Grand National Walleye Cup opens South Dakota Region on Missouri River
By Steve Weisman
GNWC Publicity Director
South Dakota walleye teams get ready! The first qualifier for the Grand
National Walleye Cup (GNWC) is set for the Missouri River at Lake Sharpe on
Sunday, April 17.
The Pierre qualifier is the first of four tournaments in South Dakota,
which ultimately leads to the South Dakota Region Championship in August on
Angostura Reservoir south of Hot Springs.
Also on the line is the chance to compete for a berth in the 2005 GNWC
National Championship presented by Skeeter Boats and Yamaha Outboards with a
first place prize of two fully rigged WX 1880 Skeeter boats rigged with
Yamaha outboards, Minnkota electric trolling motors and Lowrance
Electronics. With a retail value of $35,000 per rig, this brings the first
place purse at the National Championship to $70,000.
“The GNWC is a walleye circuit that targets the weekend warrior. It
gives anglers an opportunity to get a taste of competitive walleye fishing
without having to tie up extended periods of time and a lot of money in
entry fees,” said GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer. “We expect this
to be a great opener on the South Dakota circuit “The ramps are in good
shape, and the parking lots have been full. Walleye fishing has been good.”
According to local guides, fishing has been good below the dam. Garry
Allen, owner of Allen’s Missouri River Guide Service, foresees good walleye
fishing on Lake Sharpe in 2005. “The ice just went off the lower end, but
they are already catching some fish in the West Bend area. The lake has good
water. My guess is it will be a jig bite on the 17th,” said Allen.
The tournament director will have the trailer at Down’s Marina from 6-8
p.m. the evening before the tournament to take late entries and answer
questions. Take-off is at 7 a.m. with the weigh-in commencing at 3 p.m.
sharp at Down’s Marina.
“The Missouri River system is an awesome fishery. I encourage the
general public to come to the weigh-in. It is a great opportunity for folks
to get a glimpse at what tournament fishing is all about. I expect the race
for first to be really tight, which will provide a lot of excitement. Also,
we will have a couple of Aqua-Vu underwater cameras set up in our release
tanks so that the public can see how they work. The audience will also get
to hear from the teams and find out what presentations and tactics worked to
trigger the fish. This is a great way to learn about taking walleyes on
Missouri River,” added Barringer.
For those interested in entering, the entry fee remains at $210 per
team for each tournament. Openings do still exist for the Pierre qualifier,
and Barringer encourages interested anglers to contact him at 1-800-890-FISH
(3474), or email the GNWC at [email protected]. “I also encourage people
to check out our website at http://www.walleyecup.com and see what the Grand
National Walleye Cup is all about,” added Barringer.
Major national sponsors for the GNWC include Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
Outboards, Lowrance Electronics, YoNet Folding Nets by AMFYOYO, Aqua-VU,
Aqua Innovations, Towtector Shield, VIB”E” Lure Company and
UpNorthOutdoors.com.