Steve Weisman
07-17-2005, 09:09 PM
Torrid Walleye Bite at Mille Lacs
By Steve Weisman
GNWC Publicity Director
With 26 teams weighing five-fish limits, it was quite a logjam at the top, but the team of Bob Steinhoff from Lakeshore, MN and Mike Pelowski from Backus, MN put together a five-fish limit weight of 16.99 pounds to take the Mille Lacs Tournament title and a check for $1600 on Sunday, July 17. This was the final regular season tournament for the Minnesota Region of the Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC).
The team of Matt Brower from Chanhassen, MN and Tim Schwartz from Big Lake, MN from took the $800 second place check with a five-fish limit weight of 16.45 pounds.
Third place and a check for $500 went to the team of Mark Courts from Harris, MN and Mark Krenik from Shakopee, MN with a five-fish limit weight of 16.20 pounds.
The father-son team of Dan Lavrenz and Nick Lavrenz from St. Michael, MN captured Cabela's Big Fish Award of a $200 Cabela's shopping spree with their 5.99-pound, 28 1/2 walleye, while the team of John Arden from Milaca, MN and Todd Anderson from Bloomington, MN won the $320 optional Big Fish Pot with their 3.91-pound walleye.
According to GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer, it was quite a tournament. "Mille Lacs is back in a big way. The bite has been terrific the last few weeks. Even though we had strong 20 mph winds, the teams continued to catch their fish."
The winning team put together a game plan that included Lindy rigging with 12-14 foot snells and #6 red hooks tipped with either a nightcrawler or a leech. According to Steinhoff, he and Pelowski found their fish on 9 Mile Flat, just off the edge in 27 feet of water. "We were able to keep on that depth because we backtrolled into the wind, but it was pretty tough because at times we had three to four foot waves."
Interestingly enough, both anglers caught fish on different bait. Pelowski said, "I am a diehard leech fisherman. I caught mine on leeches on one side of the flat, and my partner caught his on nightcrawlers on the other side of the flat!"
They both definitely felt that the long leader was very important. "We want to keep the sinker just off the mud, but if we do hit the mud, the longer leader keeps the bait up where the fish can see it," said Steinhoff. Steinhoff added, "This was a very emotional win for me because I dedicated this tournament to Charlie, a friend of mine who died three months ago."
According to Schwartz, he and Brower also worked long snells. However, they found the most active fish to be in 28-29 feet of water early in the morning, dropping off into 30-31 feet by mid-morning. "We used a single hook with no bead, an 11 foot snell and jumbo leeches," said Schwartz.
The day, however, did not start well. "We really had a rough start. First the wires came loose on the GPS, then everything electrical went dead in the boat because we blew a breaker on the battery. Then when we finally got started fishing, nothing was going right. We were getting tangled up with each other. Finally, I put the trolling motor down, headed into the wind, and we caught a fish. I guess perseverance pays off!" added Schwartz. So much so that they were back at the weigh-in trailer by noon!
Finally, Courts and Krenik made it three in a row as they also used Lindy rigs, plain hooks with 8-12 foot snells and nightcrawlers and leeches. "Using the long leader helps keep the hook clean and also keeps the bait away from the weight," said Courts. They did feel that a chartreuse bead ahead of their hook was an important key. They found their fish on the top edge of the flats in 24-26 feet of water.
The Yo So Close Award, provided by AMFYOYO, manufacturer of the innovative stowable folding landing net, went to the three teams just finishing out of the money. They include Todd Knickerbocker and Gary Haider from South Haven, MN in 12th place; Pat Mulroy from Prior Lake, MN and Tim Fritz from New Prague, MN in 13th place; and John Madson from Cokato, MN and Gordon Schreifels from Kimball, MN in 14th place.
In the race for the Yamaha Outboards Team of the Year, the team of Michael Marushin and Jeffrey Clem from Minnetonka, MN won the title with 35 points, followed by Dan Lavrenz from St. Michael, MN and Troy Kalis from Brainerd, MN with 53 points.
For those interested in learning more about the GNWC, call 1-800-890-FISH (3474), or email the GNWC at info@walleyecup.com.
" With the regular season now over, the Minnesota Championship is up next. The top 30 teams in the region will now meet at Bemidji on September 10-11," said 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
With 26 teams weighing five-fish limits, it was quite a logjam at the top, but the team of Bob Steinhoff from Lakeshore, MN and Mike Pelowski from Backus, MN put together a five-fish limit weight of 16.99 pounds to take the Mille Lacs Tournament title and a check for $1600 on Sunday, July 17. This was the final regular season tournament for the Minnesota Region of the Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC).
The team of Matt Brower from Chanhassen, MN and Tim Schwartz from Big Lake, MN from took the $800 second place check with a five-fish limit weight of 16.45 pounds.
Third place and a check for $500 went to the team of Mark Courts from Harris, MN and Mark Krenik from Shakopee, MN with a five-fish limit weight of 16.20 pounds.
The father-son team of Dan Lavrenz and Nick Lavrenz from St. Michael, MN captured Cabela's Big Fish Award of a $200 Cabela's shopping spree with their 5.99-pound, 28 1/2 walleye, while the team of John Arden from Milaca, MN and Todd Anderson from Bloomington, MN won the $320 optional Big Fish Pot with their 3.91-pound walleye.
According to GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer, it was quite a tournament. "Mille Lacs is back in a big way. The bite has been terrific the last few weeks. Even though we had strong 20 mph winds, the teams continued to catch their fish."
The winning team put together a game plan that included Lindy rigging with 12-14 foot snells and #6 red hooks tipped with either a nightcrawler or a leech. According to Steinhoff, he and Pelowski found their fish on 9 Mile Flat, just off the edge in 27 feet of water. "We were able to keep on that depth because we backtrolled into the wind, but it was pretty tough because at times we had three to four foot waves."
Interestingly enough, both anglers caught fish on different bait. Pelowski said, "I am a diehard leech fisherman. I caught mine on leeches on one side of the flat, and my partner caught his on nightcrawlers on the other side of the flat!"
They both definitely felt that the long leader was very important. "We want to keep the sinker just off the mud, but if we do hit the mud, the longer leader keeps the bait up where the fish can see it," said Steinhoff. Steinhoff added, "This was a very emotional win for me because I dedicated this tournament to Charlie, a friend of mine who died three months ago."
According to Schwartz, he and Brower also worked long snells. However, they found the most active fish to be in 28-29 feet of water early in the morning, dropping off into 30-31 feet by mid-morning. "We used a single hook with no bead, an 11 foot snell and jumbo leeches," said Schwartz.
The day, however, did not start well. "We really had a rough start. First the wires came loose on the GPS, then everything electrical went dead in the boat because we blew a breaker on the battery. Then when we finally got started fishing, nothing was going right. We were getting tangled up with each other. Finally, I put the trolling motor down, headed into the wind, and we caught a fish. I guess perseverance pays off!" added Schwartz. So much so that they were back at the weigh-in trailer by noon!
Finally, Courts and Krenik made it three in a row as they also used Lindy rigs, plain hooks with 8-12 foot snells and nightcrawlers and leeches. "Using the long leader helps keep the hook clean and also keeps the bait away from the weight," said Courts. They did feel that a chartreuse bead ahead of their hook was an important key. They found their fish on the top edge of the flats in 24-26 feet of water.
The Yo So Close Award, provided by AMFYOYO, manufacturer of the innovative stowable folding landing net, went to the three teams just finishing out of the money. They include Todd Knickerbocker and Gary Haider from South Haven, MN in 12th place; Pat Mulroy from Prior Lake, MN and Tim Fritz from New Prague, MN in 13th place; and John Madson from Cokato, MN and Gordon Schreifels from Kimball, MN in 14th place.
In the race for the Yamaha Outboards Team of the Year, the team of Michael Marushin and Jeffrey Clem from Minnetonka, MN won the title with 35 points, followed by Dan Lavrenz from St. Michael, MN and Troy Kalis from Brainerd, MN with 53 points.
For those interested in learning more about the GNWC, call 1-800-890-FISH (3474), or email the GNWC at info@walleyecup.com.
" With the regular season now over, the Minnesota Championship is up next. The top 30 teams in the region will now meet at Bemidji on September 10-11," said 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.