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Updated: 07/19/04
Blosser, Tomlinson Win Sturgeon Bay Tournament
and Capture the Gander
Mountain GNWC Wisconsin Team of the Year
By Steve Weisman
Gander Mountain GNWC Publicity Director
What a finish! After four tournaments, the 2004
Gander Mountain Grand
National Walleye Cup (GNWC) Team of the Year for Wisconsin was settled
on
Sunday at Sturgeon Bay by 1 point!
Robert Blosser from Lodi, WI and Gary Tomlinson
from Poynette, WI took
it all with a five-walleye limit weight of 22.09 pounds to win both
the
$1000 first place check at Sturgeon Bay and the coveted Wisconsin Region
Team of the Year. In addition, they made it a clean sweep by earning
the
Berkley Trilene Big Fish Award of $400 in Berkley products for their
6.32-pound walleye.
However, it wasn't easy. First off, Blosser and
Tomlinson were in second
place for Team of the Year heading into the Sturgeon Bay tournament
and
needed to win to take the year-long honors. So, on a day when the bite
was
inconsistent for many of the GNWC teams, Blosser and Tomlinson gambled
that
a 40-mile run to fish the Bay just outside the mouth of the Fox River
would
pay off and take them to the top.
The trip was worth it, and so was subtle difference
in their
presentation as they pulled nightcrawlers and crawler harnesses in
9' of
water. However, the it was the white Matzuo blade and finding their
fish
suspended in the water column, as high as 2' from the surface that
triggered
the larger fish needed to take the title. Their weight was nearly 6
pounds
more than the second place team of Craig Swatek from Wisconsin Rapids,
WI
and Scott Swatek from Lone Rock, WI.
The Swatek team, too, caught a five-fish limit of
nice fish, but their
weight was 16.36 pounds, leaving them in second place and a check for
$600.
They also ended up as runners-up for the Wisconsin Region Team of the
Year
only 1 point behind Blosser and Tomlinson. The runners-up also ran
close to
40 miles, but pulled Wally Divers at 2 mph to catch their fish.
Third place and a check for $480 went to Doug Larson
from Westmont, IL
and Vince Raimondi from Addison, IL with four walleyes weighing 14.08
pounds. They also trolled with nightcrawlers and crawler harnesses
in the
same area.
"This is as exciting as it gets in tournament fishing,"
said Gander
Mountain GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer. "A majority of the
teams
found the fish scattered today, and no consistent pattern emerged.
So, it
was a case of a lot of running and gunning. The drama of the battle
for Team
of the Year was incredible."
Weather also played a factor in both pre-fishing
and Sunday's tournament
with strong winds that settled down as the tournament day progressed.
"The
wind began to go down, and that gave teams the chance to make those
long
40-mile runs," noted Barringer.
Other awards were also presented at the weigh-in.
The "Yo So Close"
award of a Yo Net folding net valued at $80 went to the three teams
that
placed just out of the money. They include Tim Guth from Monico, WI
and
David McCarty from Pelican lake, WI in 7th place; Carl Stepp, Jr. and
Robert
Kendrick from South Milwaukee, WI in 8t place; and Paul Mueller and
Nick
Beal from Oconomowoc, WI in 9th place.
Alvin Lossman from Marshfield, WI and Steve Jacoby
from Arpin, WI were
the winners of the Gander Mountain "Need More Stuff" drawing of $200
for a
Gander Mountain Shopping Spree.
For complete results of the Sturgeon Bay tournament
or any of the other
regions on the eight-region circuit, check out the Gander Mountain
GNWC
website at www.walleyecup.com.
Next up for the Wisconsin Region will be the Wisconsin
Championship of
Walleye Fishing, which will be held August 28-29 at Green Lake.
Anglers interested in wanting more information on
the GNWC circuit can
call 1-800-890-FISH (3474), or they can email the GNWC at
info@walleyecup.com.
Title Sponsor for the GNWC is Gander Mountain with
other major national
sponsors including Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards, the Sportsman Channel,
Berkley, Aqua Innovations, YoNet Folding Nets by AMFYOYO, VIB"E" Lure
Company, TowTector Shield and UpNorthOutdoors.com
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