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| Big 'Eyes at Red Wing |
Led by the team of Tom Diercks from Hager, WI and D. J. Siewart from Lake City, MN and their six-walleye limit weight of 21.32 pounds, a total of 15 teams weighed six-fish limits at Red Wing on Sunday.
"What a great way for the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup to start the Minnesota Region!" exclaimed Executive Director Bernie Barringer. "You needed to have a 6-pound kicker to be near the top."
For their efforts, Diercks and Siewart pocketed the $1800 first place check. Second place and a check for $900 went to Corey Bjorgaard and Mark Smisek from Waterville, MN for their six-fish limit of 19.88 pounds.
The third place team of Tom Johnson and Stan Watkins from Otter Tail, MN weighed three fish at 19.80 pounds and also took the Berkley Trilene Big Fish Award of $400 in Berkley products for their 28" walleye which weighed 7.63 pounds.
Diercks discussed their strategy and success. "We knew going in that we had a chance to catch 18-20 inch fish at our first spot, which was off the main bay channel where the Mississippi opens up into Lake Pepin. But we thought we might have to run to another spot to get that big kicker fish. Then we caught the 27 incher which was a real bonus for us."
Diercks and Siewert used their kicker motor to troll three-way rigs and Phelps floaters tipped with a leech. They worked a sand and gravel point in 7-9' of water. Diercks added, "Orange was probably the best color, but it wasn't fast. We would catch a good fish every 45 minutes or so. It was also a strange mix with lots of tiny saugers along with the bigger walleyes."
Bjorgaard and Smisek used crankbaits to catch their fish and found the bright colored Shad Raps worked the best.
Johnson and Watkins popped their three big fish from a backwater area using bottom bouncers and spinners. Although they had never fished Red Wing before, they caught a 28" fish pre-fishing on Saturday. That led to their 7.63-pound Berkley Big Fish of the tournament on Sunday.
Barringer added, "Teams were spread out all over. They were in the backwater areas, on the river and on the lake. Plus, there were fish caught on a variety of presentations. This is a great fishery, and we had a lot of teams figure them out."
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 Jon and David Beise from Red Wing, MN in 14th place; William and Ryan Quinn from Amherst, WI in 15th place; and Chad Benson and Joe Edlund from Bemidji, MN in 16th place.
Robert and Nic Branshaw from Chippewa Falls, WI won the Gander Mountain "Need More Stuff" drawing of $200 for a Gander Mountain Shopping Spree.
For complete results of the Red Wing tournament, check out the Gander Mountain GNWC website at www.walleyecup.com.
Next up for the Minnesota teams will be at Rush Lake on Sunday, June 6. "I think with the quality of anglers we have, along with the waters and the dates we have chosen for the Minnesota Region that we are going to have an outstanding year," concluded Barringer.
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 [email protected].
Title Sponsor for the Gander Mountain 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 UpNorthOutdoors.com. |
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| Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup Opens Minnesota Region at Red Wing |
The long anticipated wait is almost over for the teams fishing the Minnesota Region of the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC)! On Sunday, May 9 the Minnesota Region opens up on the Mississippi River at
Red Wing.
According to Gander Mountain GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer, there is a lot of enthusiasm among the Minnesota GNWC teams as they head to Red Wing. "Red Wing is known for its walleye fishery, and we look to have an excellent qualifier. Fishing the river is always a challenge, but I know with the quality of anglers in the Minnesota Region. They will find the pattern that works."
Openings still exist for the Red Wing qualifier and Barringer encourages interested anglers to contact him at 1-800-890-FISH (3474), or email the GNWC at [email protected]. "This is the second year for the GNWC in Minnesota, and we look forward to a tremendous season for the Minnesota Region. We have chosen some great walleye fisheries for the GNWC teams to experience."
According to Barringer, competing teams should be at Colvill 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 Four Seasons.
The tournament hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Weigh-in begins precisely at 3 p.m., with awards to follow. "With its great fishery, Red Wing is a great place to start the Minnesota Region. 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.
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 Gander Mountain 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. |
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