MN State Championship of Walleye Fishing-Preview

Minnesota State Championship of Walleye Fishing Set for Big Stone Lake

By Steve Weisman
Gander Mountain GNWC Publicity Director
It's been six weeks since final regular season tournament on the Minnesota Region of the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC). Now it's showdown time for the top 30 teams as they head to Big Stone Lake on September 18-19 for the Minnesota State Championship of Walleye Fishing.
The teams will be competing for a guaranteed $4000 for first place plus trophies.
Leading the way will be the Minnesota Region Team of the Year, Tom Johnson and Stan Watkins from Ottertail, MN. "The race for the Minnesota Regional Team of the Year was the closest of all eight regions," said Gander Mountain GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer. "Only one point separated the top three teams, and it came down to the wire at the Lake Vermilion tournament before it was settled."
Big Stone Lake, a 30-mile long lake located on the boundary of South Dakota and Minnesota, is considered one of the better walleye fisheries in the Midwest. It is a long, narrow lake with predominately mud flats at the upper (north) end and more structure and rocks and islands at the lower end. During pre-fishing, the teams will spend their time eliminating unproductive water and trying to put together fish catching patterns.
"There are a lot of opportunities on Big Stone Lake. It is definitely a quality walleye fishery, and the community is really rolling out the welcome mat for the GNWC teams and the Minnesota State Championship of Walleye Fishing," noted Barringer.
Although the tournament competition begins on Saturday, September 18, the activities for the Minnesota teams actually begin on Friday evening with the Championship banquet at the Matador Supper Club.
The Minnesota Championship competition headquarters for take-off and weigh-in will be at the Ortonville City Park. Saturday's action begins at 7 a.m. with the opening ceremonies and take-off. Weigh-in will be at 3 p.m. Sunday follows the same time frame with the weigh-in festivities beginning at 3 p.m. Sunday's weigh-in will determine who will walk away with the Minnesota State Championship of Walleye Fishing title.
"The Big Stone Lake area is a hotbed of walleye fishing. We invite all interested people to come out and witness some great fishing action and the excitement of the weigh-ins," said Barringer. "Weigh-ins begin at 3 p.m. each day. The first day will be a day of positioning, but the second day will be for the title. Plus, on the second day, we will find out from the top teams what strategies they used to catch their fish."
In addition, the Walleye Wisdom television crew will be filming footage of all eight Championships, including the Minnesota State Championship, for its popular 13-week television program Walleye Wisdom, which is aired on the Sportsman Channel, Fox Sports and several regional outlets. "Our goal is to showcase the successes of our walleye teams, share the techniques that the GNWC teams used to catch their fish and to finally give fishing hints that will help our viewers become better walleye anglers themselves," said Barringer.
Special awards will be given out at the Championships including the Berkley Big Fish Award of $400 in Berkley product for the team that catches the largest walleye during the two-day Championships. In addition, an optional Big Fish Pot will go to the big fish taken during the Championships.
Next, will be the $200 Gander Mountain Shopping Spree. A drawing will be held of teams who do not weigh a fish, and the winner will be able to spend the $200 on gear of their choice at any Gander Mountain Store. If all teams weigh fish, all will be entered in the drawing.
YoNet Folding Nets by AMFYOYO will offer the Yo So Close Award of an $80 folding net to the three teams finishing just out of the money.
The VIB"E" Lure Company will sponsor the VIB"E" Lure award of two six-piece lure sets valued at $40 to the two teams who finish behind the Yo So Close award. Lure sets will also be given away as door prizes at the Championship banquet.
TowTector, maker of the premium boat protector for towing vehicles, will offer the Towtector Comeback Award of a Towtector Shield valued at over $250 for the team advancing the most places from day one to day two.
Skeeter Boats is offering any owner of a Skeeter boat who wins the Minnesota State Championship while fishing in the Skeeter an additional $1000 above their GNWC winnings.
Aqua Innovations will give an additional $250 to any team who wins the Minnesota State Championship if their boat's livewell is equipped with the Aqua Innovations oxygen enhancement system. Plus they will be awarding systems to the anglers as door prizes at the Championship banquet.
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.