Lake Thompson Awaits GNWC Teams
By Steve Weisman
GNWC Publicity Director
Walleye teams competing on the South Dakota Region of the Grand National
Walleye Cup (GNWC) trek to the eastern part of the state and a chance to
experience the tremendous walleye fishery on Lake Thompson.
Scheduled for Sunday, May 8, the Lake Thompson Tournament is the second
of four tournaments in South Dakota, which ultimately leads to the South
Dakota Region Championship at Angostura on August 13-14.
GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer looks forward to the Lake
Thompson Tournament. “We began the year at Lake Sharpe three weeks ago. Now
we head east to one of the great natural walleye lakes in South Dakota. Lake
Thompson is a great place to hold a walleye tournament. At last year’s
tournament in June we had several huge fish brought to the scales, including
a 9.1 pounder.”
Tosh Johnson, manager of The Bait Box in Lake Preston, says fishing on
Lake Thompson has been excellent this spring. The April bite found anglers
catching fish from both shore and in boats. A lot of 4-5 pounders were taken
along with a couple trophy fish over 30 inches.
“I think the bite should be a good one if the weather cooperates,” noted
Johnson.
The tournament director will have the trailer at the Lake Thompson
Recreation Area 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 Lake Thompson Recreation Area.
“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 is happening in
all seven regions of the Grand National Walleye Cup,” added Barringer.
Major national sponsors for the GNWC include Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
Outboards, Lowrance Electronics, YoNet Folding Nets by AMFYOYO, Aqua-VU,
Aqua Innovations, Cabela’s and UpNorthOutdoors.com. National championship
sponsors are Towtector Shield and the VIB”E” Lure Company.