Mille Lacs Awaits GNWC Anglers
By Steve Weisman
GNWC Publicity Director
What better way to end a walleye season than on Minnesota’s Mille Lacs
Lake? That’s what will happen on Sunday, July 17 when the teams on the
Minnesota Region of the Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC) head to Mille Lacs
for their fourth and final regular season tournament.
“This one is for all the marbles,” said GNWC Executive Director Bernie
Barringer. “We will soon find out who the Yamaha Outboards Team of the Year
is for the Minnesota Region and also what teams will qualify for the
Regional Championship at Lake Bemidji on September 10-11.”
Heading into the Mille Lacs Tournament, the team of Michael Marushin and
Jeffrey Clem from Minnetonka, MN lead in the race for the Yamaha Outboards
Team of the Year with 25 points, followed by Corey Bohn from Kensington, MN
and Jason Overby from Marshall, MN with 31 points.
Located in the heart of walleye country, Mille Lacs is the second
largest lake in Minnesota. “Mille Lacs is a great walleye fishery and the
perfect place to have the final regular season tournament,” said Barringer.
For this tournament, the slot limit has been adjusted so the anglers will be
able to bring in fish between 14 and 22 inches with one over 28 inches.
According to Fred Dally, owner of the Red Door Resort, walleye fishing
has been excellent. “It’s really been great. There are two huge year
classes-2002 and 2003. I look for it to take a weight pushing 20 pounds to
win the tournament.”
Dally sees the big flats, the deep rocks or the gravel bars as the top
spots holding fish. However, he warns competing teams not to forget the
small flats because they can hold the slot fish that can win tournaments.
The tournament director will have the trailer at the Red Door Resort
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 Red Door Resort.
“I encourage the general public to come to Sunday’s weigh-in. There is
not a charge, and folks will get a chance to see 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. The weigh-in is a great way to learn about taking walleyes
on Mille Lacs,” added Barringer.
For those interested in entering, the entry fee remains at $210 per team
for each tournament. Openings do still exist for the Mille Lacs 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, Cabela’s and UpNorthOutdoors.com. National championship
sponsors are Towtector Shield and the FoodSource Lure Corporation.