The team of Ron Brake and Jeff Fore from Petersburg took a three point lead in the battle for Grand National Walleye Cup's (GNWC) Mercury Outboards Team-of-the-Year with their second place finish on the Mississippi River at East Dubuque on Sunday, May 11.
Brake and Fore weighed five walleye good for 7.18 pounds, but were edged by the team of Steve Kopp and Tim Ware of Dubuque, who made the most of their two walleyes weighing 7.49 pounds. Kopp and Ware not only cashed the first place check of $1000 but also captured the Abu Garcia Big Fish Award and two Abu Garcia Linecounter reels with their 4.07 pound walleye.
The Berkley Family Angler Award of $250 in Berkley product went to Bob Schine from Crystal Lake and Jason Schine from Lake Villa.
"The weather was incredibly brutal. We had winds of 40 mph with gusts over 50 mph. It was the choice of these teams to take a shot at it, and I really commend them for their endurance," said GNWC Tournament Director Dean Higgens. "We had several other teams who didn't fish because of the weather, and I certainly understand and respect their decision."
Most of the teams headed south and fished the Catfish Creek area and kept themselves tucked in away from the high winds. Kopp and Ware trolled three-way rigs with floater Rapalas along the shoreline in 10-12 feet of water, while Brake and Fore also worked the same area with three-way rigs.
However, they pulled jigs tipped with a leech.
In the race for the Mercury Outboards Team-of-the-Year, Brake and Fore lead the teams of John Mannerino from Chicago and Greg Meyer from Elgin and Bob and Jason Schine, who are both three points back with one qualifier left on the Mississippi River at Albany on Sunday, June 8.
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.
GNWC Executive Director Barringer also underscored the importance of The Sportsman Channel as a major sponsoring partner. "We are very excited to be able to showcasae all of our state championships along with the National Championship on The Sportsman Channel. 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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