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| Tight Finish at Lake Berlin |
What a shootout! Only .04 of a pound separated the top two teams at the final tournament on the Ohio Region of the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC).
Held on Sunday, June 6 at Lake Berlin, the tournament ended with the team of John Clark from Dayton, OH and Mark Colwell from Springfield, OH taking home the $1000 first place check with a six-fish limit weight of 12.24 pounds.
Todd Kunk from St. Henry, OH and Adam Harlamert from Cold Water, OH took second place and the $320 check with six fish weighing 12.20 pounds. Their 4.4-pound walleye that also gave them the Berkley Trilene Big Fish Award of $400 in Berkley products.
Third place and a check for $200 went to Mark Droton from East Palestine, OH and Sam Cappelli from Poland, OH with a six-fish limit weight of 10.02 pounds.
This tournament also settled the battle for the Ohio Team of the Year honors. Kunk and Harlamert, who had been tied with Mike and Tom Defibaugh heading into the Lake Berlin tournament, used their second place finish to take the Ohio Team of the Year honors with 15 points. With their first place finish at Lake Berlin, Clark and Colwell ended up in second place with 17 points, while the Defibaugh team ended up in third place with 18 points.
"Boy did this tournament have a lot of drama to it," said Gander Mountain GNWC Tournament Director Gary Bowman. "Only .04 of a pound between first and second place, and the race for Team of the Year was also decided right here. Plus, the water level on Lake Berlin has really been something. It dropped 6' in a matter of two days. Ramps and parking lots were flooded before they let the water level drop. That really made the water murky, but these team did a remarkable job catching six-fish limits of walleyes."
The teams adjusted to the murky water by going to bright colored crankbaits and jigs. The winners pulled bright colored Shad Raps in 12-15' of water. They found speed to be the key and pulled the crankbaits at 2.8 mph.
Meanwhile, Kunk and Harlamert worked bright colored jigs and crawlers, along with bright colored VIB"E" lures to catch their fish. However, instead of vertical jigging, they slowly drifted their bait around the sunken island.
The third place team also pulled bright colored Shad Raps to trigger their fish.
A series of special awards were also announced. 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 Mike and Tom Defibaugh from Bellefontaine, OH in 4th place; and Steven Dehart from Columbus, OH and Brian Biggio from Steubenville, OH in 5th place.
The winner of the Gander Mountain "Need More Stuff" drawing of $200 for a Gander Mountain Shopping Spree went to Curt Braden and Jeff Matthews from North Canton, OH.
A series of special awards came from David Calhoun, owner of Boat Boys, the official Ohio Regional Skeeter Boats sponsor. The top placing teams receive Skeeter Boats certificates toward the purchase of a new Skeeter boat or toward accessories.
"I'd like to thank all of the teams who fished the Ohio Region this year. Until today, the weather had been brutal, but they still hung in there. I'd also like to thank David Calhoun and the Boat Boys for all their help. They have volunteered their time at these tournaments and have really helped things go smoothly," said Bowman.
For complete results, check out the Gander Mountain GNWC website at www.walleyecup.com. 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].
The top Ohio teams now prepare for the Ohio Gander Mountain GNWC Regional Championships July 10-11 at Mosquito Creek. A complete list along with the Championship itinerary will be released soon.
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. The Ohio Regional Skeeter Boats sponsor is Boat Boys out of Newark, OH. |
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| Ohio Teams Put it All on the Line at Lake Berlin |
It's time for the final round! Yes, the fourth tournament for the Ohio Region teams on the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup is just around the corner.
Set for Sunday, June 6 at Berlin Lake, this final tournament will determine two things: the Ohio Region Team of the Year and the top teams that will make the Regional Championships at Mosquito Creek on July 10-11.
"It just doesn't get any more exciting than this," noted Gander Mountain GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer. "A lot will be decided on June 6. These teams have worked very hard to get where they are, and I know they will put forth another great effort at Berlin."
As for the Team of the Year race, the team of Mike Defibaugh and Tom Defibaugh from Bellefontaine, OH and the team of Todd Kunk from St Henry, OH and Adam Harlamert from cold Water, OH are tied in the race for the Ohio Region Team of the Year honors with 13 points. Meanwhile, John Clark from Dayton, OH and Marc Colwell from Springfield, OH are sitting in third place with 16 points. So, for these teams, this final tournament has a lot riding of importance.
Now for a little about Berlin Lake. Ohio anglers know that Berlin Lake is known for its excellent walleye fishing. It is also one of the new inland lakes in Ohio that has natural walleye reproduction. Although it has a maximum depth of 76 feet, Berlin Lake's average depth is 16 feet.
Barringer said, "The water is high at Berlin due to the flooding that part of the country has been getting, and it remains to be seen what that will do to the bite. I hope someone is able to go out and unlock the key to the bite."
Openings still exist for the Berlin qualifier and Barringer encourages interested anglers to contact him at 1-800-890-FISH (3474), or email the GNWC at [email protected]. "I encourage local teams who have not fished the entire circuit to give the GNWC a try. I know the season-long regulars will enjoy the new competition, and the larger the field, the greater the purse," said Barringer.
The tournament director will have the trailer at the Bonner Road Boat Ramp from 6-8 p.m. the evening before the tournament to take late entries and answer questions. Teams are to meet at the Bonner Road Boat Ramp between 6-6:30 the morning of the tournament for registration and mandatory boat check.
Take-off is at 7 a.m. with the weigh-in commencing at 3 p.m. sharp. "I encourage the public to come out and see the excitement created by this final qualifier. It's a great learning experience as these teams share with the crowd the presentations that worked during the course of the day," added Barringer.
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 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. The Ohio Regional Skeeter Boats sponsor is Boat Boys out of Newark, OH. |
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