Teams in the South Dakota Region of the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC) head to the eastern part of the state and Big Stone Lake on Sunday, May 16.
A favorite walleye fishing lake, Big Stone holds a great deal of potential for the Gander Mountain GNWC teams. Jim Rasset at Bud's Bait shop noted that the opener produced good numbers of 16-20 inch fish, but unstable weather during the first week of May slowed the bite. Basset said, "The water is really clear right now, and the cold weather has slowed the weed growth. In this clear water, most of the fishing success has been after dark. The key for the teams will be if they can find any dirty or stained water. If we get some warm weather, that should help color the water."
By mid-May, Rasset looks for a slip bobber bite on leeches, but some teams will work crankbaits.
Openings still exist for the Big Stone qualifier and Executive Director Bernie 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 the Ortonville City Park 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. "Big Stone Lake is an incredible fishery. We hope a lot of people attend the weigh-in to see what these teams bring to the scales. It's a great way to learn the presentations used by our tournament anglers," added Barringer.
Anglers 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 |
