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Clouds and Rain Help Yarman, Kemper to Indian Lake Win
By Steve Weisman GNWC Publicity Director Only .08 of a pound
separated the top two teams at the Grand National Walleye Cup's
(GNWC) Ohio Region tournament held on Indian Lake, Sunday, May
22. The team of Scott Yarman from Mt. Vernon, OH and Tom Kemper
from Marion, OH weighed a six-fish limit weight of 16.17 pounds
to bring home the $1400 first place check. Placing second and
cashing a check for $700 was the team of Dave Helton from Fairborn,
OH and Jason Toadvine from Springfield, OH with a six-fish limit
weight of 16.09 pounds. "Wow! Was this ever a close race," said
GNWC Tournament Director Lyle Heidenwith. "We had 25 teams weigh
six-fish limits. That's quite a turn around from the way the
pre-fishing had been going for a lot of the teams." Sometimes
cloud cover and intermitent rain can make all the difference,
at least that's the way Yarman and Kemper felt as they talked
about their victory. "It was warm and sunny yesterday. We really
struggled during practice on Saturday, and we were nervous as
the tournament began. When the rain came and the breeze kicked
up, everything changed," said Yarman. The winners began the
day fishing back in the canals but after catching only a couple
of legal fish, they took a huge gamble. "We ran to the dam,"
said Yarman. "We caught a lot of short fish there during pre-fishing
and only took one legal fish there yesterday, but I think the
rain and clouds made the difference today." Yarman and Kemper
trolled Jr. Thundersticks and small Husky Jerks at 2.7 miles
per hour in four feet of water and found active fish trolling
both directions. They also found active fish on both the inside
and outside turns. "We ran out 60 feet of line for the Thundersticks
and 25 feet for the Husky Jerks," added Yarman. Helton and Toadvine
also trolled in four to five feet of water using both #5 shallow
running Shad Raps and 1/4-ounce Wally Divers. According to Toadvine,
they fished an area called One Mile Channel. "We worked a 100-200
yard stretch of the channel where it widens. The wind was blowing
into the area and concentrated the baitfish and walleyes in
that one area." So, instead of working the length of the channel,
they targeted that one stretch. Their trolling speed was an
amazing 3.5 to 4.0 miles per hour. "I ran the Shad Raps 20 feet
directly behind the boat and Dave ran the Wally Divers without
a planer board 10 feet back. What we like about the Wally Divers
is that they still run true at high speeds," added Toadvine.
Mark Hull from Youngstown, OH and Steve Bartolone from Westerville,
OH caught a six-fish limit weight of 14.21 pounds to take the
third place $520 check. They also caught a 7.11-pound walleye
to take the Cabela's Big Fish Award and a $200 Cabela's shopping
spree, along with $370 for the optional Big Fish Prize. They
caught the big fish 10 minutes into the tournament trolling
with a #5 clown colored Shad Rap only one to two miles north
of the take-off site. "We really struggled pre-fishing, and
we had only taken small fish from this area on Saturday. However,
we knew that there were a lot of fish there and figured there
had to be bigger fish there, too," said Hull. They trolled 2.0
to 2.1 miles per hour and ran their Shad Raps 20 feet behind
the planer boards. The Yo So Close Award, provided by AMFYOYO,
manufacturer of the innovative stowable folding landing net,
went to the three teams just finishing out of the money. They
include Keith Walters from New Middleton, OH and Terry Hovance
from Cortland, OH in 11th place; Chuck Sabatose from Brockport,
PA and Rick Fike from Farmington, PA in 12th place; Matt Davis
from Marion, OH and Kelly Buckenroth from Kenton, OH in 13th
place. With the second tournament in the books, the team of
Mike and Tom Defibaugh from Bellefountaine, OH is now in the
lead in the race for the Ohio Region "Yamaha Team of the Year"
honors with 10 points. The team of Keith Walters from New Middleton,
OH and Terry Hovance from Cortland, OH sits in second place
with 17 points. Next up on the Ohio Region is the Tappen Lake
qualifier on Sunday, June 19. For those interested in entering
this or the final tournament at Lake Erie on Saturday, July
16, call 1-800-890-FISH (3474), or email the GNWC at info@walleyecup.com.
GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer said, "I encourage
people to check out our website at www.walleyecup.com. As we
approach the middle of the season, I think people will find
it extremely interesting to see how the races are stacking up
in each of the seven regions." 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 VIB"E" Lure Company.
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