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| Local Teams Top GNWC's Lake Okoboji Qualifier |
Using the same technique that helped them win the 2001 Okoboji Walleye Classic, the team of Marvin Hansen from Ocheyedan and Neil Houge from Okoboji took top honors on the third qualifier of the Grand National Walleye Cup's (GNWC) Iowa Circuit, Sunday, May 25 on the Okoboji chain of lakes.
Hansen and Houge weighed a six-fish limit of 9.57 pounds to cash the first place check of $2000. Second place finishers, Wes Rose and Todd Hough from Graettinger, were right behind with a six-fish limit weighing 9.49 pounds. They took home a check for $1000.
Chris Scholl from Manly and Kevin Hulsing from Cedar Rapids took third place with another six-limit weighing 9.20 pounds and cashed a check for $750.
A total of seven teams caught six-fish limits while the payout extended through the top 14 teams.
The Abu Garcia Big Fish award of two 6500 Linecounter went to Russell Mann and his son from Gilman for their 3.01 pound walleye taken on a slip bobber and a chub in 15 foot of water on East Okoboji.
Meanwhile David Tolk from Sioux Falls, SD and Stephen Tolk from Lake Park captured the Berkley Family Angler Award of $250 in Berkley product for being the top family team with 7.20 pounds.
Although the top two teams used a slip bobber and a leech presentation to catch their fish on West Okoboji's gin clear waters, Hansen and Houge deviated from the traditional slip bobber presentation. Instead, they worked their slip bobber rigs along a 15 foot weedline in Hayward's Bay, nudging themselves slowly ahead with their front trolling motor. Hansen said, "This is exactly what we did to win the Okoboji Walleye Classic two years ago. We found we can cover a lot of area doing this." As they bump themselves ahead, the key is to still keep the leech in the strike zone. Rose and Hough slip bobbered a rock pile in Hayward's Bay for their first three fish and then headed across the lake to finish out their limit in the afternoon.
Scholl and Hulsing, on the other hand, showed that other techniques also work as they trolled 14-foot water near Parks Marina on East Okoboji with silver spinners and nightcrawlers.
GNWC Tournament Director Dean Higgins was elated with the 58-team field and the weather conditions. "After the driving rain and wind at Clear Lake, this weather was awesome. The teams once again showed their versatility, however, with a change to clear, high skies on Sunday after a cloudy, drizzly day on Saturday. We had a nice crowd at the weigh-in, and now we're down to the last qualifier at Prairie du Chien on the Mississippi River on Sunday, June 22" In the race for the Mercury Team-of-the-Year, Rodger Clark and Dustin Clark from Albert Lea, MN lead Dave Smithburg from Libertyville and Joel Shaw from Fairfield by four points going into the last qualifier.
Interested anglers can call 1-800-890-3474, email the GNWC at [email protected] or check out the official GNWC website at walleyecup.com for all of the latest in GNWC information.
Major sponsoring partners for the GNWC include Ranger Boats, Mercury Outboards, Berkley, Abu-Garcia, The Sportsman Channel and UpNorthOutdoors.com.
Television viewers who do not have The Sportsman Channel and want to watch the GNWC's television series Walleye Wisdom, are encouraged to call their cable company or satellite television provider and ask them to include it in their package. |
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| GNWC Heads to the Okobojis |
The third stop on the Iowa Circuit of the National Walleye Cup (GNWC) is West Okoboji on Sunday, May 25.
Leading the Mercury Team-of-the-Year race with 15 points are Rodger Clark and Dustin Clark of Albert Lea, MN, followed by Dave Smithburg of Libertyville, IA and Joel Shaw of Fairfield, IA with 18 points.
In third place with 21 points is the northwest Iowa team of Jeremy Ruehle of Ruthven and Moe Hansen of Dickens.
GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer had this to say about the Okoboji chain. "This chain of lakes offers walleye anglers both a clear, deep water structure lake in West Okoboji and a shallower elongated lake in East Okoboji. Then, of course, there are the shallower bodies of water in Upper Gar, Minnewashta and Lower Gar that also hold good walleye populations. Strategy will definitely be the key for this qualifier."
According to Barringer, competing teams should be at the Highway 9 boat ramp between 6-6:30 Sunday morning to sign in and participate in mandatory boat inspections. The tournament hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Weigh-in begins precisely at 3 p.m., with awards to follow. "If there are some teams who decide to enter at the last minute, teams can still sign up on Sunday morning. Just show up at the boat ramp, and we'll take care of the paperwork."
Barringer also encouraged the public to come out for the weigh-in. "I think people will be impressed with the weights these teams bring in. It is also a great opportunity to find out what presentations worked for the top placing teams," added Barringer.
Both East and West Okoboji have good walleye populations. However, much of the early season action on West Okoboji has been at night. East Okoboji, meanwhile, has had a fair to good daytime bite.
Interested anglers can call 1-800-890-3474, email the GNWC at [email protected] or get on the GNWC website at walleyecup.com to catch up on updated information from all five states.
Major sponsoring partners for the GNWC include Ranger Boats, Mercury Outboards, Berkley, Abu-Garcia, The Sportsman Channel and UpNorthOutdoors.com.
For those television viewers who do not have The Sportsman Channel and wish to watch the GNWC's television series Walleye Wisdom, be sure to call your cable company or satellite television provider and ask them to include it in their package.
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