Hubbard Lake Next Stop for Michigan Region of the GNWC
By Steve Weisman
GNWC Publicity Director
The third tournament for the Michigan Region of the Grand National
Walleye Cup (GNWC) is set for Sunday, June 26 at Hubbard Lake. The Hubbard
Lake Tournament holds great importance for those teams attempting to be one
of the 30 teams who qualify for the Michigan Region Championship at Gun Lake
on August 27-28.
Also on the line is the coveted team of the year honors. Heading into
the Hubbard Lake Tournament, the team of Jereme and Robert Watkins from New
Carlisle, IN have taken the lead in the race for the Michigan Region Yamaha
Outboards Team of the Year with 17 points. James Ballor, III from L’Anse, MI
and John Thekan from Florence, WI hold down second place with 26 points.
“The Hubbard Lake Tournament offers a lot of excitement for both the
competing teams and also the general public,” said GNWC Executive Director
Bernie Barringer. “Hubbard Lake is an excellent walleye fishery, but its
incredible clarity will provide a lot of challenges.”
Len Barraco, who owns The Side Door Bait and Tackle, echoes those
thoughts. “Right now the water is so clear that you can see your anchor in
20 feet of water. There is a good evening bite going in 4-7 feet, but during
the day, the teams will probably need to work 20-40 feet of water.”
By the end of June, Barraco notes that the walleyes will often suspend
over that deeper water. “As the water warms, the fish will find the
thermocline and suspend. If you do get a cloudy day and a chop on the water,
they will move up into 15-25 feet of water. What you need to look for then
are the artificial structures filled with Christmas trees. They are
4’x4’x8′, but you’ll have to use your electronics to find them.”
Barraco also says that trolling crankbaits or drifting with a jig and
leech or leech harness for the suspended fish will both work. However, he
suggests going with light line because “in clear water, heavy line looks
line an anchor rope to those fish!”
The tournament director will have the trailer at the East Bay 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 East Bay Boat Ramp.
“The weigh-ins are always a lot of fun for people to attend. I encourage
folks 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. There are excellent teams
fishing the Michigan Region, so this will be a great time for folks to learn
what presentations and tactics ware working to trigger the 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 Hubbard 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. The website provides all
kinds of up to date information on what is happening in all 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
sponsors are Towtector Shield and the FoodSource Lure Corp