Ohio Region Teams on the GNWC Circuit Prepare for Tappan Lake Tournament
By Steve Weisman
GNWC Publicity Director
Tappan Lake is the next stop for the teams fishing the Ohio Region of
the Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC). Scheduled for Sunday, June 19, the
Tappan Lake Tournament is a crucial one for the teams battling for a berth
at the Ohio Region Championship at CJ Brown on August 20-21.
“I am looking forward to the Tappan Lake Tournament. This is our third
tournament on the Ohio Region. I sense a lot of anticipation among the
competing teams as they battle for a shot at the Regional Championship. It
is also exciting to see the way in which the Ohio Region continues to grow,”
said GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer.
According to Jim Corey, owner of Cripple Creek Bait & Tackle, Tappan
Lake is an excellent saugeye fishery. “We have had tremendous saugeye
fishing on Tappan Lake this year,” said Corey. “There have been several big
saugeye in the seven to eight pound range brought in recently.”
Corey noted that the fish are currently in the shallows, but as the
water temperature warms, that could change. “I think it will be an
interesting tournament,” added Corey. “It’s going to take some pre-fishing
to find out where the fish will be located and also what presentations will
work.”
Heading into the third tournament of the year, the team of Mike
Defibaugh and Tom Defibaugh from Bellfontaine, OH has a five point lead in
the race for the Ohio Region’s “Yamaha Team of the Year” honors over the
team of Mike Landsberger from E. Palestine, OH and John Stout from Warren,
OH.
“The race is a tight one,” noted Barringer. “A lot can happen in the
next two tournaments.”
The tournament director will have the trailer at the Hwy 250 Boat Ramp
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 Hwy 250 Boat Ramp.
“I really encourage the public to come out and witness the weigh-in. It
is 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 weigh-in is a great place to find out from the
teams what presentations and tactics worked to trigger these Tappan Lake
saugeye,” said Barringer.
For those interested in entering, the entry fee remains at $210 per team
for each tournament. Openings do still exist for the Tappan Lake 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 results are
in each of our seven regions,” 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
sponsor is Towtector Shield.