For Immediate Release
Lake Thompson Final Stop on South Dakota’s Gander Mountain GNWC Circuit
By Steve Weisman
Gander Mountain GNWC Publicity Director
It’s showdown time for the teams competing in the South Dakota Region of
the Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC).
The site for the final tournament will be Lake Thompson and the date of
the competition will be Sunday, June 27. At stake will be a berth in the
South Dakota Regional Championship and determining who will be the South
Dakota Regional Team of the Year.
Only one point separates the top two teams in the Team of the Year race.
Shane Christenson from Bruce, SD and James Molengraaf from White, SD have 28
points while Todd Steffensen and Tim Tesch from Watertown, SD have 29
points.
“With only one point separating these two teams, it will be quite a
finish for the South Dakota Region Team of the Year,” said Gander Mountain
GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer.
Lake Thompson is one of the most popular walleye fishing destinations in
eastern South Dakota. Once a 9,000-acre marsh, Lake Thompson now covers
nearly 18,000 acres and has a maximum depth of nearly 20 feet.
Barringer added, “Lake Thompson is a tremendous walleye fishery.
However, there is also a lot of surface area, so eliminating water will
undoubtedly be part of pre-fishing game plan as the teams put the pieces of
the puzzle together.”
Openings still exist for the Lake Thompson qualifier and Barringer
encourages interested anglers to contact him at 1-800-890-FISH (3474), or
email the GNWC at [email protected].
According to Barringer, competing teams should be at the Lake Thompson
Recreation Area between 6-6:30 Sunday morning to sign in and participate in
mandatory boat inspections. However, the tournament director will have the
GNWC trailer at the check-in site from 6-8 p.m. on Saturday evening to
answer questions and to take any late registrations. Host bait shop will be
Mac’s Bait and Tackle in Lake Preston, SD.
The tournament hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Weigh-in begins precisely at 3
p.m., with awards to follow. “I hope a lot of people come out to the
weigh-in. The South Dakota Region has some excellent teams, and I am
confident that they will bring good fish to the scales. The weigh-in is a
great time to learn what the teams did to catch their fish,” added
Barringer.
Anglers interested in checking out the standings, reading the releases
about any of the eight regions or simply learning more about the circuit can
access the Gander Mountain GNWC website at http://www.walleyecup.com.
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