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| Teams Run and Gun on Lake Sharpe at Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup South Dakota Opener |
It took a run south of Antelope Creek for the husband and wife team of Roger and Dora Janssen from Castlewood, SD to capture the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup's South Dakota opener at Lake Sharpe on Sunday, April 18.
The Janssens brought a six-fish limit weighing 12.78 pounds to the scales to take the $1200 first place check. They trolled lead core and clown colored Walleye Divers and Shad Raps in 12-foot of water to catch their fish.
They also popped a 6.77-pound walleye to take the Berkley Trilene Big Fish Award of $400 in Berkley products.
Second place and a check for $600 went to Doug Iverson from Pierre, SD and Barry Sargent from Ft. Pierre, SD for a six-fish limit weighing 9.09 pounds. They ran south to West Bend and pitched jig and minnow combinations up on a shallow bar, working them back toward the boat in about 10 foot of water.
Meanwhile, Dennis Womeldorf from Wall, SD and Shaun Johnson from Pierre, SD took third place and a check for $550 with five walleyes weighing 7.0 pounds. They headed to Ft. George and worked a 15-17 foot break using Berkley FireLine to pull #8 Shad Raps. They found that natural colors worked better than brighter colors.
According to Gander Mountain GNWC Tournament Director Greg Liebel, the bite was tough and it became run and gun time for the 35 teams who on opened the South Dakota circuit. "We knew going into this that the bite was up and down. Even with the tough conditions, the teams were really up for the tournament, had positive attitudes and tried everything they could."
Liebel added that the teams had to make some tough decisions early. "The bite was better south, but the forecast was for 40 mph winds. So, the teams had to decide just how far they were willing to run. Some chose to while others stayed closer to the weigh-in site."
The "Yo So Close" award of a Yo Net folding net valued at $80 went to the three teams that placed just out of the money. They include Ken Johnson and Mark Pitlick in 9th place; Darold Swank and Flo Swank in 10th place; Shane Christenson and James Molengraaf in 11th place.
John Coolican and Wade Nelson from Mason City, IA were the winners of the Gander Mountain "Need More Stuff" drawing of $200 for a Gander Mountain Shopping Spree.
Next up for the South Dakota teams will be a trip east to Big Stone Lake on Sunday, May 16.
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. |
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| Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup Kicks Off South Dakota Region on Lake Sharpe |
Teams competing in the South Dakota Region of the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC) are gearing up for the Lake Sharpe opener at Pierre, Sunday, April 18.
GNWC director Bernie Barringer shared his excitement about the South Dakota Region. "There is a lot of enthusiasm here in South Dakota for the GNWC. We have great fisheries at each of our tournaments, so I know there will be a lot of exciting action this year. Obviously, Lake Sharpe is prime walleye spot in South Dakota, and I look forward to seeing what our teams will bring to the scales."
Openings still exist for the Lake Sharpe qualifier and Barringer encourages interested anglers to contact him at 1-800-890-FISH (3474), or email the GNWC at [email protected].
According to Barringer, competing teams should be at Down's Marine between 6-6:30 Sunday morning to sign in and participate in mandatory boat inspections. However, the tournament director will have the GNWC trailer at the check-in site from 6-8 p.m. on Saturday evening to answer questions and to take any late registrations.
The tournament hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Weigh-in begins precisely at 3 p.m., with awards to follow. "I hope we get a good turnout from the general public at the weigh-in. It is an exciting time when the baskets are brought to the scale and the teams share the presentations they used to trigger the fish," added Barringer.
Barringer shared his excitement about the 2004 season for the eight-region partner circuit. "This is the second year for the GNWC, and we are looking forward to more and more teams joining what we think is the most exciting partner walleye circuit in the country. We are also very excited about the enthusiasm of the sponsors. It's been great to see the way top national fishing companies have cast their support behind Gander Mountain GNWC walleye tournament anglers."
Another important part of the circuit is the GNWC website (www.walleyecup.com), which offers detailed information for both Gander Mountain GNWC members and Internet browsers. The site includes detailed scheduling information on locations and host communities, tournament results and highlights, how-to articles, along with a message board and free classifieds for members.
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. |
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