| |
| Brockmeyer, Cochran Capture Ohio State Championship of Walleye Fishing Title |
After finishing the first day of the Ohio State Championship of Walleye fishing in second place, it simply took a little fine tuning for the team of Jason Brockmeyer from Westerville, OH and Chad Cochran from Powell, OH to leave the competition behind and capture the coveted championship plaques and the $2500 first place check.
Brockmeyer and Cochran ended with a two-day total of 16.12 pounds to outdistance Gary Schiller from Fairview, PA and Rick Winkelman from Erie, PA, who totaled a two-day total of 11.42 pounds. They pocketed a check for $750.
Third place and a check for $500 went to Scott Yarman from Vernon, OH and Tom Kemper from Marion, OH with 7.92 pounds.
The action for the Ohio State Championship of Walleye Fishing, which is the first of eight such tournaments on the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC) circuit, took place on Mosquito Creek Lake. According to Gander Mountain GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer, it was a great place to start the Championship events.
"It was a great time for all of us involved with the Ohio State Championship of Walleye Fishing. Gander Mountain really rolled out the red carpet for the GNWC teams, and we had a great response from the Trumbull County Convention and Visitor's Bureau."
Mother Nature played a major roll in the outcome of the tournament as the winds that made for a great pre-fishing bite totally died. "That really made things tough," noted Barringer. "Both days were flat calm, and it really shut down the bite. But that's what makes championship fishing so exciting. When things like that happen, the teams have to adjust."
That's exactly what Brockmeyer and Cochran did. They used lead core line to troll chrome/black, chrome/blue and gold/black Shad Raps on the main part of the lake. However, after experimenting, they determined that they had to keep their crankbaits within a foot of the bottom. So, they let out the lead core until it was on the bottom, then slowly reeled up until it wasn't dragging. They found 2.0-2.2 mph to be the key speed.
Yarman and Kemper, meanwhile, also pulled crankbaits and built almost a three pound lead on Saturday, but then only had a two-fish weight of 3.25 pounds on Sunday and slipped to second place.
Several other special awards were presented at Sunday's weigh-in. The Berkley Big Fish Award of $400 in Berkley product and the $240 Big Fish Pot for the largest walleye of the two-day tournament went to Brockmeyer and Cochran for their 4.43-pound walleye.
The "Yo So Close" award of a Yo Net folding net valued at $80 went to the teams that placed just out of the money. They include Mark Drotar and Sam Cappelli in 6th place; Steven DeHart and Leonard Horton in 7th place; and Jim Corey and Brian Biggio in 8th place.
The VIB"E" Lure award of two six-piece lure sets valued at $40 went to the two teams who finished behind the Yo So Close award. They include Mike and Tom Defibaugh in 9th place; and Curt Braden and Jeff Matthews in 10th place.
The Towtector Comeback Award of a Towtector boat protector valued at $250 for the team advancing the most places from day one to day two went to Yarmon and Kemper.
The winner of the Gander Mountain "Need More Stuff" drawing of $200 for a Gander Mountain Shopping Spree went to the 2004 regular season Ohio Team of the Year, Todd Kunk from St. Henry, OH and Adam Harlamert from Cold Water, OH.
The Walleye Wisdom camera crew was also on hand to film footage of the Championship. "The Walleye Wisdom camera crew will be at all of the State Championships to capture the excitement of the tournament action. This weekend they were in the right place at the right time and captured some great fishing action. The highlights of these State Championships and the National Championships, along with some great walleye fishing tips will appear on our 13-week Walleye Wisdom television program," added Barringer.
Those interested in checking out the standings, reading the releases about any of the eight regions or simply learning more about the circuit can access the Gander Mountain GNWC website at www.walleyecup.com.
Title Sponsor for the GNWC is Gander Mountain. Other major national sponsors include Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards, the Sportsman Channel, Berkley, Aqua Innovations, YoNet Folding Nets by AMFYOYO, VIB"E" Lure Company, TowTector Shield and UpNorthOutdoors.com. The Ohio Regional Skeeter Boats sponsor is Boat Boys out of Newark, OH. |
Back To Top
|
| Ohio Teams Head to Mosquito Creek Lake for Ohio State Championship of Walleye Fishing |
It's showdown time for the top teams on the Ohio Region of the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC).
The Ohio State Championship of Walleye Fishing will be held at Mosquito Creek Lake on July 10-11. Activities for teams actually begin on Friday with the Ohio Championship Banquet at the Comfort Inn with the meal sponsored by the Trumbull County Tourism Association.
Saturday the Championship gets underway at the Causeway boat ramp with opening ceremonies and takeoff at 7 a.m. Leading the way will be the Ohio Region Team of the Year, Todd Kunk from St. Henry, OH and Adam Harlamert from Cold Water, OH. A mere three points separated the top three teams during the regular season.
"These teams have worked very hard to make it to the Championships," noted Barringer. "Mosquito Creek Lake is a quality walleye fishery." It is also the second largest inland lake in Ohio and has a maximum depth of about 44 feet with an average depth of around 11 feet.
Weigh-in begins at 3 p.m., and Barringer encourages the public to attend. "The Championship weigh-ins are always exciting to attend. The first day sets the stage for the final day's competition on Sunday," noted Barringer.
Saturday's events continue with the "Gander Get-together" at the Gander Mountain store in Warren at 6:30 p.m. Gander Mountain, the title sponsor of the GNWC circuit, will be hosting a fishing seminar by Bernie Barringer, professional outdoorsman and host of the Walleye Wisdom TV show. Barringer will cover walleye trolling tactics. This special event is free, open to the public and will also be a great opportunity for the public to meet the anglers and sponsors.
Sunday's action follows the same format as the first day with take-off at 7 a.m. and weigh-in at 3 p.m. at the Causeway boat ramp. "The second day's weigh-in promises a lot of action. At stake will be $2,500 for first place and the title of champions of the Ohio State Championship of Walleye Fishing. With the second day over, the teams will be asked to divulge their secrets - what worked for them. It is a great opportunity for people to learn more about fishing Mosquito Creek Lake. We will also have special interviews with the media for the top teams."
In addition, the Walleye Wisdom television crew will be filming footage of all eight Championships, including the Ohio Championship, for its popular 13-week television program Walleye Wisdom on the Sportsman Channel and several regional outlets. "Our goal is to showcase the successes of our walleye teams, share the techniques that the GNWC teams used to catch their fish and to finally give fishing hints that will help our viewers become better walleye anglers themselves," said Barringer.
Special awards will be given out at the Championships including the Berkley Big Fish Award of $400 in Berkley product for the team that catches the largest walleye during the two-day competition. In addition, an optional Big Fish Pot will go to the team catching the overall big fish during the Championships.
A Loyalty Bonus Award of $500 will go to the highest placing team that fished all four regular season tournaments on the Ohio Region.
Next, will be the $200 Gander Mountain Shopping Spree. A drawing will be held of teams who do not weigh a fish, and the winner will be able to spend the $200 on gear of their choice at any Gander Mountain Store. If all teams weigh fish, all will be entered in the drawing.
YoNet Folding Nets by AMFYOYO will offer the Yo So Close Award of an $80 folding net to the three teams finishing just out of the money.
The VIB"E" Lure Company will sponsor the VIB"E" Lure award of two six-piece lure sets valued at $40 to the two teams who finish behind the Yo So Close award. Lure sets will also be given away as door prizes at the Championship banquet.
TowTector, maker of the premium boat protector from gravel and debris, will offer the Towtector Comeback Award of a Towtector valued at $250 for the team advancing the most places from day one to day two.
Skeeter Boats is offering any owner of a Skeeter boat who wins the Ohio State Championship of Walleye Fishing while fishing in the Skeeter an additional $1000 above their GNWC winnings.
Aqua Innovations will give an additional $250 to any team who wins the Ohio Championship if their boat's livewell is equipped with the Aqua Innovations oxygen enhancement system. Plus they will be awarding systems to the anglers as door prizes at the Championship banquet.
Those interested in checking out the standings, reading the releases about any of the eight regions or simply learning more about the circuit can access the Gander Mountain GNWC website at www.walleyecup.com.
Title Sponsor for the GNWC is Gander Mountain. Other major national sponsors include Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards, the Sportsman Channel, Berkley, Aqua Innovations, YoNet Folding Nets by AMFYOYO, VIB"E" Lure Company, TowTector Shield and UpNorthOutdoors.com. The Ohio Regional Skeeter Boats sponsor is Boat Boys out of Newark, OH. |
Back To Top
|
|
|
