Grand National Walleye Cup opens Wisconsin Region at Lacrosse
By Steve Weisman
GNWC Publicity Director
The first qualifier for the Wisconsin Region of the Grand National
Walleye Cup (GNWC) is set for the Mississippi River at Lacrosse on Sunday,
April 17.
The Lacrosse qualifier is the first of four tournaments in Wisconsin,
which ultimately leads to the Wisconsin Region Championship in September on
the Minoqua Chain.
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.
“I think the Wisconsin Region will show steady growth this year, and I
know it will be an exciting race. 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. “The portion of the river at Lacrosse is a great place to kick
off the 2005 season in Wisconsin.”
According to Dave Stelow, owner of D & J Riversports, the water level
is currently high, which has made fishing tough. “It is expected to crest
around 11 feet at the end of this week. It will still be high, but fishing
will be getting better again.”
Stelow noted that the early walleye fishing has been good and that there
is an excellent walleye population. D & J Riversports has two locations, but
the Onalaska loation is closer to the launch and will be open at 5 a.m. on
Sunday morning.
The tournament director will have the trailer at Clinton Street Landing
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 the Clinton Street Landing.
“This should be a lot of fun for the public. It is a great opportunity
to get a glimpse at what tournament fishing is all about. 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 this stretch of
the Mississippi 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 Lacrosse
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.