For Immediate Release
Christenson, Molengraaf overcome high winds to win Lake Oahe Tournament
By Steve Weisman
Gander Mountain GNWC Publicity Director
A good old fashioned South Dakota sandstorm! With 40-mph southerly
winds, that’s what the teams on the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye
Cup (GNWC) had to face on Lake Oahe west of Gettysburg, Sunday, June 6.
In spite of the weather, the teams who were able to master boat control
in the four-foot waves caught their six-fish limit with ease.
Leading the way and claiming the $1200 first place check was the team of
Shane Christenson from Bruce, SD and James Molengraaf from White, SD with a
six-fish limit weight of 18.0 pounds. Their 6.59 kicker walleye not only
made the difference in the standings, but also earned them the Berkley
Trilene Big Fish Award of $400 in Berkley products.
Second place and a check for $600 went to Cory Jueneman and Brent
Beitelspacher from Mobridge, SD with six fishing weighing 15.59 pounds,
while Todd Steffensen and Tim Tesch from Watertown, SD took the $500 third
place check with a six-fish weight of 15.58 pounds.
According to Gander Mountain GNWC Tournament Director Greg Liebel, the
conditions were brutal. “Yesterday was a beautiful day, and the prefishing
was tremendous. It was literally a sandstorm today. I know that boat control
in these conditions made all the difference for the top teams.”
Christenson and Molengraaf headed south of the West Whitlock area and
worked the sand flats up and down the shoreline in 20′ of water. They pulled
Shad Raps and Husky Jerks and as Christenson noted, “It was a real rough
ride, but it was worth it!”
The second place team worked the same area but used lead core to pull
Shad Raps and Husky Jerks. However, they started the day fishing in the 24′
they had found the fish in during pre-fishing. They kept moving shallower
because the inside bait kept getting the hits until they were able to
position themselves so they could cover the 10′ to 20′ depths.
Steffensen and Tesch used bottom bouncers and a combination of spinners
and plain hooks tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers and leeches. They worked
a 1/2 stretch from a point along the shoreline in 15′ to 18′ about seven
miles south of tournament headquarters.
Special awards were also presented. The “Yo So Close” award of a Yo Net
folding net valued at $80 went to the teams that placed just out of the
money. They include Shane Spooner from Watertown, SD and Aaron Bjerke from
Bradley, SD in 8th place; Bob Stalley and Jennifer Stalley from Pierre, SD
in 9th place; and Curtis Rees, III from Fort Pierre, SD and Scott Berry from
Rockford, IL in 10th place.
The winner of the Gander Mountain “Need More Stuff” drawing of $200 for
a Gander Mountain Shopping Spree was the team of Kevan Paul and Johnathon
Graber from Chariton, IA.
For complete results, check out the Gander Mountain GNWC wwebsite at
http://www.walleyecup.com.
After three tournaments, the team of Christenson and Molengraaf has a
one point lead in the race for the South Dakota Region Team of the Year with
28 points, followed by Steffensen and Tesch with 29 points.
Next up for the South Dakota teams will be the Lake Thompson tournament
on Sunday, June 27.
Anglers interested in signing up for the final qualifier or simply
wanting more information on the GNWC circuit can call 1-800-890-FISH (3474),
or they can email the GNWC at [email protected].
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.