Temperatures topped out at 108 degrees and southerly winds 20-30 mph on Day I of the Grand National Walleye Cup's South Dakota State Championship, but the heat and wind did little to deter the team of Roger and Tony Janssen from Castlewood as they took an overwhelming lead on their way to the State Championship title.
Their four-fish weight of 5.86 pounds on Saturday gave them a lead that they never relinquished, as they added one more fish on Sunday for an overall weight of 8.27 pounds and a first place check for $3100. They also collected the Berkley Family Angler Award of over $200 in Berkley for the highest placing family team.
The second place team of Lee Pulse from Kimball and Scott Handel from Chamberlain took home $1300 with a five-fish weight of 5.59 pounds.
Meanwhile, the 2003 Mercury Team of the Year, Scott Kaufmann from Spencer and Todd Weisz from Parkston collected $750 for their third place weight of 5.47 pounds.
The Abu Garcia Big Fish Award of Abu Garcia 6500 Linecounter reels, along with the Big Fish pot of $280 went to Dave Bies from Chamberlain and Glenn Eimers from White Lake with their 4.23 pound walleye caught on Saturday.
"Even though it was incredibly hot on Saturday, the competition was just as outstanding as it has been all year long. You've gotta' give these teams a lot of credit," said GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer.
"The Janssen team took control on Saturday and never looked back. Yet, that didn't stop the other top teams. Pulse and Handel made a good run at them on Sunday, and Kaufmann and Weisz, our Mercury Team of the Year, showed the same consistency they displayed all year long," noted Barringer.
The most common presentation throughout the tournament was trolling Shad Raps in 14-19 foot of water through the main basin of Lake Richmond. Best colors were fire tiger and pearl.
"We knew going into the Championships that the bite would be tough.
There is a good walleye population, and anglers traditionally take big walleyes in early spring and late fall. However, that's part of fishing a championship like this one. The teams that rise to the top figure out or stumble onto something that the other teams don't. And that's what make these championships so exciting," added Barringer.
Barringer also shared the appreciation the GNWC staff and competing teams had toward the sponsors of the South Dakota State Walleye Championship. "The Aberdeen Convention and Visitor's Bureau, the Aberdeen American News and the Farm Forum really went out of their way to welcome these top walleye teams to their community. The banquet and accommodations at the Ramada Inn, along with the media coverage was great. Plus, a crowd of almost 200 people was there to witness the weigh-ins. It was crowded, and the anglers and staff loved it!"
Barringer continued, "Part of the excitement also came with 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. I know when viewers turn into our shows, the show, they will be able to feel the excitement these teams have felt as part of the GNWC's championship field in South Dakota."
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 South Dakota, but also in Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois 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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