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| Prefishing Pays Off for Clear Lake Duo |
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. |
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| Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup Heads to Clear Lake for First Qualifier |
Teams competing in the Iowa Region of the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC) are busy preparing for the first qualifier of the year at Clear Lake, Sunday, April 25.
According to GNWC director Bernie Barringer, Clear Lake is a traditional walleye hotspot in northern Iowa. "As it always is, weather will be a big factor. Last year, we had a downpour and strong winds. Hopefully, this year we can get a stable weather pattern. If we do, I know these teams will put on quite a show."
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 people to attend the weigh-in both for the excitement of seeing the baskets of fish brought to the scale, and to hear the teams explain the presentations they used to trigger the fish," added Barringer.
Openings still exist for the Clear Lake qualifier, and Barringer encourages interested anglers to contact him at 1-800-890-FISH (3474), or email the GNWC at [email protected]. "The Iowa Region looks to be as strong as always. I think we have pick waters that will be both challenging and fun for the teams to fish."
According to Barringer, competing teams should be at MacIntosh Woods State Park 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. Host bait shop will be Dome Bait.
Barringer shared his excitement about the 2004 season for the eight-region partner circuit. "Although we have been in Iowa for many years with the Iowa Walleye Tournament Trail, 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, 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. |
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