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Lake Winnebago Offers Challenge to GNWC Anglers
By Steve Weisman GNWC Publicity Director With the Wisconsin
Region of the Grand National Walleye Cup
(GNWC) entering the third tournament of the year, the Lake
Winnebago Tournament set for Sunday, June 5 looks to be a crucial
one for the teams striving to make the Regional Championship
on the Minoqua Chain, September 10-11. Heading into the Lake
Winnebago Tournament, the team of John Bella and Joe Besiada
from Stevens Point, WI have taken the lead in the race for the
Wisconsin Region Yamaha Team of the Year honors with 11 points.
The team of Robert Blosser and Gary Thomlinson from Poynette,
WI is close behind with 13 points. "The Winnebago Tournament
should be a great one for the GNWC teams," noted GNWC Executive
Director Bernie Barringer. "We have a great race shaping up
for the Yamaha Team of the Year award, and I know that Lake
Winnebago will provide some interesting challenges for the competing
teams." The Winnebago system is actually a series of lakes and
rivers. Including the lakes of Winnebago, Butte des Morts, Winneconne,
Poygan and the Fox and Wolf Rivers. DNR officials note that
there are excellent walleye numbers with some huge fish still
around from the record walleye hatches in the 90s. According
to Ed Lemke, owner of Tews Two Sporting Goods, the host baitshop
for the Lake Winnebago Tournament, this is an excellent walleye
fishery. However, he warns, "Lake Winnebago is a lake you have
to figure out. If the wind has been down for several days, you
will be able to see your anchor in eight feet of water, but
if it has been windy, it will be totally different." Lemke added
that pre-fishing will be very important. "By June 5, I expect
that it will be a trolling bite. However, the key is to figure
out where the fish will be. They might be in the weeds, out
in the muck, or along the reefs." In other words, it's going
to take some homework to be a contender at this tournament.
The tournament director will have the trailer at Rainbow Park
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 Rainbow Park. "The weigh-in
should be an exciting event. I encourage the public to come
out and witness the weigh-in, and even though it starts at 3,
it's a good idea to come out early. It's free to the public,
fun and educational. We will also 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 get the chance to see how these
teams pinpointed the walleyes and what pattern they used to
catch their fish," added Barringer. For those interested in
entering, the entry fee remains at $210 per team for each tournament.
Openings do still exist for the Lake Winnebago qualifier, and
Barringer encourages interested anglers to contact him at 1-800-890-FISH
(3474), or email the GNWC at info@walleyecup.com. "I also encourage
people to check out our website at www.walleyecup.com. There
are some very exciting races going on in each of the seven regions,"
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 VIB"E" Lure Company
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