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| Father - Son Team Take Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup Opener at Winneconne |
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 [email protected].
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. |
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| Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup Kicks Off Wisconsin Circuit April 18 |
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 [email protected].
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. |
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