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| Hot Walleye Bite at Lake Kampeska for GNWC Anglers |
The crankbait bite was on, and the walleye bite was hot at the second South Dakota qualifier of the Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC), Sunday, June 1 at Lake Kampeska.
Leading the way with a six-fish limit weight of 13.22 pounds was the team of Bob Smunk from Castlewood and Tim Tesch from Watertown. In addition to their $1300 first place check, Smunk and Tesch also took home the Abu Garcia Big Fish Award of two Abu Garcia 6500 Linecounter reels for their
3.01 pound big fish.
Kevin Molengraft and Lewis Valente from Brookings took second place and a check for $675 for their six-fish limit weight of 11.84 pounds.
Third place and a check for $400 went to Brad Berens and Dave Andere from Sioux Falls. They also had a six-fish limit weighing 11.47 pounds.
The team of Chad and Dennis Hauger from Watertown garnered the Berkley Family Angler Award for the highest placing family team and earned $250 in Berkley product. They weighed a six-fish limit of 11.34 pounds.
"Wow!" said GNWC Tournament Director Dean Higgins. "What else can I say!
All but a handful of teams caught six-fish limits. Smunk and Tesch were quite a ways ahead of the rest of the field, but there was only a little over a pound separating the second place team from the tenth place team."
Higgins added, "After the tough weather at Chamberlain in May, today's weather was great, plus we had an enthusiastic crowd at the weigh-in. After today, I think there is definitely a lot of excitement about the GNWC in South Dakota."
A crankbait bite it was as team after team cranked the Kampeska waters with outstanding results. Smunk and Tesch ran lead core line and #5 Countdowns and shallow Shad Raps in front of the outlet. To make things even more exciting their big fish came only a half hour before the 3 o'clock weigh-in.
Meanwhile the second place team of Molengraft and Valente cranked the north end of the lake in 9-13 feet using lead core with Wally Divers and long A Bombers. However, they caught all of their fish early.
The third place team of Berens and Andere, on the other hand, caught all of their fish cranking at the north end of the lake in 5-7 feet of water.
However, they caught all of their fish after 11 a.m. on #5 blue and silver Shad Raps.
With the Lake Kampeska qualifier in the books, anglers on the South Dakota Circuit now gear up for the third qualifier at Lake Thompson on Sunday, June 29.
Interested anglers can call 1-800-890-3474, email the GNWC at [email protected] or check out the official GNWC website at walleyecup.com for all of the latest in GNWC information.
Major sponsoring partners for the GNWC include Ranger Boats, Mercury Outboards, Berkley, Abu-Garcia, The Sportsman Channel and UpNorthOutdoors.com.
For those television viewers who do not have The Sportsman Channel and wish to watch the GNWC's television series Walleye Wisdom, be sure to call your cable company or satellite television provider and ask them to include it in their package.
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| Lake Kampeska Next Stop For GNWC Teams |
After opening the Grand National Walleye Cup's South Dakota Circuit on Lake Francis Case, teams now head to the northeast to tackle the walleyes on Lake Kampeska Sunday, June 1.
GNWC Executive Director expressed confidence in those teams signed up for the tournament. "We had a good start at the Missouri River, and although Lake Kampeska offers GNWC teams a challenge, I know they will do their best to figure out its secrets!"
According to Les Rowland, an accomplished fishing and hunting guide who lives near Watertown, "Fishing in general is slow. Cold weather and fronts have taken their toll on the walleye bite. If we get some stable warm weather, it should improve as the end of May and first of June are traditionally the best times for a hot walleye bite."
As for his advice on Lake Kampeska, Rowland said, "Kampeska is a lake that is fairly shallow, maximum of about 11 feet, but a good producer of walleye and some large northern pike. Normally the northeast end towards the inlet and around the rockpile to the south are the best but right straight in from the north public launch seems to produce well."
According to Barringer, competing teams should be at Sandy Shores State Park between 6-6:30 Sunday morning to sign in and participate in mandatory boat inspections. The tournament hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Weigh-in begins precisely at 3 p.m., with awards to follow. "If there are some teams who decide to enter at the last minute, teams can still sign up on Sunday morning. Just show up at the park, and we'll take care of the paperwork."
Anglers can call 1-800-890-3474, email the GNWC at [email protected] or check out the official GNWC website at walleyecup.com for all of the latest in GNWC information.
Major sponsoring partners for the GNWC include Ranger Boats, Mercury Outboards, Berkley, Abu-Garcia, The Sportsman Channel and UpNorthOutdoors.com.
Those who do not get the Sportsman Channel and want to see the GNWC's television series Walleye Wisdom are encouraged to contact their cable or satellite provider and ask for the Sportsman Channel to be added to their program line-up.
Tournament: Kampeska
Date: June 1
Location: Sandy Shores State Park
South end of lake
Host Lodging: Best Western Ramkota
Hwy 212 West, Watertown
605-886-8011
Host Bait Shop: Little River City
Hwy 212 & Broadway
605-882-3744
more info: www.watertownsd.com
Watertown CVB 800-658-4505
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