For Immediate Release
Minnesota Teams Prepare for Lake Vermilion
By Steve Weisman
GNWC Publicity Director
A berth in the Championships and Team of the Year honors are at stake
for the teams on the Minnesota Region of the Gander Mountain Grand National
Walleye Cup (GNWC) as they prepare for the final regular season tournament
Sunday, August 1 on Lake Vermilion.
This final tournament will help decide what teams will make the
Minnesota State Championship of Walleye Fishing, which will be held on Big
Stone Lake, September 18-19.
With its 40,000 acres of water, 365 islands and 313 miles of shoreline,
Lake Vermilion stretches 24 miles across the heart of Minnesota’s Arrowhead
Region and is renowned for its quality walleye fishery. The 2003 DNR creel
survey indicates several strong year classes including the 1995, 1997, 1998
and 1999 years. These years account for a large portion of the walleye
harvest. There is also a strong class of 17-21 inch walleyes which come from
the 1997 and 1998 year classes.
Gander Mountain GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer is looking
forward to the Vermilion tournament. “Lake Vermilion is a great place to
hold the final tournament on the Minnesota Region. It contains structure,
hundreds of islands and a good walleye population.”
Openings still exist for the Lake Vermilion 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 Timbuktu Marina
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.
The tournament hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Weigh-in begins precisely at 3
p.m., with awards to follow. “The Minnesota Region has really grown this
year. We’ve added a lot of new teams, and we have had some tremendous
competitions. I think the public will enjoy coming out and seeing what these
teams can do. It’s also a great opportunity to learn about the techniques
used to catch fish,” added Barringer.
Heading into the Lake Vermilion tournament, Corey Bjorgaard from Inver
Grove Heights, MN and David Domonoski from Waterville, MN are 7 points ahead
of their nearest competitors, Tim Hinrichs from Bemidji, MN and Jeff Putnam
from Dassel, MN in the race for the Minnesota Region Team of the Year.
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 Gander Mountain GNWC is Gander Mountain with other
major national sponsors including Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards, the
Sportsman Channel, Berkley, Aqua Innovations, YoNet Folding Nets by AMFYOYO,
VIB”E” Lure Company, TowTector Shield and UpNorthOutdoors.com.
