Lake Erie Tournament Scheduled for Saturday, July 16 at Lorain, Ohio

By Steve Weisman GNWC Publicity Director

The fourth and final regular season tournament for the walleye teams fishing the Ohio Region of the Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC) will be held on Saturday, July 16 on Lake Erie and will be hosted by Lorain, OH. In case of bad weather, Sunday, July 17 will be the alternate date. According to GNWC Executive Bernie Barringer, the weekend promises to be an exciting one for both anglers and the general public. The weekend is the Lorain Port Fest, and the Lorain Port Authority is making the Lake Erie Tournament part of Lorain celebration. Vanessa C. Volak, Marketing Manager for the Lorain Port Authority had this to say about the addition of the Lake Erie Tournament. "The Lorain Port Authority is very excited to host the GNWC this July during our 15th annual Port Fest weekend. We look forward to welcoming the GNWC to our community and offering superior facilities and services for the tournament. We encourage the participants to bring their families and enjoy an entertaining summer weekend in Lorain!" Barringer added, "I think it will make for a great tournament atmosphere with food and beverages, fireworks and live music on Saturday night, following the GNWC Lake Erie Tournament that day." Also on the line will be the Yamaha Outboards Team of the Year honors. Currently, the team of Mike Defibaugh and Tom Defibaugh from Bellefontaine, OH lead the race with 20 points followed by John Allen from Mansfield, OH and Greg Wasilewski from Shelby, OH with 29 points. According to Gary Carpenter, owner of Sara J. Tackle Shop, July walleye fishing should be excellent out of Lorain. Carpenter, who has also been a charter boat captain for 18 years and owns three charter vessels, shared his thoughts about the tournament. "In July, walleyes will be on the sand bar in 44-48 feet of water. At a walleye tournament a year ago in July, the winning weight was taken right near Lorain." Carpenter noted that many of the tournament teams will pull crankbaits, and they often trigger the larger fish, but fewer fish. The presentation many of the local anglers use is trolling Dipsy Divers and spoons. The tournament director will have the trailer at the Black River Wharf boat launch - Broadway & E. 14th St. 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 Black River boat launch. "I look for some huge weights come in at Saturday's weigh-in. The weigh-in should be really exciting with all of the people around for the Lorain Port Fest. These weigh-ins are free to the public, fun and educational. The weigh-in is a great place to find out from the teams what presentations and tactics worked to trigger the fish," added Barringer. For those interested in entering this final tournament on the Ohio Region, the entry fee remains at $210 per team. 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 and see what the results are in each of our 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