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| One Big Walleye Makes All the Difference |
Knowing that one big walleye could make the difference at Saturday's (April 26) Fox Chain of Lakes qualifier, the team of John Mannerino of Chicago, IL and Greg Meyer of Elgin, IL connected big time and their 6.59 pounder won the Grand National Walleye Cup's first place prize of $1200.
According to GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer, Mannerino and Meyer took a big gamble, and it definitely paid off. "They swung for the home run," said Barringer. "They were the only team that stuck with a trolling bite. They used a #7 Fire Tiger Shad Rap to catch their winning fish."
In addition to winning the tournament, they also won the Abu Garcia Big Fish Award of two ABU Garcia 6500 Linecounter reels. Second place and a check for $600 went to the team of Ted Beskow from Spring Grove, Il and Ed Schuld from Genoa City, IL with four walleyes weighing 6.14 pounds.
Meanwhile, Bob Schine from Crystal Lake, IL and Jasen Schine from Lake Villa, IL took home both the third place check for $350 and the Berkley Family Angler Award worth $250 in Berkley product. Their four fish weighed 5.74 pounds.
With a weight of 5.22 pounds, Jeff Miller from Fox Lake and Dave Zurawski from Plainfield, IL captured fourth place and a check for $300.
Fifth place and a check for $200 went to Robert Galledora from Lakemoor, IL and Kevin Wilhelm from Spring Grove, IL.
"We had great weather and the teams worked hard trying to get a pattern established. Except for the first place team s big walleye, the rest of the fish were taken on a jig and minnow. However, it took a lot of running and gunning from place to place for these teams to catch their fish," noted Barringer.
"I really want to thank everybody for welcoming us with such great enthusiasm. We had great help from the Chain Walleye Club at the weigh-in. The GNWC looks forward to coming back in another year."
Next stop on the Illinois Circuit will be at East Dubuque, IL on the Mississippi River Sunday, May 11.
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. For those television viewers who do not have The Sportsman Channel, be sure to call your cable company or satellite television provider and ask them to include it in their package.
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| Fox Chain of Lakes Next Stop for Grand National Walleye Cup |
The second qualifier for the Illinois Circuit of the Grand National Walleye Cup is set for the Fox Chain of Lakes, Saturday, April 26.
According to Executive Director Bernie Barringer, competing teams should be at the Ben Watts Marina between 6-6:30 Saturday 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. "Teams can still sign up on Saturday morning. Just show up, and we'll take care of the paperwork."
Barringer expressed his excitement for the Fox Chain qualifier. "I'm excited about taking the GNWC to the Fox Chain. It's a great fishery with excellent accomodations. Our event will be a boost to the local economy, and I'm expecting some good tournament catches from this body of water."
Barringer continued, "There is normally a $18 charge to use the marina, but this has been reduced to $10 for GNWC teams. However, teams may launch at any ramp and come to the marina by boat if they wish All teams must have a valid lake use sticker, which can be purchased at local bait shops 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.
One last bit of news on the GNWC circuit is the addition of The Sportsman Channel as a major sponsoring partner. Barringer had this to say about the Sportsman Channel. "The Sportsman Channel will air all of our state championships. It is a new and upcoming channel that I think outdoor enthusiasts will really like. From the research I have done, I think they will offer a top quality product. For those who do not get the Sportsman Channel, I encourage you to call your local cable company or satellite television provider and ask for it."
Major sponsoring partners for the GNWC include Ranger Boats, Mercury Outboards, Berkley, Abu-Garcia, The Sportsman Channel and UpNorthOutdoors.com. |
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