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| Pulse, Handel Maintain Lead to Win South Dakota Championship of Walleye Fishing Title |
Talk about suspense! It came right down to the final fish weighed before the winners of the South Dakota Championship of Walleye Fishing Tournament held at Lake Kampeska near Watertown, SD could be announced. Needing a little over 1/2 pound to claim the $4000 first place prize, Lee Pulse from Kimball, SD and Scott Handel from Chamberlain, SD had more than enough and ended up the two-day event with a weight of 21.76 pounds.
Second place and a check for $2000 went to Jeff DenHerder from Sioux Falls, SD and Steve Alverson from Chester, SD with a two-day total weight of 19.69 pounds. Meanwhile, Shane Christenson from Bruce SD and James Molengraaf from White, SD took third place and a check for $1250 with a two-day weight of 19.48 pounds.
The South Dakota State Championship of Walleye Fishing, which is the fourth of eight such tournaments on the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC) circuit, found the 30 teams enjoying a much calmer day with winds from the northwest at 15 mph rather than Saturday's southerly winds which gusted in excess of 20 mph.
"It was definitely a nicer day today," said Gander Mountain GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer. "We had a great crowd on hand at the weigh-in, and there was plenty of electricity in the air as the final fish went on the scale."
The top two teams maintained their first and second place spot throughout the two-day tournament. Although DenHerder and Alverson caught two six-fish limits each day compared to the three-fish weight on Day I and a six-fish limit on Day II by Pulse and Handel, it was the 8.67-pound kicker fish Pulse and Handel landed on Saturday that made the difference.
Cranking the rocks was the key for the top teams, and although Wally Divers and Tail Dancers were used, the #5 Shad Rap was the most common plug used. The top color was purple and white. For Lee and Handel, however, things changed from Saturday to Sunday. On Saturday, they pulled lead core, while on Sunday they went to a three-way rig with a snap weight and Fireline leader.
DenHerder and Alverson used lead core and a Fireline leader to pull #5 Shad Raps and Wally Divers. Once again, purple and white was the most consistent color.
Amazingly enough, the 8.67-pound walleye was not the largest of the tournament. The team of Austin Earley from Brookings, SD and Rodny Harmilink from Sioux Falls, SD brought in a 9.47-pound walleye on Sunday to capture the Berkley Big Fish Award of $400 in Berkley product.
Several other special awards were presented at Sunday's weigh-in.
The "Yo So Close" award of a Yo Net folding net valued at $80 went to the teams that placed just out of the money. They include Brad Berens and Dave Andera from Sioux Falls, SD in 11th place; Bob and Jennifer Stalley from Pierre, SD in 12th place; and Bill Leonard from Estherville, IA and Greg Schenecker from Watertown, SD in 13th place.
The VIB"E" Lure award of two six-piece lure sets valued at $40 went to the two teams who finished behind the Yo So Close award. They include Darold and Flo Swank from Pierre, SD in 14th place; and Lynn Jurrens and Roy Brownlee from Watertown, SD in 15th place.
The Towtector Comeback Award of a Towtector boat protector valued at $250 went to the team advancing the most places from the first day to the second day. This award went to Todd Steffensen and Tim Tesch from Watertown, SD for advancing 19 places to an overall sixth place finish.
The winner of the Gander Mountain "Need More Stuff" drawing of $200 for a Gander Mountain Shopping Spree went to Jurrens and Brownlee.
"These teams are some of the toughest anglers you will find anywhere. The water temperature dropped almost 12 degrees in the last week, and it really scattered the fish. It certainly put the Championship teams to the test, but they once again responded to the challenge," added Barringer.
The Walleye Wisdom camera crew was also on hand to film footage of the Championship. "The Walleye Wisdom camera crew is at all of the State Championships to capture the excitement of the tournament action. The highlights of these State Championships and the National Championships, along with some great walleye fishing tips will appear on our 13-week Walleye Wisdom television program," noted Barringer.
Those 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 GNWC is Gander Mountain. Other major national sponsors include 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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