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Hubbard Lake Next Stop for Michigan Region of the GNWC
By Steve Weisman GNWC Publicity Director
The third tournament for the Michigan Region of the Grand National
Walleye Cup (GNWC) is set for Sunday, June 26 at Hubbard Lake.
The Hubbard Lake Tournament holds great importance for those
teams attempting to be one of the 30 teams who qualify for the
Michigan Region Championship at Gun Lake on August 27-28. Also
on the line is the coveted team of the year honors. Heading
into the Hubbard Lake Tournament, the team of Jereme and Robert
Watkins from New Carlisle, IN have taken the lead in the race
for the Michigan Region Yamaha Outboards Team of the Year with
17 points. James Ballor, III from L'Anse, MI and John Thekan
from Florence, WI hold down second place with 26 points. "The
Hubbard Lake Tournament offers a lot of excitement for both
the competing teams and also the general public," said GNWC
Executive Director Bernie Barringer. "Hubbard Lake is an excellent
walleye fishery, but its incredible clarity will provide a lot
of challenges." Len Barraco, who owns The Side Door Bait and
Tackle, echoes those thoughts. "Right now the water is so clear
that you can see your anchor in 20 feet of water. There is a
good evening bite going in 4-7 feet, but during the day, the
teams will probably need to work 20-40 feet of water." By the
end of June, Barraco notes that the walleyes will often suspend
over that deeper water. "As the water warms, the fish will find
the thermocline and suspend. If you do get a cloudy day and
a chop on the water, they will move up into 15-25 feet of water.
What you need to look for then are the artificial structures
filled with Christmas trees. They are 4'x4'x8', but you'll have
to use your electronics to find them." Barraco also says that
trolling crankbaits or drifting with a jig and leech or leech
harness for the suspended fish will both work. However, he suggests
going with light line because "in clear water, heavy line looks
line an anchor rope to those fish!" The tournament director
will have the trailer at the East Bay Boat Ramp 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 the East Bay Boat Ramp. "The weigh-ins are
always a lot of fun for people to attend. I encourage folks
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. There are excellent teams fishing the Michigan Region,
so this will be a great time for folks to learn what presentations
and tactics ware working to trigger the 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
Hubbard Lake 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. The website provides
all kinds of up to date information on what is happening in
all 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 FoodSource Lure Corporation
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