| |
| Bull, Mordini Take the Cup |
Okoboji, IA - "It was a spot on a spot," said Brad Bull, who along with his partner Rob Mordini totaled a three-day weight of 47.36 pounds to capture the Grand National Walleye Cup's National Championship on the Okoboji Chain of Lakes.
For their efforts, the National Champions collected $16,000 that included Ranger Boats and Mercury Outboards certificates, two championship cups, along with their own web page designed by the premiere outdoor website company in the United States, Up North Outdoors
After leading by only .05 of a pound going into Saturday's action, Bull, who hales from Mason City, IA, and Mordini who lives in Polk City, IA, caught five walleyes weighing 17.63 pounds and pulled away from the second place team. Todd Hough and Wes Rose from Graettinger, IA, whose three-day weight was good for 42.40 pounds, slipped back on Saturday with a four-fish weight of 12.72 pounds. Hough and Rose took home $8000 that included Ranger Boats and Mercury Outboards certificates for their efforts and runner-up plaques.
"What a finish," noted GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer. "Once again the difference between these two teams was the big kicker fish that Brad and Rob caught. On Friday, it was a 6.94 pounder and today it was an 8.08-pound walleye. The largest fish Todd and Wes had was a 5.58 pounder.
That 8.08 pounder taken today was definitely the difference between first and second place!"
Bull and Mordini's 8.08 pounder earned them Saturday's Abu Garcia Big Fish Award of two 6500 Abu Garcia Linecounter reels and also $440 from the Optional Big Fish Pot as the second largest walleye of the tournament.
The team of Dennis Womeldorf from Wall, SD and Shaun Johnson from Pierre, SD took the tournament's overall Big Fish award of $660 for the 8.19 pounder taken during Friday's competition.
Third place and a check for $2000 went to Scott Aydelotte from Garner, IA and Eldon Olson from Mason City, IA with a three-day weight of 22.09 pounds.
Meanwhile John Grosvenor from Spirit Lake and Doug VanVoorst from Spencer took home the fourth place check of $1500 with 18.18 pounds.
The Berkley Family Award of $250 in Berkley product for the top placing family team went to Mike and Doug Rodwell from Oskaloosa, IA with a three-day total weight of 6.90 pounds.
The YoNet Comeback Award of two nets manufactured by AMFYOYO went to the team of Mike Clark from Runnells, IA and Al Wittmus from Fort Dodge, IA.
They failed to catch a fish the first two days, but came back with 9.60 pounds on Saturday to capture the comeback award.
So, what exactly is a spot on a spot? According to Bull, it's a tiny spot within a general area that is holding walleyes. In this case, the spot held big walleyes, and he found that spot at the north end of West Okoboji during pre-fishing. "I was using my Aqua Vu and found these fish. Although we worked 25-70 feet of water, it was that one tiny spot that held fish."
Mordini added, "We used blue chubs on a plain hook and 2 ounce bottom bouncers, but we had to keep as vertical of a presentation as we could. It had to be right in front of them. Other teams tried the area and even went right over the spot, but they couldn't slow down as much as we were able to do."
That was a difficult task each day because of the strong south winds the first two days and the northwest gale on Saturday. Bull added, "We knew we had to fish vertically, so Wes Rose let us use his tiller boat. I haven't used one that much, but it had to be done if we were going to catch the fish on that tiny spot."
Hough and Rose did virtually the same thing. However, they chose to use
1 1/2 to 2 ounce pencil weights "so we could give the fish line if we needed to," said Rose. "We knew that boat control was crucial." Hough added, "We tried to hover right over them, but we just couldn't catch that one big one."
That seemed to be the story for the tournament with West Okoboji producing the most and the larger fish. However, some teams did find success throughout the chain of lakes with fish up to 5.87 pounds coming from East Okoboji and smaller keeper fish from Minnewashta and Lower Gar.
Barringer said, "You have to hand it to these teams because Saturday's weather was really brutal. We went from a south wind at take-off time, to drizzle that turned to hard rain, to dropping temperatures and then finally to a northwest wind pushing 35 mph. Still, teams were able to bring 34 fish to the scales. I'm really proud of the effort from all of the teams who qualified for the National Championships. Plus, we still had a lot of spectators at Saturday's weigh-in in spite of the nasty weather."
Volunteers from the Iowa Great Lakes Fishing Club provided all the help at the weigh-ins. "Those guys were super. They helped with the baskets, cared for and released the fish and helped control the boats at the weigh-in site in some really strong winds. I really appreciate their efforts," added Barringer. "It was a great week. Thanks to the Iowa Great Lakes for rolling out the red carpet for the Grand National Walleye Cup National Championship teams!"
Major sponsoring partners for the GNWC include Ranger Boats, Mercury Outboards, Berkley, Abu-Garcia, The Sportsman Channel and UpNorthOutdoors.com.
National Sponsorship Boosters for the National Championship include Waters Edge Marine; Tom's Plumbing and Heating; Motor Inn Auto; Carlson and Sanderson Real Estate; Okoboji Tourism; The Dickinson County News; and AMFYOYO, manufacturer of the YoNet.
Another part of the excitement during the National Championships was the filming by the Walleye Wisdom television crews. The action will be part of the GNWC's new walleye fishing show series that is being aired on the Sportsman Channel this fall.
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. |
Back To Top
|
| Bull, Mordini Surge to the Lead on Day II of GNWC Championship |
Okoboji, IA - With only .05 of a pound separating the top two teams after Day II of the Grand National Walleye Cup's National Championship on the Okoboji Chain of Lakes, the third and final day promises to be a real nailbiter!
After finishing in third place nearly three pounds out of first place on Day I, the team of Brad Bull from Mason City, IA and Rob Mordini from Polk City, IA surged into the lead on Day II with a six-walleye limit weighing
17.46 pounds. That gave the leaders a two-day total of 29.73 pounds.
Almost as spectacular was the team of Todd Hough and Wes Rose from Graettinger, IA. They maintained their second place ranking with a six-fish weight of 17. 23 pounds giving them a two-day total of 29.68 pounds.
Scott Aydelotte from Garner, IA and Eldon Olson from Mason City, who held first place after Day I, slipped to third place with a two-day weight of 22.09 pounds. They were only able to bring four walleyes to the scale for
6.97 pounds.
The Abu Garcia Big Fish Award of two 6500 Abu Garcia Linecounter reels went to Dennis Womeldorf from Wall, SD and Shaun Johnson from Pierre, SD with an 8.29-pound trophy walleye.
GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer said, "Wow! Talk about a close race. Only .05 of a pound separate the top two teams. Both of those teams have been in this position before, so I expect tomorrow to really be something. The only difference between the two teams was the 6.94 big walleye that Brad and Rob brought to the scales. Todd and Wes didn't have that one kicker fish they needed to take the lead. We'll certainly see what tomorrow brings."
Barringer continued, "Although Scott and Eldon slipped a little bit in the standings, I have seen them make impressive final day runs before."
A total of 34 teams weighed in at least one walleye on Friday with four teams weighing in six-fish limits. "It was great to see Dennis and Shaun bring in the big fish of the day. An 8.29-pound walleye is definitely a trophy fish. Those two guys have definitely had a good year and tied for seventh place in the Team of the Year standings in South Dakota."
Barringer added, "We had a great crowd on Friday, and they were certainly appreciative of the big fish brought to the scales. I encourage people to be at Saturday's weigh-in by 2:45 so they don't miss a thing. It's going to be quite a shoot-out with $16,000 on the line. Plus, the teams have promised when they come up on the stage that they will share their secrets with the audience," said Barringer.
Saturday's take-off will again be at 7 a.m. with weigh-in beginning at 3 p.m. sharp. Both take-off and weigh-in will be at the State Park Pier located at the amusement park in Arnolds Park.
Major sponsoring partners for the GNWC include Ranger Boats, Mercury Outboards, Berkley, Abu-Garcia, The Sportsman Channel and UpNorthOutdoors.com.
National Sponsorship Boosters for the National Championship include Waters Edge Marine; Tom's Plumbing and Heating; Motor Inn Auto; Carlson and Sanderson Real Estate; Okoboji Tourism; The Dickinson County News; and AMFYOYO, manufacturer of the YoNet. |
Back To Top
|
| Grand National Walleye Cup National Championship Heads to the Okoboji Chain of Lakes |
A year of 20 qualifying tournaments and five state championships on the Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC) trail has come down to one huge three-day shootout for 80 of the top walleye teams in the Midwest as they converge on the Okoboji Chain of Lakes October 9-11.
On the line will be a first place payout worth $16,000 plus two gold and silver cups, while second place will be worth $8,000 plus trophies. Payout will run through 20th place. Included in the first and second place payouts will be $3000 in Mercury Outboards certificates and $3000 in Ranger Boats certificates. In addition, the National Champions will get a web page designed by the premiere outdoor website company in the United States, Up North Outdoors.
GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer looks with anticipation to the Grand National Walleye Cup Championship. "We are bringing some of the best walleye teams in the Midwest to a chain of lakes that can produce incredible walleye fishing. As a tournament director for over 10 years, it has been my dream to be able to run a multi-state team tournament with the final event being a national championship."
In addition to the payout to the top 20 teams, the ABU Garcia Big Fish Award of two 6500 Linecounter reels will be awarded each day to the team which catches the big fish each day, while the Berkley Family award of $250 in Berkley product will go to the top placing family team.
A final award will be the YoNet Comeback Award. "AMFYOYO has given a net away at each state championship. Now, they are giving two nets away to the team which makes the biggest comeback in the standings from day one to the final day," noted Barringer.
Barringer continued, "We've had a tremendous year in each state - Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. I'm proud of the efforts of the teams in each of the states. I really think that walleye enthusiasts will enjoy coming to the weigh-ins each day to find out not only who is on fish, but what techniques have been used to catch the fish."
Barringer also commented on the sponsorships for the GNWC. "We've had great sponsorships with our major sponsoring partners: Ranger Boats, Mercury Outboards, Berkley, ABU Garcia, The Sportsman Channel and upNorthOutdoors.com. Now, to showcase the National Championships, we have added an additional seven National Sponsorship Boosters, and we are thrilled to have them become part of the big show."
National Sponsorship Boosters include Waters Edge Marine, Ranger Boats and Mercury Outboards dealer in Johnston, IA; Tom's Plumbing and Heating of Arnolds Park; Motor Inn Auto Group of Algona, Estherville, LeMars, Spencer and Spirit Lake; Carlson and Sanderson Real Estate, selling properties throughout the Iowa Great Lakes; Okoboji Tourism, the vacation guide to the Iowa Great Lakes; The Dickinson County News, the official newspaper of Dickinson County; and AMFYOYO, manufacturer of the YoNet, the collapsible net that goes from stowed to fish in six seconds.
Although the actual competition begins on Thursday, the National Championship Banquet will be held on Wednesday at the Spirit Lake Expo Building at 6 p.m. "The banquet will be a time for us to recognize the State Championship and Mercury Team of the Year partners from each state. In addition, we will give away a lot of really nice door prizes. A short rules meeting will follow," noted Barringer.
The three-day competition begins on Thursday with opening ceremonies and take-off at 7 a.m. Weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. sharp. Both take-off and weigh-in will be at the State Park Pier located at the amusement park in Arnolds Park.
"The weigh-in will be something for people to see," said Barringer. "We will be staggering the weigh-in so that a third of the teams come in at 3 p.m., another third at 3:15 p.m. and the final third at 3:30 p.m. I encourage people to be at the weigh-in by 2:45 so they don't miss a thing.
They will be exciting, and I expect some very nice fish come in. The final day will be very educational for anyone who wants to learn more about fishing the Iowa Great Lakes."
Another part of the excitement will be the filming of the National Championship by the Walleye Wisdom television crews. The action will be part of the GNWC's new walleye fishing show that will be aired on the Sportsman Channel this fall.
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 only, but also in Illinois, Iowa, 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.
|
Back To Top
|
|
|
