Mille Lacs Awaits GNWC Anglers

By Steve Weisman GNWC Publicity Director

What better way to end a walleye season than on Minnesota's Mille Lacs Lake? That's what will happen on Sunday, July 17 when the teams on the Minnesota Region of the Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC) head to Mille Lacs for their fourth and final regular season tournament. "This one is for all the marbles," said GNWC Executive Director Bernie Barringer. "We will soon find out who the Yamaha Outboards Team of the Year is for the Minnesota Region and also what teams will qualify for the Regional Championship at Lake Bemidji on September 10-11." Heading into the Mille Lacs Tournament, the team of Michael Marushin and Jeffrey Clem from Minnetonka, MN lead in the race for the Yamaha Outboards Team of the Year with 25 points, followed by Corey Bohn from Kensington, MN and Jason Overby from Marshall, MN with 31 points. Located in the heart of walleye country, Mille Lacs is the second largest lake in Minnesota. "Mille Lacs is a great walleye fishery and the perfect place to have the final regular season tournament," said Barringer. For this tournament, the slot limit has been adjusted so the anglers will be able to bring in fish between 14 and 22 inches with one over 28 inches. According to Fred Dally, owner of the Red Door Resort, walleye fishing has been excellent. "It's really been great. There are two huge year classes-2002 and 2003. I look for it to take a weight pushing 20 pounds to win the tournament." Dally sees the big flats, the deep rocks or the gravel bars as the top spots holding fish. However, he warns competing teams not to forget the small flats because they can hold the slot fish that can win tournaments. The tournament director will have the trailer at the Red Door Resort 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 Red Door Resort. "I encourage the general public to come to Sunday's weigh-in. There is not a charge, and folks will get a chance to see what tournament fishing is all about. Also, we will 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 also get to hear from the teams and find out what presentations and tactics worked. The weigh-in is a great way to learn about taking walleyes on Mille Lacs," added Barringer. For those interested in entering, the entry fee remains at $210 per team for each tournament. Openings do still exist for the Mille Lacs 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 and see what the Grand National Walleye Cup is all about," 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