The Iowa Great Lakes were once again the site of the walleye fishing season opener, with the 29th Annual Great Walleye Weekend fishing tournament this past weekend. Nearly 1,300 anglers registered for the event from eleven different states, including Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Nevada.
The big prize each year is the opportunity to try and reel in a tagged walleye, worth $10,000. On Saturday evening, just before 9:00pm, that feat was accomplished along the north shore of Big Spirit Lake just off McClellan’s Beach. Andrew Heyer, 20, of Titonka, Iowa, made the catch and brought the fish to Kabele’s Trading Post in Spirit Lake, however, Heyer was not registered for the tournament.
Here are the official results of the 29th Annual Great Walleye Weekend Tournament:
Heaviest Walleye
1st: Luke Christensen, Spencer, IA
10.36lbs, 29.5”
2nd: Nathan Fitzgerald, Spencer, IA
7.26lbs, 26.5”
3rd: Heath Gray, Spencer, IA
7.2lbs, 26”
Heaviest Stringer of Walleye(3)
1st: Jeremy Hinders, Spirit Lake, IA
12.78lbs
2nd: Richard Meyer, Dickens, IA
10.66lbs
3rd: Tyler Stugelmyer, Worthington, MN
9.42lbs
Heaviest Northern Pike
1st: Mike Langerman, Maple Grove, MN
10.44lbs, 35.5″
2nd: Lori Christensen, Spencer, IA
8.72lbs, 31.5”
3rd: Preston Whiting, Arnolds Park, IA
7.74lbs, 32”
Heaviest Bass
1st: Paul Voelker, Lakefield, MN
4.61lbs, 20.25”
2nd: Larry Goodrich, Cherokee, IA
4.43lbs, 18.75”
3rd: Zach Wycoff, Estherville, IA
4.26lbs, 20.5”
Heaviest Stringer of Panfish(5)
1st: Mike Watson, Spirit Lake, IA
5.25 lbs
2nd: Kevin Lang, Estherville, IA
5.10lbs
3rd: Stacy Adams, Milford, IA
5.01lbs
Heaviest Stringer of Bullhead(10)
3rd: Michael Birdsell, Sioux City, IA
18.01lbs
2nd: M. Spencer Tapper, Polk City, IA
19.48lbs
1st: Andrew White of Polk City, IA
22.21lbs
