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2007 Lowrance Pro Team Championship
Devils Lake, North Dakota 8/22-8/24
Shannon Grismer and Colin Beitelspacher take the lead on day one of the 2007 LPT Championship!
Weather for the day: In a word, “windy”! Winds, sometimes gusting to 30mph, blew a steady 10-20mph out of the West-Southwest today.
The temperature was 86 degrees by weigh in time, with partly cloudy skies dotting the horizon.
Water temps in Devils Lake are approximately 66 degrees on average right now.
54 Pro Teams qualified to fish the Championship through an accumulation of points gathered at three regular season events. The first event was at Lake Francis Case, in Chamberlain, SD. The second event was at Lake Oahe in Mobridge, SD, and the third and final qualifying event was located at Boysen Reservoir in Wyoming.
As the teams ventured out on to the lake this morning, they had one goal in mind... to catch fish! LPTC Tournament Director, Billy Brenton, was heard more than once saying, “A tournament can’t be won on day one, but it sure can be lost” “Go Get’um Guys!”
A handful of teams weighed in early, because of the “no cull” restriction at this event. Each team is allowed 8 fish in the box, and allowed to weigh their best 5. Once that 8th fish is placed in the box, the team must stop fishing for the day, and come in.
Leading the first day of the Championship is the Pro Team of Shannon Grismer and Colin Beitelspacher, both of Sioux Falls, SD, with a weight of 23.74 pounds. Only 3 tenths of a pound separate Shannon and Colin from second place finishers, Enge and Scott Dressler, of Bismarck and Hermosa, SD, who weighed in at 23.37 pounds.
Bringing up the third position today was the team of Hans Halverson, of Grafton, ND and Scott Larson, of West Fargo, ND with 21.49 pounds. In fourth place is the team of Jeff Trana, a Devils Lake native, and his teammate, Rick Darling, of Leeds, ND, with a basket weighing in at 20.73. In fifth place is the South Dakota team of Lee Pulse and Scott Handel (see photo below) with a 5 fish limit weighing 20.62 pounds.
The Big Fish bragging rights go to Duane Ten Cate and his partner Dan Van Laar, who brought in a nice fish tipping the scales at 7.51 pounds today.
 Although the anglers are still not disclosing what presentations are being used yet, I am starting to hear bits and pieces of information regarding that. Due to the chillier than normal water temperatures, I’m told the fish are still pretty shallow, and that they are being found in the 8-15 foot depths right now. Trolling seems to be the most popular choice for covering these areas, but it’s certainly not the only technique being used by these talented teams of professional anglers. Some teams have chosen to use slip bobbers in the trees, Suicide Rigs on the flats, or to cast crank baits or jigs along rocky shorelines or in the flooded timber.
The top 20 sit at 15.14 pounds or better right now, and the field is a tight one. This is still anyone’s tournament to win! Devils Lake can give up huge weights one day and give you a zero the next. Those who don’t give up, and work them out, could just find that honey hole tomorrow that explodes with 5-8 pound fish on each cast!
 5th place team: Lee Pulse and Scott Handel of S. Dakota hold up 4 nice Walleye for the crowd
Tomorrow's standings will determine who will advance to day three. Only the top 13 Pro Teams will advance, where they will start their weights from zero again for the final day.
For more information on the Lowrance Pro Team Circuit, please see http://www.westernwalleye.com for more details.
The 2008 schedule was announced at the rules meeting last night, but is not on their site yet. It will be as follows:
South Dakota Division:
Lake Francis Case, Chamberlain, SD April 16th, 17th, 18th
Lake Oahe, Mobridge, SD May 21st, 22nd, 23rd
North Dakota Division:
Missouri River, Bismarck, ND May 9th, 10th, 11th
Devils Lake, Devils Lake, ND July 31st, August 1st, 2nd
Wyoming Division:
Glendo Reservoir, Glendo, WY June 6th, 7th, 8th
Boysen Reservoir, Shoshoni, WY June 27th, 28th, 29th
***Team of the year will be determined on best THREE tournaments.
***Top 15 Division Winners Qualify for the 2009 NO ENTRY Championship/ (TBA)
Please join us here again tomorrow, and on the Walleye Central Live Leaderboard, for continued coverage of this exciting Championship event! |
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