Father Son Team Wins 4th Annual Illinois Governors Cup Walleye Tournament.
With high water conditions and high winds the father and son team Tom Giachetto Sr. and Tom Giachetto, Jr. from Ladd, Illinois managed to catch a five fish limit each day of the two day tournament to capture first place.
Day one found the river rising fast and water clarity dropping quick. Even with very tough conditions the father and son team was able to pitch jigs in tight, to cover an eddy catching a five fish limit in the Starved Rock pool weighing 12.03 pounds. They also captured big fish honors for Saturday with a 3.15 pound Walleye which held up for the big fish of the tournament. On day two the team had to fish the Ottawa pool with the wind out of the WNW at 25-30 MPH with gust to 45 MPH but caught a limit of fish weighing 9.29 pounds. This gave them a total weight for the tournament of 21.32 pounds and a paycheck for $3,900.00 plus $430.00 for big fish honors on day one. Placing second from Joliet, Illinois was Steve Skupien and Wally Neumann with a total weight of 18.44 pounds earning them $2,000.00. Third place honors went to the team of Brad Obermeier Des Moines, Iowa and Jack Neuman, Naperville, Illinois with 15.1 pounds paying $1,300.00. Rounding out the top five were Buster Culjan, Ottawa and Mike Rutkowski with 15.05 in fourth place and Dominic Culjan Utica, Illinois and Mike Harrington, Lexington, Illinois with 14.96 pounds for fifth place. Sunday big fish honors went to Gary and Bruce Merkel from Spring Valley with a 2.62 pound Sauger.
Pictured left to right 1st-3rd place