GNWC Teams Battle Wind and Rain at East Dubuque
By Steve Weisman
GNWC Publicity Director
The team of Ron Brake and Jeff Fore from Petersburg took a three point
lead in the battle for Grand National Walleye Cup’s (GNWC) Mercury Outboards
Team-of-the-Year with their second place finish on the Mississippi River at
East Dubuque on Sunday, May 11.
Brake and Fore weighed five walleye good for 7.18 pounds, but were edged
by the team of Steve Kopp and Tim Ware of Dubuque, who made the most of
their two walleyes weighing 7.49 pounds. Kopp and Ware not only cashed the
first place check of $1000 but also captured the Abu Garcia Big Fish Award
and two Abu Garcia Linecounter reels with their 4.07 pound walleye.
The Berkley Family Angler Award of $250 in Berkley product went to Bob
Schine from Crystal Lake and Jason Schine from Lake Villa.
“The weather was incredibly brutal. We had winds of 40 mph with gusts
over 50 mph. It was the choice of these teams to take a shot at it, and I
really commend them for their endurance,” said GNWC Tournament Director Dean
Higgens. “We had several other teams who didn’t fish because of the weather,
and I certainly understand and respect their decision.”
Most of the teams headed south and fished the Catfish Creek area and
kept themselves tucked in away from the high winds. Kopp and Ware trolled
three-way rigs with floater Rapalas along the shoreline in 10-12 feet of
water, while Brake and Fore also worked the same area with three-way rigs.
However, they pulled jigs tipped with a leech.
In the race for the Mercury Outboards Team-of-the-Year, Brake and Fore
lead the teams of John Mannerino from Chicago and Greg Meyer from Elgin and
Bob and Jason Schine, who are both three points back with one qualifier left
on the Mississippi River at Albany on Sunday, June 8.
Anglers can call 1-800-890-3474, email the GNWC at [email protected]
or check out the official GNWC website at walleyecup.com for all of the
latest in GNWC information.
GNWC Executive Director Barringer also underscored the importance of The
Sportsman Channel as a major sponsoring partner. “We are very excited to be
able to showcasae all of our state championships along with the National
Championship on The Sportsman Channel. For those who do not get the
Sportsman Channel, I encourage you to call your local cable company or
satellite television provider and ask for it.”
Major sponsoring partners for the GNWC include Ranger Boats, Mercury
Outboards, Berkley, Abu-Garcia, The Sportsman Channel and
UpNorthOutdoors.com.
Cutline: Top three teams at East Dubuque (L to R): 1st place, Steve Kopp
and Tim Ware; second place, Ron Brake and Jeff Fore; third place tom
Millenkamp and Gerry Oberbrockling.