Iowa State Championship of Walleye Fishing-Day I Results

Batterson, Roush Take the Lead on Day I of the Iowa State Championship of Walleye Fishing

By Steve Weisman
Gander Mountain GNWC Publicity Director
What a difference a day makes! From 25-30 mph winds during prefishing on Friday to flat calm on Saturday! That's what the 31 teams at the Iowa State Championship of Walleye Fishing encountered on the opening day of championship competition.
The bite was on, though, for several of the teams, especially the team of Cory Batterson from Pleasant Hill, IA and Jesse Roush from Clive, IA as they took the Day I lead with a six-fish limit weight of 14.21 pounds.
Batterson said, "We had three of our fish in the first 20 minutes," while his partner, Jesse added, "We caught our big fish early, and that really took the pressure off."
Mike Odor from Algona, IA and Gordy Odor from Dakota City, IA made the most of their three walleyes with a weight of 12.41 pounds. Their 6.36-pound kicker fish lifted them into the second place slot.
Ronald Cardwell from Sioux City, IA and Kevin Cardwell from Spirit Lake, IA hold down third place with five-fish weighing 10.57 pounds.
Leading the way in the battle for the Berkley Big Fish Award is the team of Rodger Clark and Dustin Clark from Albert Lea, MN with a 7.17-pound walleye.
The Iowa State Championship of Walleye Fishing, which is the seventh of eight such tournaments on the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC) circuit, found most of the teams trolling the deep basin of the lake.
"This weather was unbelievable. It was more like July than September," said Gander Mountain GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer. "Cory and Jesse really had their fish dialed in, but there are several teams still within striking distance. I'm sure we'll see some more quality baskets of fish come to the scales tomorrow."
Sunday's action follows the same format as Saturday with take-off at 7 a.m. and weigh-in at 3 p.m. at the Marble Beach Boat Ramp, on the west end of the lake. "I look for a great crowd tomorrow. The second day's weigh-in promises a lot of action. I think the crowd will enjoy seeing whether our leaders will be able to hold on and claim the title of champions of the Iowa State Championship of Walleye Fishing or whether any of the other teams will be able to make a run at them. With the tournament ending tomorrow, the teams will share their secrets, so it will be a great opportunity for people to learn more about fishing Big Spirit."
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. The Iowa Regional sponsors include Carlson-Sanderson Real Estate, Motor Inn, Inc., and Triggs Bay Resort.