on locations and host communities, tournament results and highlights,
how-to articles, along with a message board and free classifieds for
members.
Title Sponsor for the GNWC is Gander Mountain with other major
national sponsors including Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards, the Sportsman
Channel, Berkley, Aqua Innovations, YoNet Folding Nets by AMFYOYO,
VIB"E" Lure Company, TowTector Shield and UpNorth Outdoors.com.
[ Home ] [ Up ] [ GNWC Opener at Detroit River ] [ GNWC at Clear lake ] [ GNWC Opener at Winneconne ] [ Lake Shelbville, IL. ]
|
Proud
member of
Dabcom's
Nascar
Diecast
Auctions
on Ebay
Les's
Old Lures
Auctions
on Ebay
Midway
Bait
&
Tackle
|
