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| Scholl and Hulsing Take GNWC's Iowa State Walleye Championship |
"One big one will make the difference!" Those were the recurring words made by Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC) teams at the Iowa State Walleye Championships held on Clear Lake last weekend.
With no patterns established during several days of pre-fishing and several weather changes, the 30 teams vying for the State Championship title knew one fish would make all the difference.
For the team of Chris Scholl from Manley and Kevin Hulsing from Cedar Rapids, a 4.17 pound walleye taken at midday on Saturday made all the difference as they captured the 2003 GNWC Iowa State Walleye Championships and cashed a winning check of $6000.
Along with their one big fish, Scholl and Hulsing managed to scratch out one more keeper for a total weight of 6.10 pounds. The winners also won the Big Fish Pot of $600 and two ABU Garcia 6500 Linecounter reels for the ABU Garcia Big Fish Award for Day I.
Second place and a check for $2000 went to Jeff Thomas from Allburnett and Craig Kerslake from Marion with two fish weighing 5.63 pounds.
Meanwhile, Randy Mumm and Jim Juhlin from Clear Lake took the $1000 third place check with three walleyes weighing 5.43 pounds. They also took the ABU Garcia Big Fish Award on Sunday for their 3.08 pound walleye.
The Berkley Family Angler Award of over $200 in Berkley product for the top placing family team went to Terry and Bruce Sparks from Des Moines with a two-day weight of 2.44 pounds.
"Talk about tough!" said GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer. "I've never seen a mid-September bite on Clear Lake this tough. One reason has to do with the tremendous year class of yellow bass. All these walleyes have to do is open their mouth and the food is there! There was simply no pattern to these fish! Even so, we were still able to shoot some good footage for our television series Walleye Wisdom that will be aired on the Sportsman Channel later this fall. "
Barringer added, "The weather changes made things tough, too. We had a major weather change from Friday to Sunday, and I know that made things doubly tough for the teams."
Since there was no pattern to the bite, the teams either stuck with a pre-determined game plan or spent their time running from spot to spot and trying everything in their tackle box!
Scholl and Hulsing stuck with their game plan of trolling Firetiger jointed Shad Raps along the north half of the lake. They caught their big fish going over a small hump toward the middle of the lake.
Thomas and Kerslake went deeper and also trolled crankbaits, but chose to use blue RS Shad Raps instead.
Mumm and Juhlin went a different route and anchored off of Gilmore's Reef casting jigs tipped with either a minnow or nightcrawler.
"I'm really proud of the efforts these teams gave. Even when things are really tough, they just keep battling and searching for that one thing that can make a difference," said Barringer. "It was still a great weekend. We had a tremendous banquet sponsored by Con-Agra Foods on Friday night, good crowds at the weigh-in and the sponsors for the Iowa State Walleye Championship really rolled out the red carpet for us. We certainly thank them for all that they did for us."
With the state championships now completed, only the Grand National Walleye Championship remains. This will be held at the Okoboji Chain of Lakes October 9-11.
For those interested in learning more about the GNWC, call 1-800-890-3474, email the GNWC at [email protected] or check out the official GNWC website at walleyecup.com. The website has all of the latest in GNWC information in not only Iowa, but also in Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Major sponsoring partners for the GNWC include Ranger Boats, Mercury Outboards, Berkley, Abu-Garcia, The Sportsman Channel and UpNorthOutdoors.com.
Television viewers who do not have The Sportsman Channel and want to watch the GNWC's television series Walleye Wisdom, are encouraged to call their cable company or satellite television provider and ask them to include it in their package.
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| 2003 GNWC Iowa State Walleye Championship Teams Prepare for Clear Lake |
It's just around the corner! The top walleye teams in the state of Iowa are preparing to converge on Clear Lake for the 2003 Grand National Walleye Cup's (GNWC) Iowa State Walleye Championship.
The championship will feature up to 30 teams who have qualified for the two-day tournament at Clear Lake September 13-14. The Iowa circuit of the GNWC was formerly the Iowa Walleye Tournament Trail, but has since become part of the five-state Grand National Walleye Cup.
Leading the way will be Dave Smithburg from Libertyville and Joel Shaw from Fairfield, who captured the Mercury Team of the Year as the top team on the Iowa Circuit.
"Clear Lake is traditionally a top walleye producing lake in Iowa," said Barringer. "The teams have been off since the end of June, so I know they are ready for the State competition. We're excited to be back at Clear Lake, and I predict these guys will put on quite a show. Plus, our sponsors have really worked hard to make this a memorable experience for all of the qualifying GNWC teams."
Barringer continued, "Another part of the excitement will be the filming of the championship by the Walleye Wisdom television crews. The action will be part of our new walleye fishing show that will be aired on the Sportsman Channel this fall."
Teams will be fishing for more than $12,000 in cash and prizes, with first place getting a guaranteed $6000 in cash plus trophies.
In addition, each day the team that catches the big walleye of the day will be awarded two Abu Garcia 6500 Linecounter reels. An optional Big Fish pot is $20 per team with a 100 percent payback for the largest fish of the tournament. Another award is the Berkley Family Award of over $200 in Berkley product that goes to the top overall family team.
Although the tournament begins on Saturday, the activities actually begin on Friday with an awards banquet and supper at the Best Western. "The meal, sponsored by Con-Agra Foods, is complimentary for all qualifying teams, and at the awards banquet we will present Dave Smithburg and Joel Shaw their Mercury Team of the Year certificates. There will also be lots of door prizes to give out." Following the Friday evening banquet will be the Official Rules Meeting.
Saturday, September 13 is the first day of the State competition with the take-off at 7 a.m. The weigh-in will begin at 3 p.m. sharp and will be held each day at the band shell in the Clear Lake City Park.
"Even though Saturday is the first day of the tournament, we hope to get a lot of people out to the weigh-in. To catch all of the action, people should be at the weigh-in by 2:45. These are the top walleye anglers in the Hawkeye state, and their challenge is to put together a game plan that will take them to the top," said Barringer.
Sunday's competition follows Saturday's agenda with the teams back in for the 3 p.m. weigh-in. "We really encourage people to come to the second day weigh-ins. It is exciting to see the baskets of fish come to the scales, and it is also fascinating for the crowd to find out what the teams did to catch their fish."
Following the weigh-in, trophies and checks will be awarded.
For those interested in learning more about the GNWC, call 1-800-890-3474, email the GNWC at [email protected] or check out the official GNWC website at walleyecup.com. The website has all of the latest in GNWC information in not only Iowa, but also in Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Major sponsoring partners for the GNWC include Ranger Boats, Mercury Outboards, Berkley, Abu-Garcia, The Sportsman Channel and UpNorthOutdoors.com.
Television viewers who do not have The Sportsman Channel and want to watch the GNWC's television series Walleye Wisdom, are encouraged to call their cable company or satellite television provider and ask them to include it in their package.
GNWC State Championship - Clear Lake Results |
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