Steve Weisman-GNWC
08-15-2004, 08:04 PM
Game Plan Pays Off for Farmer, Duncan at Great Plains Championship of Walleye Fishing
By Steve Weisman
Gander Mountain GNWC Publicity Director
Match the forage fish and get down to the walleyes! That game plan paid off big time for the team of Rich Farmer and Doug Duncan from Wichita, KS this past weekend.
They rode that plan to victory at the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup's Great Plains Championship of Walleye Fishing Tournament held at Wilson Lake near Russell, KS. Farmer and Duncan were the only ones to bring a six-fish limit to the scales each day.
With the walleyes feeding on massive schools of white perch, Farmer and Duncan chose to go with prism colored Shad Raps and to work the 40-42' depths close by the dam. They used downriggers with 8-pound downrigger balls and ran the Shad Raps 60' behind the downrigger weights. The result was a two-day weight of 14.83 pounds and a check for $2500 to go along with the Great Plains Championship of Walleye Fishing title.
Although Farmer and Duncan were in second place and a little over a pound back after the first day's action, they stuck with their game plan and ended up winning by almost four pounds.
"What an effort by Rich and Doug. Their consistency and strategy put them over the top. Everybody knew it was going to be a tough bite because of the schools of white perch. They definitely deserve and have earned the Great Plains Championship title," said Gander Mountain GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer.
Second place and a check for $1000 went to David and Shannon Walker from Piqua, KS with a two-day total weight of 10.85 pounds. They moved from 5th place on Saturday to the runner-up position on Sunday.
Ted Webster from Hutchinson, KS and Robert Riddick from Wakefield KS, who had the Day I lead at 7.97 pounds, managed only one walleye on Sunday and slipped to third place with a total of 9.60 pounds. They cashed a check for $750.
"We had a really strong wind on Sunday after a relatively calm day on Saturday. We definitely knew we were in Kansas!" joked Barringer. "In all seriousness, this was a very competitive tournament, and I'm proud of the effort these teams gave this year. Even though the second day didn't go so well for Webster and Riddick, they are to be congratulated for their Great Plains Team of the Year honors."
Several other special awards were presented at Sunday's weigh-in. The Berkley Big Fish Award of $400 in Berkley product for the largest walleye of the two-day tournament went to Dennis and Shelby Vance from Selden, KS with a 1.88-pound walleye.
The "Yo So Close" award of a Yo Net folding net valued at $80 went to the teams that placed just out of the money. They include David Thurman from Kech, KS and Paul Hovorak from Wichita, KS in 6th place; Wayne Human and Kecia Shellito from Athol, KS in 7th place; and Dick Bacon and Cliff Doty from Lincoln, NE.
The VIB"E" Lure award of two six-piece lure sets valued at $40 went to the two teams who finished behind the Yo So Close award. They include Dennis and Shelby Vance from Selden, KS in 9th place; and Randall and Randy Horine from Minden, NE in 10th place.
The Towtector Comeback Award of a Towtector boat protector valued at $250 went to the team advancing the most places from day one to day two. This award went to Randall Horine and Randy Horine from Minden, NE. They drew a blank on Saturday but came back with 4.07 pounds on Sunday to move up five places in the standings.
The winner of the Gander Mountain "Need More Stuff" drawing of $200 for a Gander Mountain Shopping Spree went to JD Baker from Hoxie, KS and Greg Mekelburg from Yuma, CO.
"There is no doubt that Wilson Lake is a great place to hold a tournament. It's a beautiful lake with its steep, rock bluffs. The community of Russell and the Russell County Convention and Visitor's Bureau were just great. They made our stay very enjoyable," noted Barringer.
The Walleye Wisdom camera crew was also on hand to film footage of the Championship. "The Walleye Wisdom camera crew is at all of the State Championships to capture the excitement of the tournament action. The highlights of these State Championships and the National Championships, along with some great walleye fishing tips will appear on our 13-week Walleye Wisdom television program," added Barringer.
Those interested in checking out the standings, reading the releases about any of the eight regions or simply learning more about the circuit can access the Gander Mountain GNWC website at www.walleyecup.com.
Title Sponsor for the GNWC is Gander Mountain. Other major national sponsors include Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards, the Sportsman Channel, Berkley, Aqua Innovations, YoNet Folding Nets by AMFYOYO, VIB"E" Lure Company, TowTector Shield and UpNorthOutdoors.com.
By Steve Weisman
Gander Mountain GNWC Publicity Director
Match the forage fish and get down to the walleyes! That game plan paid off big time for the team of Rich Farmer and Doug Duncan from Wichita, KS this past weekend.
They rode that plan to victory at the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup's Great Plains Championship of Walleye Fishing Tournament held at Wilson Lake near Russell, KS. Farmer and Duncan were the only ones to bring a six-fish limit to the scales each day.
With the walleyes feeding on massive schools of white perch, Farmer and Duncan chose to go with prism colored Shad Raps and to work the 40-42' depths close by the dam. They used downriggers with 8-pound downrigger balls and ran the Shad Raps 60' behind the downrigger weights. The result was a two-day weight of 14.83 pounds and a check for $2500 to go along with the Great Plains Championship of Walleye Fishing title.
Although Farmer and Duncan were in second place and a little over a pound back after the first day's action, they stuck with their game plan and ended up winning by almost four pounds.
"What an effort by Rich and Doug. Their consistency and strategy put them over the top. Everybody knew it was going to be a tough bite because of the schools of white perch. They definitely deserve and have earned the Great Plains Championship title," said Gander Mountain GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer.
Second place and a check for $1000 went to David and Shannon Walker from Piqua, KS with a two-day total weight of 10.85 pounds. They moved from 5th place on Saturday to the runner-up position on Sunday.
Ted Webster from Hutchinson, KS and Robert Riddick from Wakefield KS, who had the Day I lead at 7.97 pounds, managed only one walleye on Sunday and slipped to third place with a total of 9.60 pounds. They cashed a check for $750.
"We had a really strong wind on Sunday after a relatively calm day on Saturday. We definitely knew we were in Kansas!" joked Barringer. "In all seriousness, this was a very competitive tournament, and I'm proud of the effort these teams gave this year. Even though the second day didn't go so well for Webster and Riddick, they are to be congratulated for their Great Plains Team of the Year honors."
Several other special awards were presented at Sunday's weigh-in. The Berkley Big Fish Award of $400 in Berkley product for the largest walleye of the two-day tournament went to Dennis and Shelby Vance from Selden, KS with a 1.88-pound walleye.
The "Yo So Close" award of a Yo Net folding net valued at $80 went to the teams that placed just out of the money. They include David Thurman from Kech, KS and Paul Hovorak from Wichita, KS in 6th place; Wayne Human and Kecia Shellito from Athol, KS in 7th place; and Dick Bacon and Cliff Doty from Lincoln, NE.
The VIB"E" Lure award of two six-piece lure sets valued at $40 went to the two teams who finished behind the Yo So Close award. They include Dennis and Shelby Vance from Selden, KS in 9th place; and Randall and Randy Horine from Minden, NE in 10th place.
The Towtector Comeback Award of a Towtector boat protector valued at $250 went to the team advancing the most places from day one to day two. This award went to Randall Horine and Randy Horine from Minden, NE. They drew a blank on Saturday but came back with 4.07 pounds on Sunday to move up five places in the standings.
The winner of the Gander Mountain "Need More Stuff" drawing of $200 for a Gander Mountain Shopping Spree went to JD Baker from Hoxie, KS and Greg Mekelburg from Yuma, CO.
"There is no doubt that Wilson Lake is a great place to hold a tournament. It's a beautiful lake with its steep, rock bluffs. The community of Russell and the Russell County Convention and Visitor's Bureau were just great. They made our stay very enjoyable," noted Barringer.
The Walleye Wisdom camera crew was also on hand to film footage of the Championship. "The Walleye Wisdom camera crew is at all of the State Championships to capture the excitement of the tournament action. The highlights of these State Championships and the National Championships, along with some great walleye fishing tips will appear on our 13-week Walleye Wisdom television program," added Barringer.
Those interested in checking out the standings, reading the releases about any of the eight regions or simply learning more about the circuit can access the Gander Mountain GNWC website at www.walleyecup.com.
Title Sponsor for the GNWC is Gander Mountain. Other major national sponsors include Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards, the Sportsman Channel, Berkley, Aqua Innovations, YoNet Folding Nets by AMFYOYO, VIB"E" Lure Company, TowTector Shield and UpNorthOutdoors.com.