It was a narrow window of opportunity, and the team of Robert Galladora from Lake Moor and Kevin Wilhelm from Spring Grove capitalized on it to take the 2003 Illinois State Championship title of the Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC). Their three-fish weight of 3.45 pounds earned them the winner's check of $2000 at Evergreen Lake on Sunday, July 13.
The situation Galladora and Wilhelm and the rest of the field had to overcome was a lake whose water had been turned to the color of chocolate milk from the 10 inches of rain the area received over a three-day period starting the previous Monday. The muddy waters halted the bite, and it became a guessing game as the GNWC teams fished every nook and cranny of the 900 acre lake in search of an answer.
For Galladora and Wilhelm that answer was a one-hour window of opportunity when the walleyes became active around midday on Sunday and moved up on a hump that the eventual Illinois State Champions were fishing.
"Timing is always an important key in fishing," said GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer. "On Saturday, the teams did everything imaginable, probed every possible area and came up with nothing. The combination of 10 inches of rain, muddy waters and an incredible forage base made it extremely tough fishing. Galladora and Wilhelm were able to capitalize on that short bite to catch the winning weight."
The winners cast a plain hook weighted by a splitshot and a golden roach, a type of shiner, to catch their three walleyes. Because of the turbidity of the water, the winners felt that chartreuse colored hooks helped increase their fishing success.
Mike Heller from Clive, IA, and Rob Roush from Des Moines, IA, made the most of a 3.36 pounder to take second place and a check for $780. They also won the Big Fish award of $160. They used a three-way rig, with a 1/16th-ounce jig tipped with a leech.
Third place and a check for $500 went to the team of John Mannerino from Chicago and Greg Meyer from Elgin with one fish weighing 1.38 pounds.
The Berkley Family Angler Award for the top placing family team went to the team of Bob Schine from Crystal Lake and Jasen Schine from Lake Villa.
Barringer continued, "I'm really proud of the efforts that these teams displayed. When things like this happen, it's easy to just give up. That certainly wasn't the case here. With competitive teams like this, I see a bright future for the GNWC in the state of Illinois."
The Illinois State Championship was the first of five state championships across the Midwest. As Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin complete their circuit, the top teams from each state will begin preparations for the Grand National Walleye Championship on West Okoboji in northwest Iowa, 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 for all the latest news.
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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