Ohio Teams Head to C. J. Brown for Ohio State Championship of Walleye
Fishing
By Steve Weisman
GNWC Publicity Director
It’s showdown time for the top teams on the Ohio Region of the Grand
National Walleye Cup (GNWC).
The Ohio State Championship of Walleye Fishing will be held at C. J.
Brown Reservoir on August 20-21 with $5000 going to the first place team. In
addition, the winners will receive the Lowrance “YOU WIN!” award of two
Lowrance LMS-332C color sonar/GPS units valued at $1400, making the total
first place purse worth $6400.
C. J. Brown is a deep water lake containing over 2100 surface acres of
water, and according to Jason Toadvine, bait and tackle manager of Marine
Works in Springfield, anglers will need to be versatile as they make their
preparations for the Championships. “C. J. is a big bowl, so there are very
few secrets. There will be teams who will be jigging, others will be working
suspended fish and others working the submerged humps.”
Although the bite has been day-to-day, Toadvine believes that it will
take a couple of good kicker fish to win the Ohio State Championship of
Walleye Fishing.
Toadvine added, “This is an exciting time for both C. J. and the
community of Springfield. When I heard the GNWC was coming here for the
championships, I really wanted Marine Works to be a big part in welcoming
the GNWC. It’s an honor for us to be a part of tournament, and I know that
there will be a big crowd at the weigh-ins.”
Activities for teams actually begin on Friday evening with the
Championship Banquet sponsored and hosted by Marine Works in Springfield.
On Saturday the Championship gets underway at the main boat ramp with
opening ceremonies and takeoff at 7 a.m. Leading the way will be the Ohio
Region Team of the Year, the team of Mike and Tom Defibaugh from
Bellefontaine, OH.
“These teams have worked very hard to make it to the Championships,”
noted Barringer. “There was great competitiion throughout the regular
season, and I expect the Championship will be the same.”
Weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. at the Marine Works, and Barringer encourages
the public to attend. “The Championship weigh-ins are always exciting to
attend. The first day sets the stage for the final day’s competition on
Sunday,” noted Barringer.
Sunday’s action follows the same format as the first day with take-off
at 7 a.m. and weigh-in at 3 p.m. at the Marine Works. “The second day’s
weigh-in promises a lot of action. At stake will be $6400 in cash and prizes
for first place and the title of champions of the Ohio State Championship of
Walleye Fishing. With the second day over, the teams will be asked to
divulge their secrets – what worked for them. It is a great opportunity for
people to learn more about fishing C J Brown. We will also have special
interviews with the media for the top teams.”
Special awards will be give out at the Championships including the
Cabelas Big Fish Award of a $200 shopping spree for the team that catches
the largest walleye during the two-day Championships. In addition, an
optional Big Fish Pot will go to the team catching the overall big fish
during the Championships.
Skeeter Boats is offering an additional $3000 above their GNWC winnings
to any owner of a Skeeter boat who wins the Great Plains Championship of
Walleye Fishing while fishing in the Skeeter. In addition, the top-finishing
Skeeter owner will receive $1000. This extra $1000 is above the $3000 for
winning.
YoNet Folding Nets by AMFYOYO will offer the Yo So Close Award of an $80
folding net to the three teams finishing just out of the money.
TowTector, maker of the premium boat protector for towing vehicles, will
offer the Towtector Comeback Award of a Towtector Shield valued at $269 for
the team advancing the most places from day one to day two.
The FoodSource Lure Company is sponsoring $200 in FoodSource Lures for
the top placing family team.
Those interested in checking out the standings, reading the releases
about any of the seven regions or simply learning more about the circuit can
access the GNWC website at http://www.walleyecup.com.
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.