Big fish were the rule on Lake Thompson Sunday, June 29 at the third qualifier on the South Dakota Circuit of the Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC).
Lee Pulse from Kimball and Scott Handel from Chamberlain used a 9.72 pounder to put them over the top and cash the winning check of $1400. Their five-fish weight of 21.57 pounds was almost two pounds more than the second place team. That 9.72 pounder also helped them capture the Abu Garcia Big Fish Award of two Abu Garcia 6500 Linecounter reels.
Right behind in second place was the team of Daron Peterson from Humboldt and Dale Peterson from Sioux Falls with a six-fish limit weight of 19.88 pounds. Their big fish was a 7.21 pounder. The Petersons not only took the $725 runner-up check, but they also took the Berkley Family Angler Award of $250 in Berkley product as the top placing family team.
Roger and Tony Janssen from Castlewood took third place and $500 with a six-fish limit weight of 16.22 pounds. A total of eight teams weighed six-fish limits, while 25 of the 30 competing teams weighed in fish.
It was a crankbait bite for the top teams as they pulled lead core line with Shad Raps and Wally Divers on the deep flats of the lake.
"What a tournament!" said GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer. "These teams really hit the jackpot when it comes to big fish. I know now why many people say Lake Thompson rivals the Missouri River as a walleye fishery."
Since Lake Thompson can be a windswept lake, a major key to angler success was the 10-15 mph northwest wind. "The weather cooperated and the teams were able to do what they wanted. We have now had three great tournaments in a row - Lake Francis Case, Lake Kampeska and now Lake Thompson! We've got one left at Mobridge on Sunday, July 20, and it looks as if it will be quite a showdown for the Mercury Team of the year," added Barringer.
Currently the Petersons lead the way with 13 points. However, they are only two points ahead of Scott Kaufmann and Todd Weisz, and three points ahead of Pulse and Handel.
"Boy is it going to be fun. This South Dakota circuit has been a great one, and Mobridge will be a great place to have our final 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.
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. |