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Walleye Bite Turns On at South Dakota's Bitter Lake
By Steve Weisman
GNWC Publicity Director With 20 teams catching six-fish limits,
it was a real battle for the $1400 first place check at the
South Dakota Region's Bitter Lake Tournament of the Grand National
Walleye Cup (GNWC) held on Sunday, June 12. Cashing the first
place check was the team of Jon Millim and Don Fellbaum from
Webster, SD with a six-fish limit weight of 16.85 pounds. Holding
down second place and a check for $700 was the team of Doug
Iverson from Pierre, SD and Rolfe Behrend from Brookings, SD
with a six-fish limit weight of 15.79 pounds. Gordon West and
Mel Reilching from Watertown, SD took the third place check
of $540 with a six-fish limit weight of 15.29 pounds. The Cabela's
Big Fish Award of a $200 Cabela's shopping spree went to the
team of Doug DeVries and Jason Drake from South Shore, SD with
a 3.83-pound walleye. However, the optional Big Fish Pot of
$280 went to Iverson and Behrend with a 3.81-pound walleye.
"The teams on the South Dakota Region really hit Bitter Lake
at the right time," said GNWC Tournament Director Greg Liebel.
"It was a shallow water bite, and the teams really capitalized
on it." Millim and Fellbaum pitched countdown Rapalas into the
shallows over the weeds and then brought them back into six
feet of water. Black and gold and one with an orange belly worked
the best. However, it took until nearly 1:30 in the afternoon
before anything happened. Then, as the winners noted, "Everything
clicked." Fellbaum, "We checked several spots that had usually
worked in the morning during pre-fishing, but we only had one
fish. We used our trolling motor to move us along the edge of
the weeds." According to Rolfe, their bite didn't take off until
after noon either. They cast 1/8-ounce jigs tipped with white
three inch Berkley Gulp! minnows into the shallows, snap jigged
them back to the edge of the weeds and then let them drop down
where the weeds ended. Rolfe said, "These fish are fat, like
little footballs. We had never fished the lake before this week.
We found the lake was full of freshwater shrimp, so we tried
to snap jig the jigs back to look like the movement of the shrimp."
West and Reilching used slip bobbers and jigs tipped with a
minnow, drifting the bait slowly over the edge of the weeds.
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 Bryan Gaikowski
from Watertown, SD and Mike Dorris from Madison, SD in 11th
place; Mike Walerak and Tim Swank from Arlington, SD in 12th
place; and Lance Peterson from Wood Lake, MN and Jason Schlapkohl
from Canby, MN in 13th place. In the race for the South Dakota
Region's Yamaha Outboards Team of the Year award, the team of
Doug Iverson from Pierre, SD and Rolfe Behrend from Brookings,
SD holds the lead with 14 points followed by the team of Todd
Hight from Pierre, SD and Ron Gunn from Ft. Pierre, SD with
23 points. Next up on the South Dakota Region is the Spring
Creek Tournament at Lake Oahe on Sunday, July 10. For those
interested in entering this or any of the remaining qualifiers,
call 1-800-890-FISH (3474), or email the GNWC at info@walleyecup.com.
GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer said, "We have one
tournament left in South Dakota. We welcome folks to check our
website at www.walleyecup.com. Results from all seven regions,
along with press releases and other information about the GNWC
appear on the website." 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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