Steve Weisman
06-07-2005, 04:26 PM
Iowa Teams Head to Mississippi River for Final Regular Season Tournament
By Steve Weisman
GNWC Publicity Director
For the Iowa teams competing for a berth at the Iowa Regional Championship of the Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC), it all comes down to one final tournament.
What better place than to have this final showdown on the Mississippi River! This final qualifier is set for Sunday, June 19, at Albany, IL. When it's all said and done, the top 30 teams who fished all four qualifying tournaments will be on their way to the Iowa Regional Championship on West Okoboji, September 17-18.
Also by the end of the Albany Tournament, the Iowa Region "Yamaha Team of the Year" will be crowned. Heading into the final tournament, the team of Jack Davis and Rob Funk from Mason City, IA have an 11 point lead over Troy Loeckle from Floyd, IA and Wes Loeckle from Mason City, IA and a 12 point lead over Jesse Roush from Clive, IA and Cory Batterson from Pleasant Hill, IA.
According to GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer, the Albany Tournament will hold lots of excitement for both the competing teams and the general public. "The Mississippi River is a great fishery, and I know these teams will be working not only the Albany area but also other pools. There are so many fishing opportunities. Even though this is the final tournament for the year, I encourage folks who would like to experience competitive walleye tournament fishing to give this qualifier a try."
The tournament director will have the trailer at the Albany City Ramp from 6-8 p.m. the evening before the tournament to take late entries and answer questions. Take-off is at 7 a.m. with the weigh-in commencing at 3 p.m. sharp at the Albany City Ramp.
"I encourage folks to come out to the weigh-in and see what patterns the GNWC teams can put together. We will also have a couple of Aqua-Vu underwater cameras set up in our release tanks so that the public can see how they work. This is a great opportunity for the general public to learn what presentations worked and to also find out what team takes the Team of the Year honors and what teams qualify for the Iowa Regional Championship," noted Barringer.
For those interested in entering, the entry fee remains at $210 per team for each tournament. Openings do still exist for the Mississippi River Tournament at Albany, and Barringer encourages interested anglers to contact him at 1-800-890-FISH (3474), or email the GNWC at info@walleyecup.com. Barringer added, "I also encourage people to check out our website at www.walleyecup.com and see how the races are going in all seven of our regions."
Major national sponsors for the GNWC include Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards, Lowrance Electronics, YoNet Folding Nets by AMFYOYO, Aqua-VU, Aqua Innovations, Cabela's and UpNorthOutdoors.com. National championship sponsor is Towtector Shield, while Iowa Region sponsors include Carlson-Sanderson Real Estate, Motor Inn, Inc., and Triggs Bay Resort.
By Steve Weisman
GNWC Publicity Director
For the Iowa teams competing for a berth at the Iowa Regional Championship of the Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC), it all comes down to one final tournament.
What better place than to have this final showdown on the Mississippi River! This final qualifier is set for Sunday, June 19, at Albany, IL. When it's all said and done, the top 30 teams who fished all four qualifying tournaments will be on their way to the Iowa Regional Championship on West Okoboji, September 17-18.
Also by the end of the Albany Tournament, the Iowa Region "Yamaha Team of the Year" will be crowned. Heading into the final tournament, the team of Jack Davis and Rob Funk from Mason City, IA have an 11 point lead over Troy Loeckle from Floyd, IA and Wes Loeckle from Mason City, IA and a 12 point lead over Jesse Roush from Clive, IA and Cory Batterson from Pleasant Hill, IA.
According to GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer, the Albany Tournament will hold lots of excitement for both the competing teams and the general public. "The Mississippi River is a great fishery, and I know these teams will be working not only the Albany area but also other pools. There are so many fishing opportunities. Even though this is the final tournament for the year, I encourage folks who would like to experience competitive walleye tournament fishing to give this qualifier a try."
The tournament director will have the trailer at the Albany City Ramp from 6-8 p.m. the evening before the tournament to take late entries and answer questions. Take-off is at 7 a.m. with the weigh-in commencing at 3 p.m. sharp at the Albany City Ramp.
"I encourage folks to come out to the weigh-in and see what patterns the GNWC teams can put together. We will also have a couple of Aqua-Vu underwater cameras set up in our release tanks so that the public can see how they work. This is a great opportunity for the general public to learn what presentations worked and to also find out what team takes the Team of the Year honors and what teams qualify for the Iowa Regional Championship," noted Barringer.
For those interested in entering, the entry fee remains at $210 per team for each tournament. Openings do still exist for the Mississippi River Tournament at Albany, and Barringer encourages interested anglers to contact him at 1-800-890-FISH (3474), or email the GNWC at info@walleyecup.com. Barringer added, "I also encourage people to check out our website at www.walleyecup.com and see how the races are going in all seven of our regions."
Major national sponsors for the GNWC include Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards, Lowrance Electronics, YoNet Folding Nets by AMFYOYO, Aqua-VU, Aqua Innovations, Cabela's and UpNorthOutdoors.com. National championship sponsor is Towtector Shield, while Iowa Region sponsors include Carlson-Sanderson Real Estate, Motor Inn, Inc., and Triggs Bay Resort.