South Dakota GNWC Teams Compete for Title at Angostura Reservoir
By Steve Weisman
GNWC Publicity Director
The top 30 teams on the South Dakota Region of the Grand National
Walleye Cup (GNWC) are making final preparations for the South Dakota State
Championship of Walleye Fishing which will be held at Angostura Reservoir on
August 27-28.
The teams will be competing for a guaranteed $5000 for first place, plus
trophies. 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.
Leading the way will be the Yamaha Outboards South Dakota Region Team of
the Year Doug Iverson from Pierre, SD and Rolfe Behrend from Brookings, SD.
They ended up 14 points ahead of their nearest competitor.
Angostura is a huge holding reservoir for the Cheyenne River,” said GNWC
Executive Director Bernie Barringer. “It is an excellent walleye fishery,
and I expect to see some quality fish brought to the scales.”
Located 10 miles southeast of Hot Springs, Angostura’s water levels
fluctuate throughout the summer months because it is also used for
irrigation purposes. With 36 miles of shoreline, a maximum depth of 75 feet
at full capacity, Angostura offers anglers a variety of underwater
structures, vast flats, sandy and rocky shorelines.
According to Dave Longacre of Hot Springs, an Angostura regular, who
fishes local walleye tournaments each year, Angostura will pose several
challenges for the teams.
“Angostura is a great fishing lake. It is low, though, because they are
drawing water out for irrigation. However, there is still 50-60 feet of
water by the dam and 30 feet off the shale banks. What the teams will have
to overcome right now is the incredibly clear water and the fact that
Angostura is loaded with shad.”
Longacre continued, “The walleyes are there, and they are in great
shape. They have plenty of food. It’s going to be a matter of figuring out
what presentation will match the baitfish. I really think that there will be
some big fish brought in.”
Although the tournament competition begins on Saturday, August 27, the
activities for the South Dakota teams actually begin on Friday evening with
the Championship banquet at the Scotty’s Roundup.
The South Dakota Championship competition headquarters for take-off and
weigh-in will be at the marina at the north end of the lake. Saturday’s
action begins at 7 a.m. with the opening ceremonies and take-off. Weigh-in
will be at 3 p.m. Sunday follows the same time frame with the weigh-in
festivities beginning at 3 p.m. Sunday’s weigh-in will determine who will
walk away with the South Dakota State Championship of Walleye Fishing title.
“We hope to have a good crowd at each day’s weigh-in. It is a great way
for the public to witness some great fishing action,” noted Barringer.
“Weigh-ins begin at 3 p.m. each day. The first day will be a day of
positioning, but the second day will be for the title. Plus, on the second
day, we will find out from the top teams what strategies they used to catch
their fish.”
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.