Putting the Puzzle Together at Lake Petenwell
By Steve Weisman
GNWC Publicity Director
The Grand National Walleye Cup’s (GNWC) next stop on the Wisconsin
Region is Lake Petenwell. Set for Sunday, May 15, the Petenwell Tournament
is the second of four tournaments in Wisconsin, which ultimately leads to
the Wisconsin Region Championship in September on the Minoqua Chain.
“The Petenwell Tournament will definitely be an interesting one,” noted
GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer. “With a restrictive slot limit and
so many different areas in which to find fish, Lake Petenwell will
definitely provide a challenge for the GNWC teams.”
Sue Garman at the Petenwell Sports Shop notes that up-and-down weather
has made walleye fishing tough since late April. However, by mid-May, the
walleyes will have recovered from the spawn and fishing should pick up.
“Normally, the walleye fishing is good that time of year.”
Pre-fishing, as always, is critical. “This body of water has a wide
variety of bays, holes and structure,” said Garman. “The fishermen that seem
to do the best look closely at the weather patterns and water temperatures
to help them find the fish.”
She laughingly adding, “You need to be a bit of a scientist or real
lucky to figure the fish out!”
The tournament director will have the trailer at Adams County Park 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 Adams County Park.
“The weigh-in should be an exciting event. I encourage the public to
come out and witness the weigh-in, and even though it starts at 3, it’s a
good idea to come out early. It’s free to the public, fun and educational.
We will also 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
get the chance to see how these teams pinpointed the walleyes and what
pattern they used to catch their fish,” added Barringer.
For those interested in entering, the entry fee remains at $210 per
team for each tournament. Openings do still exist for the Petewell
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. The website
has articles, releases, results and a message board to help give people
up-to-date information,” 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.