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| Teamwork Makes the Difference at Alum Creek |
Building on their third place finish at Indian Lake, the team of Mike Defibaugh and Tom Defibaugh from Bellefontaine, OH captured the Alum Creek tournament on the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup's second stop of the Ohio Region on Sunday, April 18.
The Defibaughs brought in five fish weighing 6.43 pounds to take home the $1000 first place check. With winds gusting out of the south, it took total teamwork for the winning team. Tom Defibaugh said of his partner, "Mike basically controlled the boat on these two points so that we could vertical jig." They worked chartreuse and orange jigs tipped with minnows on two points at the south end of the lake and found their fish along the rocky bottom in 15-20 foot of water.
"That's what teamwork is all about," said Gander Mountain GNWC Tournament Director Gary Bowman, as he talked about the winning effort. "If Mike wouldn't have done that, it would have been tough for them to catch their fish."
Bowman continued, "Most of the teams worked the south end of the lake because it was clearer. Torrential rains muddied the reservoir, and that really changed the bite. Most of the fish taken were saugeyes."
Todd Kunk from St. Henry, OH and Adam Harlamert from Cold Water, OH took second place and a $500 check with a two-fish weight of 5.28 pounds. They also captured The Berkley Trilene Big Fish Award of $400 in Berkley products for their 3.42-pound saugeye. Their presentation was also a jig and minnow, but they worked 30-foot edges.
The team of Gary Schiller from Fairview, PA and Rick Winkleman from Erie, PA cashed the $200 third place check for a three-fish weight of 4.59 pounds. They also vertical jigged with a minnow in 15-20 feet of water.
The "Yo So Close" award of a Yo Net folding net valued at $80 went to the team that placed just out of the money. That team was Kevin Vernon from Westerville, OH and Phillip Ames from Reynoldsburg, OH.
Matt Sands from Union, OH was the winner of the Gander Mountain "Need More Stuff" drawing of $200 for a Gander Mountain Shopping Spree.
A series of special awards came from David Calhoun, owner of Boat Boys, the official Ohio Regional Skeeter Boats sponsor. Calhoun handed out $2500 in Skeeter Boats certificates to the top placing teams toward the purchase of a new Skeeter boat or toward accessories.
With half of the qualifiers now in the books, Mike Defibaugh and Tom Defibaugh hold the lead for the Ohio Region Team of the Year honors.
The Ohio teams now head to Port Clinton on Sunday, May 2 where they continue their quest for a berth in the Ohio Gander Mountain GNWC Regional Championships.
Anglers interested in signing up for a future qualifier or simply wanting more information on the GNWC circuit can call 1-800-890-FISH (3474), or they can email the GNWC at [email protected].
Title Sponsor for the GNWC is Gander Mountain with other major national sponsors including Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards, the Sportsman Channel, Berkley, Aqua Innovations, YoNet Folding Nets by AMFYOYO, VIB"E" Lure Company, TowTector Shield and UpNorth Outdoors.com. The Ohio Regional Skeeter Boats sponsor is Boat Boys out of Newark, OH. |
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| Alum Creek is Site for Second Ohio Qualifier on Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup Circuit |
The second qualifier on the Ohio circuit of the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC) is set for Sunday, April 18 at Alum Creek.
According to Gander Mountain GNWC Executive Director, "The Alum Creek qualifier should be a good one. We had our first tournament at Indian Lake two weeks ago, and even with the tough cold front conditions, the teams still were able to scratch out some nice fish. The Alum Creek qualifier will put the Ohio Region at the halfway point in the season."
After the first tournament, the team of John Clark from Dayton, OH and Marc Colwell from Springfield, OH are the leaders in the battle for Team of the Year honors.
Openings still exist for the Alum Creek qualifier and Barringer encourages interested anglers to contact him at 1-800-890-FISH (3474), or email the GNWC at [email protected].
The tournament director will have the trailer at Alum Creek State Park from 6-8 p.m. the evening before the tournament to take late entries and answer questions.
Teams are to meet at Alum Creek State Park the morning of the tournament for registration and mandatory boat check. Host bait shop is the Cheshire Market.
Take-off is at 7 a.m. with the weigh-in commencing at 3 p.m. sharp. "Once again, we hope that a lot of people will turn out for the weigh-in. The weigh-ins give spectators the chance to see what has been caught and to hear what presentations worked to catch the fish."
Title Sponsor for the GNWC is Gander Mountain with other major national sponsors including Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards, the Sportsman Channel, Berkley, Aqua Innovations, YoNet Folding Nets by AMFYOYO, VIB"E" Lure Company, TowTector Shield and UpNorth Outdoors.com. The Ohio Regional Skeeter Boats sponsor is Boat Boys out of Newark, OH. |
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