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| Johnson, Watkins Take Minnesota Region Team of the Year by 1 point |
What a finish for the Minnesota Region of the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC)! The fourth qualifier at Lake Vermilion on Sunday, August 1 settled the Team of the Year honors with only 1 point separating the top three teams!
Tom Johnson and Stan Watkins from Ottertail, MN used a fifth place finish at Lake Vermilion to end the season with 37 points and take the Team of the Year honors. Tied for second with 38 points were the teams of Tim Hinrichs from Bemidji, MN and Jeff Puttnam from Dassel, MN and Corey Bjorgaard from Inver Grove, MN and David Domonoske from Waterville, MN.
"It doesn't get any closer than this. Tom and Stan were 12 points back heading into Lake Vermilion. It was just plain an unbelievable finish," exclaimed Gander Mountain GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer.
Winning the Lake Vermilion Tournament itself was the father-son team of Mike and Johnny Neisen from St. Paul, MN. They weighed a four walleye limit weight of 13.82 pounds and cashed a check for $1600.
Taking second and a check for $800 was the team of Tony Nigon from Zumbrota, MN and P J Smith from Tow, MN. Their four fish limit weighed 12.44 pounds.
Joe Panichi from Buyck, MN and Jason Panichi from Cook, MN took third place and a check for $520 with a weight of 12.22 pounds.
Gene Johnson from Side Lake, MN and Tim Rasch from Hibbing, MN brought home the Berkley Trilene Big Fish Award of $400 in Berkley products for their 6.21-pound walleye.
"This was one of those hit and miss tournaments. Lake Vermilion is so huge that if you didn't get the fish dialed in during pre-fishing, you knew it was really going to be tough today," said Barringer. "Lake Vermilion is an incredible fishery that gives you a real North Woods feel. I'd like to thank the community and Timbuktu Resort for welcoming the GNWC anglers to their community."
The winning father-son team of Mike and Johnny Neisen found success fishing 14' to 20' water in Big Bay. They fished Lindy Rigs and live bait while working the rocks and breaklines.
Nigon and Smith, meanwhile, fished a current area between two islands and drifted slip bobbers and live bait through the current area.
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 Lee Mendenhall from New Richland, MN and Gary Nordlie from Owatonna, MN in 12th place; Ronald and Brian Swanson from Osceola, WI in 13th place; and Scott Hale from Stillwater, MN and Dave Hale from Sommerset, WI in 14th place.
Meanwhile, Tony LeBlanc from St Cloud, MN and Mark Mikota from Breezy Point, MN won the Gander Mountain "Need More Stuff" drawing of $200 for a Gander Mountain Shopping Spree.
For complete results of the Lake Vermilion tournament, check out the Gander Mountain GNWC website at www.walleyecup.com.
Next up for the Minnesota Region will be Minnesota State Championship of Walleye Fishing at Big Stone Lake on September 18-19. "The Minnesota Region has shown great growth this year. These teams competed extremely hard on some of the best bodies of water in Minnesota. I look forward to seeing the top teams in the Minnesota GNWC go after the Minnesota State Championship at Big Stone," added Barringer.
Anglers interested in 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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| Minnesota Teams Prepare for Lake Vermilion |
A berth in the Championships and Team of the Year honors are at stake for the teams on the Minnesota Region of the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC) as they prepare for the final regular season tournament Sunday, August 1 on Lake Vermilion.
This final tournament will help decide what teams will make the Minnesota State Championship of Walleye Fishing, which will be held on Big Stone Lake, September 18-19.
With its 40,000 acres of water, 365 islands and 313 miles of shoreline, Lake Vermilion stretches 24 miles across the heart of Minnesota's Arrowhead Region and is renowned for its quality walleye fishery. The 2003 DNR creel survey indicates several strong year classes including the 1995, 1997, 1998 and 1999 years. These years account for a large portion of the walleye harvest. There is also a strong class of 17-21 inch walleyes which come from the 1997 and 1998 year classes.
Gander Mountain GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer is looking forward to the Vermilion tournament. "Lake Vermilion is a great place to hold the final tournament on the Minnesota Region. It contains structure, hundreds of islands and a good walleye population."
Openings still exist for the Lake Vermilion qualifier and Barringer encourages interested anglers to contact him at 1-800-890-FISH (3474), or email the GNWC at [email protected].
According to Barringer, competing teams should be at Timbuktu Marina 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. "The Minnesota Region has really grown this year. We've added a lot of new teams, and we have had some tremendous competitions. I think the public will enjoy coming out and seeing what these teams can do. It's also a great opportunity to learn about the techniques used to catch fish," added Barringer.
Heading into the Lake Vermilion tournament, Corey Bjorgaard from Inver Grove Heights, MN and David Domonoski from Waterville, MN are 7 points ahead of their nearest competitors, Tim Hinrichs from Bemidji, MN and Jeff Putnam from Dassel, MN in the race for the Minnesota Region Team of the Year.
Anglers interested in checking out the standings, reading the releases about any of the eight regions or simply learning more about the circuit can access the Gander Mountain GNWC website at www.walleyecup.com.
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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