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10-11-2004, 12:19 PM
Oldakowski, Westman Capture 2004 Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup National Championship
By Steve Weisman
Gander Mountain GNWC Publicity Director
"Your 2004 Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup National Champions, the team of..." With those words by Executive Director Bernie Barringer, there were high-fives all the way around as the team of David Oldakowski from Ham Lake, MN and Sean Westman from Andover, MN entered the winner's circle and took home the two fully rigged Skeeter Boats, powered by 75 hp Yamaha 4-strokes, MinnKota trolling motors and Lowrance electronics, along with $10,000 in cash.
It was an incredible run for Oldakowski and Westman as they compiled a three-day combined weight of 64.97 pounds for their 18 fish as they worked their jigging magic each day.
"What an incredible run these guys had. They were a model of consistency," said Gander Mountain GNWC executive director Bernie Barringer. The winners caught 21.93 pounds the first day, 22.71 pounds on the second day and 20.33 pounds to claim the title and the two gold cups.
Second place and a check for $5,000 went to the team of Robert Blosser from Lodi, WI and Gary Tomlinson from Poynette, WI with a three-day weight of 61.51 pounds.
Third place and a check for $3,000 went to the team of Jeremy Ruehle from Ruthven, IA and Lori Benschoter from Bemidji, MN with a three day-weight of 60.82 pounds.
Brian Kemp from Des Moines, IA and George Schaefers from Wadena, IA won the Berkley Big Fish Award of $400 in Berkley product for catching the largest walleye during the three-day tournament, a 12.03 pounder. They also collected $574 for catching the largest walleye for Day III.
However, it was far from easy for the champions as 18 teams brought in three-day weights of at least 50 pounds. It was also a tournament where some teams went away from the traditional Rainy River October "anchor and jig" presentation and instead pulled crankbaits. The winners, though, stuck to their pre-fishing plan and worked an aggressive jigging pattern because as Oldakowski noted, "We were fishing in a lot of current, so we had to work the jig hard, let it hit the bottom and then snap it again." They also used dead minnows tipped to their jigs and felt that Fireline was a major reason for their success because it cut the water better in the current and made it easier for them to detect the bites.
Oldakowski and Westman also made a long 50-mile run up the Rainy River each day. Weather, although it changed each day, was not a major factor for most of the teams, unless they were running at least 20 miles north on the final day. According to Westman, "We hit heavy fog, and it took us a long time to get there because we could barely see past the front of the boat."
Blosser and Tomlinson ran 20 miles north but ran into real trouble on Saturday when they lost the use of the propeller on their main motor. "We figured it was over," said Tomlinson, "as we came back in to change the propeller. We lost over an hour and a half of fishing time."
However, their troubles weren't over as they neared their fishing spot and ran out of oil. Blosser said, "We used the kicker to get there, and said, 'Oh, well!' Then 10 minutes later we caught our 9.44 pounder." They fished their 3/8-ounce gold jig and shiner combinations until 11 a.m., and then headed back toward the weigh-in site moving at 2.5 mph hand-lining their jigs.
"We picked up three more on the way in," added Blosser. "Then we kicked it in at 5.8 mph and made it back with three minutes to spare!"
Ruehle and Benschoter had none of those problems. They headed up river each day to the Pine Wood area and worked 11-13 foot depths, pulling down deep Husky Jerks with lead core line. Ruehle noted, "We worked the little rolly humps and when the crankbait hit the humps, the walleyes would come up and smack the bait."
"These teams made things happen and made adjustments along the way. They were the perfect match for this great fishery," added Barringer. "You know, this was an awesome tournament. This fishery is a world class walleye fishery, and the reception the GNWC anglers received from the Lake of the Woods Board of Tourism, all of the local businesses and residents was tremendous. I also want to thank the volunteers who helped make the weigh-ins go so smoothly. I know for a fact that we will be back in the future."
Several other special awards were presented at Saturday's weigh-in.
The "Yo So Close" award of a Yo Net folding net valued at $80 went to the teams that placed just out of the money. They include Darold and Flow Swank from Pierre, SD in 23rd place; Chad Benson from Bemidji, MN and Joe Edlund from Bemidji, MN in 24th place; and Mike and Tom Defibaugh from Bellefountaine, OH in 25th place.
The VIB"E" Lure award of two six-piece lure sets valued at $40. They went to Daron Wheelhouse from Pierre, SD and Jack Johnson from Brandon, SD in 26th place; Rob Roush and Mike Heller from Des Moines, IA in 27th place; Troy Loeckle from Floyd, IA and Wes Loeckle from Mason City, IA in 28th place; Austin Earley and Jerrud Kruse from Brookings, SD in 29th place; Randy Mumm and Jim Juhlin from Clear Lake, IA in 30th place; Shane Spooner from Watertown, SD and Aaron Bjerke from Bradley, SD in 31st place; and Jon Coolican from Mason City, IA and Steve Templeton from Clear Lake, IA in 32nd place.
The Towtector Comeback Award of two Towtector boat protectors valued at over $500 went to the team advancing the most places from the first day to the third day. This award went Bryan Tieppo from Waterford MI and Jerry Atherton from Blaine, MN who advanced from 57th place on Day I to 12th place on Day III. The winner of the Gander Mountain "Need More Stuff" drawing of $200 for a Gander Mountain Shopping Spree went to Mark Joslyn from Hoxie, KS and Blake Arnsberger from Colby, KS.
The Walleye Wisdom camera crew was also on hand to film footage of the National Championship. "The Walleye Wisdom camera crew has been to all of the State Championships and now the National Championships to capture the excitement of the tournament action. We had them in the right spot at the right time this weekend, and the crew got great footage. The highlights of these State Championships and the National Championships, along with some great walleye fishing tips will appear on our 13-week Walleye Wisdom television program," noted Barringer.
Those interested in checking out the standings, reading the releases about any of the eight regions or simply learning more about the circuit can access the Gander Mountain GNWC website at www.walleyecup.com. At the same time, the results for all three days can be found on the Walleye Central Live Leader Board under the GNWC-Lake of the Woods.
Title Sponsor for the GNWC is Gander Mountain. Other major national sponsors include Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards, the Sportsman Channel, Berkley, Aqua Innovations, YoNet Folding Nets by AMFYOYO, VIB"E" Lure Company, TowTector Shield and UpNorthOutdoors.com.
http://www.walleyecup.com/results_state/national_championship1.html
:)
By Steve Weisman
Gander Mountain GNWC Publicity Director
"Your 2004 Gander Mountain Grand National Walleye Cup National Champions, the team of..." With those words by Executive Director Bernie Barringer, there were high-fives all the way around as the team of David Oldakowski from Ham Lake, MN and Sean Westman from Andover, MN entered the winner's circle and took home the two fully rigged Skeeter Boats, powered by 75 hp Yamaha 4-strokes, MinnKota trolling motors and Lowrance electronics, along with $10,000 in cash.
It was an incredible run for Oldakowski and Westman as they compiled a three-day combined weight of 64.97 pounds for their 18 fish as they worked their jigging magic each day.
"What an incredible run these guys had. They were a model of consistency," said Gander Mountain GNWC executive director Bernie Barringer. The winners caught 21.93 pounds the first day, 22.71 pounds on the second day and 20.33 pounds to claim the title and the two gold cups.
Second place and a check for $5,000 went to the team of Robert Blosser from Lodi, WI and Gary Tomlinson from Poynette, WI with a three-day weight of 61.51 pounds.
Third place and a check for $3,000 went to the team of Jeremy Ruehle from Ruthven, IA and Lori Benschoter from Bemidji, MN with a three day-weight of 60.82 pounds.
Brian Kemp from Des Moines, IA and George Schaefers from Wadena, IA won the Berkley Big Fish Award of $400 in Berkley product for catching the largest walleye during the three-day tournament, a 12.03 pounder. They also collected $574 for catching the largest walleye for Day III.
However, it was far from easy for the champions as 18 teams brought in three-day weights of at least 50 pounds. It was also a tournament where some teams went away from the traditional Rainy River October "anchor and jig" presentation and instead pulled crankbaits. The winners, though, stuck to their pre-fishing plan and worked an aggressive jigging pattern because as Oldakowski noted, "We were fishing in a lot of current, so we had to work the jig hard, let it hit the bottom and then snap it again." They also used dead minnows tipped to their jigs and felt that Fireline was a major reason for their success because it cut the water better in the current and made it easier for them to detect the bites.
Oldakowski and Westman also made a long 50-mile run up the Rainy River each day. Weather, although it changed each day, was not a major factor for most of the teams, unless they were running at least 20 miles north on the final day. According to Westman, "We hit heavy fog, and it took us a long time to get there because we could barely see past the front of the boat."
Blosser and Tomlinson ran 20 miles north but ran into real trouble on Saturday when they lost the use of the propeller on their main motor. "We figured it was over," said Tomlinson, "as we came back in to change the propeller. We lost over an hour and a half of fishing time."
However, their troubles weren't over as they neared their fishing spot and ran out of oil. Blosser said, "We used the kicker to get there, and said, 'Oh, well!' Then 10 minutes later we caught our 9.44 pounder." They fished their 3/8-ounce gold jig and shiner combinations until 11 a.m., and then headed back toward the weigh-in site moving at 2.5 mph hand-lining their jigs.
"We picked up three more on the way in," added Blosser. "Then we kicked it in at 5.8 mph and made it back with three minutes to spare!"
Ruehle and Benschoter had none of those problems. They headed up river each day to the Pine Wood area and worked 11-13 foot depths, pulling down deep Husky Jerks with lead core line. Ruehle noted, "We worked the little rolly humps and when the crankbait hit the humps, the walleyes would come up and smack the bait."
"These teams made things happen and made adjustments along the way. They were the perfect match for this great fishery," added Barringer. "You know, this was an awesome tournament. This fishery is a world class walleye fishery, and the reception the GNWC anglers received from the Lake of the Woods Board of Tourism, all of the local businesses and residents was tremendous. I also want to thank the volunteers who helped make the weigh-ins go so smoothly. I know for a fact that we will be back in the future."
Several other special awards were presented at Saturday's weigh-in.
The "Yo So Close" award of a Yo Net folding net valued at $80 went to the teams that placed just out of the money. They include Darold and Flow Swank from Pierre, SD in 23rd place; Chad Benson from Bemidji, MN and Joe Edlund from Bemidji, MN in 24th place; and Mike and Tom Defibaugh from Bellefountaine, OH in 25th place.
The VIB"E" Lure award of two six-piece lure sets valued at $40. They went to Daron Wheelhouse from Pierre, SD and Jack Johnson from Brandon, SD in 26th place; Rob Roush and Mike Heller from Des Moines, IA in 27th place; Troy Loeckle from Floyd, IA and Wes Loeckle from Mason City, IA in 28th place; Austin Earley and Jerrud Kruse from Brookings, SD in 29th place; Randy Mumm and Jim Juhlin from Clear Lake, IA in 30th place; Shane Spooner from Watertown, SD and Aaron Bjerke from Bradley, SD in 31st place; and Jon Coolican from Mason City, IA and Steve Templeton from Clear Lake, IA in 32nd place.
The Towtector Comeback Award of two Towtector boat protectors valued at over $500 went to the team advancing the most places from the first day to the third day. This award went Bryan Tieppo from Waterford MI and Jerry Atherton from Blaine, MN who advanced from 57th place on Day I to 12th place on Day III. The winner of the Gander Mountain "Need More Stuff" drawing of $200 for a Gander Mountain Shopping Spree went to Mark Joslyn from Hoxie, KS and Blake Arnsberger from Colby, KS.
The Walleye Wisdom camera crew was also on hand to film footage of the National Championship. "The Walleye Wisdom camera crew has been to all of the State Championships and now the National Championships to capture the excitement of the tournament action. We had them in the right spot at the right time this weekend, and the crew got great footage. The highlights of these State Championships and the National Championships, along with some great walleye fishing tips will appear on our 13-week Walleye Wisdom television program," noted Barringer.
Those interested in checking out the standings, reading the releases about any of the eight regions or simply learning more about the circuit can access the Gander Mountain GNWC website at www.walleyecup.com. At the same time, the results for all three days can be found on the Walleye Central Live Leader Board under the GNWC-Lake of the Woods.
Title Sponsor for the GNWC is Gander Mountain. Other major national sponsors include Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards, the Sportsman Channel, Berkley, Aqua Innovations, YoNet Folding Nets by AMFYOYO, VIB"E" Lure Company, TowTector Shield and UpNorthOutdoors.com.
http://www.walleyecup.com/results_state/national_championship1.html
:)