Lake Rathbun Preview - I.O.W.A.

I.O.W.A. teams Prepare for Lake Rathbun

By Steve Weisman
I.O.W.A. Publicity Director
Rathbun Reservoir has always been a favorite of teams fishing the I.O.W.A. Team Walleye circuit, and this year holds the potential for some great fishing! Scheduled for Sunday, May 31, Brightwell’s Boathouse Rathbun Reservoir qualifier will be the third stop for the I.O.W.A. circuit.
“This tournament should be a lot of fun,” noted Higgins. “The DNR data shows that there is a huge year class of walleyes weighing in that 17-18 ½ class. Plus Rathbun has plenty of big fish around for the teams to pop a big one. It’s also exciting to have Brightwell’s Boathouse as our official Lund sponsor and also the Lake Rathbun title sponsor. They will be putting an additional $1000 into the purse at Lake Rathbun.”
Rathbun Reservior is a huge body of water with all kinds of structure, so teams will have plenty of pre-fishing options. Last year’s tournament was won by Tim Floden from Bussey and Terry Carr from Otley with a six-fish limit weight of 22.48 pounds. Their kicker fish was a 7.72-pound beauty. Last year the top three teams ended up pulling crankbaits to take their fish.
Heading into the Rathbun qualifier, the team of Bruce and Terry Sparks from Des Moines and the team of Mike Heller from West Des Moines and Jessie Roush from Clive are tied for first place in the race for the I.O.W.A. Team of the Year.
“Although these two teams are tied for first, the race is really a log jam with another 10 teams only five points out of first. That’s about as close and as even as you are going to get,” said Higgins.
This takes on added importance since the I.O.W.A. circuit is a qualifying event for the Cabela’s NTC National Team Championship. In addition, whichever team is leading in the standings after the Rathbun qualifier will have a spot in the new AIM International Championship held on Minnesota’s Lake Winnibigoshish this fall.
A mandatory rules meeting and question and answer session will be held on Saturday evening at Doggs RV Park at 6:30 p.m.
Take-off is at 7 a.m. at Island View Boat Ramp with the weigh-in at 3 p.m. at Island View Boat Ramp. “We’re getting into the last half of this year’s regular season, so the weigh-ins now carry team of the year significance,” said Higgins. “Plus, it’s always exciting to see what the teams bring to the scales.”
All of the latest news on the I.O.W.A. circuit can be found at the I.O.W.A. website (www.walleyepromotions.com). Openings still exist for the Lake Rathbun qualifier. Anglers interested in learning more about the I.O.W.A circuit can call (515) 571-1085 or they can email the I.O.W.A. staff at walleyepromotions@hotmail.com.
Corporate sponsors for 2009 include Lund Boats, Mercury Outboards, ShoreLand'r Trailers, Brightwell’s Boathouse, MinnKota, Humminbird, Berkley, Cabela's, Smooth Move Seat Mounts, FCIS Anglers Choice Insurance of Forest City, King’s Pointe Resort of Storm Lake and Wright County Motors of Belmond and Clarion.