Steve Weisman
06-29-2005, 12:52 PM
South Dakota Teams Head to Lake Oahe's Spring Creek
By Steve Weisman
GNWC Publicity Director
The fourth and final tournament for the teams on the South Dakota Region of the Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC), and what better place to have it than on Lake Oahe!
Set for Sunday, July 10, the final tournament will determine who will make the final cut for the Regional Championship, which will be held at Lake Angostura on August 27-28.
In the race for the South Dakota Region's Yamaha Outboards Team of the Year award, the team of Doug Iverson from Pierre, SD and Rolfe Behrend from Brookings, SD holds the lead with 14 points followed by the team of Todd Hight from Pierre, SD and Ron Gunn from Ft. Pierre, SD with 23 points.
"This is an exciting time for the South Dakota teams," said GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer. "The last tournament at Bitter Lake was a great one, and I see the Spring Creek Tournament being a great one, too. Although the water levels are down, the walleye fishery on Lake Oahe has really rebounded. The forage fish are back, and the walleyes are in great shape."
With the entire expanse of Lake Oahe to fish, the GNWC teams have lots of options. Recent fishing reports find hot spots up and down Lake Oahe from Pierre all the way north to Mobridge. Anglers have been catching fish using live bait rigs, bottom bouncers and spinners and crankbaits.
"That's what makes the Missouri River so intriguing," said Barringer, "because you can catch fish from one end of Oahe to the other."
The tournament director will have the trailer at Spring Creek Resort 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 Spring Creek Resort.
"I encourage folks to come to the weigh-in. There is so much at stake. It will be exciting to see who qualifies for the Regional Championship and who takes the Yamaha Outboards Team of the Year honors. The weigh-in is also a great opportunity to also find out what the teams did to catch their fish. Also, we will have a couple of Aqua-Vu underwater cameras set up in our release tanks so that the public can see how they work," added Barringer.
For those interested in entering, the entry fee remains at $210 per team for each tournament. Openings do still exist for the Spring Creek qualifier, and Barringer encourages interested anglers to contact him at 1-800-890-FISH (3474), or email the GNWC at info@walleyecup.com. "I also encourage people to check out our website at www.walleyecup.com and see what is happening in all seven regions of the Grand National Walleye Cup," added Barringer.
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 sponsors are Towtector Shield and the FoodSource Lure Corporation.
By Steve Weisman
GNWC Publicity Director
The fourth and final tournament for the teams on the South Dakota Region of the Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC), and what better place to have it than on Lake Oahe!
Set for Sunday, July 10, the final tournament will determine who will make the final cut for the Regional Championship, which will be held at Lake Angostura on August 27-28.
In the race for the South Dakota Region's Yamaha Outboards Team of the Year award, the team of Doug Iverson from Pierre, SD and Rolfe Behrend from Brookings, SD holds the lead with 14 points followed by the team of Todd Hight from Pierre, SD and Ron Gunn from Ft. Pierre, SD with 23 points.
"This is an exciting time for the South Dakota teams," said GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer. "The last tournament at Bitter Lake was a great one, and I see the Spring Creek Tournament being a great one, too. Although the water levels are down, the walleye fishery on Lake Oahe has really rebounded. The forage fish are back, and the walleyes are in great shape."
With the entire expanse of Lake Oahe to fish, the GNWC teams have lots of options. Recent fishing reports find hot spots up and down Lake Oahe from Pierre all the way north to Mobridge. Anglers have been catching fish using live bait rigs, bottom bouncers and spinners and crankbaits.
"That's what makes the Missouri River so intriguing," said Barringer, "because you can catch fish from one end of Oahe to the other."
The tournament director will have the trailer at Spring Creek Resort 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 Spring Creek Resort.
"I encourage folks to come to the weigh-in. There is so much at stake. It will be exciting to see who qualifies for the Regional Championship and who takes the Yamaha Outboards Team of the Year honors. The weigh-in is also a great opportunity to also find out what the teams did to catch their fish. Also, we will have a couple of Aqua-Vu underwater cameras set up in our release tanks so that the public can see how they work," added Barringer.
For those interested in entering, the entry fee remains at $210 per team for each tournament. Openings do still exist for the Spring Creek qualifier, and Barringer encourages interested anglers to contact him at 1-800-890-FISH (3474), or email the GNWC at info@walleyecup.com. "I also encourage people to check out our website at www.walleyecup.com and see what is happening in all seven regions of the Grand National Walleye Cup," added Barringer.
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 sponsors are Towtector Shield and the FoodSource Lure Corporation.