SCHILLING, HJELM RIDE JIGGING RAP X TO FIRST & SECOND PLACE FINISHES AT SOUTH DAKOTA GOVERNOR'S CUP
The South Dakota Governor’s Cup is the biggest walleye tournament in “The Mount Rushmore State.” Held annually in mid-July on sprawling Lake Oahe, it attracts 200 of the best local sticks and a contingent of touring professionals. With huge weigh-in crowds, live outdoor music and a youth tournament, the event feels like a statewide summer celebration. In South Dakota, it carries Rose Bowl reverence and is widely known as the granddaddy of them all.
Last season, at the 51st edition, Rapala pro Beau Schilling and his former high school classmate, Ben Beadle, used a No. 9 Jigging Rap® to compile a record-breaking two-day total of 61.51 pounds. While Beadle had just turned 20 years old, Schilling was only three months removed from Bowdle High School graduation.
This season, Schilling opted to fish professionally on the National Walleye Tour with his father, veteran pro Chad Schilling. After three qualifying events, the 19-year-old rookie has proved he belongs, posting a fourth-place finish on Lake Erie, a third-place finish on Lake Oahe, and a fifth-place finish on Bays de Noc. With two tournaments remaining, Schilling sits one point behind Eric McQuoid in the Angler of the Year race. But before traveling to Green Bay for the fourth NWT event, Schilling had to defend his Governor’s Cup title. While he was once again well stocked with Jigging Raps, he also had an ace up his sleeve.
“In early May, I first got my hands on the new Jigging Rap® X,” he recalled. “As soon as I got back from Erie, I started experimenting with it, and I caught fish right away. I knew it was going to be a game changer in the summer months. My initial impression is that it’s just like the traditional Jigging Rap, but on steroids. It’s an absolute beast. The two biggest things are the built-in belly hook swivel for the bottom treble and the fins that are built into the body. With the swivel on that treble, you will keep more fish pinned. The fins being part of the body give you a more durable bait, which saves you time and increases your efficiency. The legendary dart and glide are exactly the same.”
Oahe Heats Up, Bite Fizzles
With summertime heat at an all-time high, the Lake Oahe pre-fishing bite was difficult. While the walleye population is healthy, the system is also teeming with bait - smelt, gizzard shad and herring.
“I found one area, the mouth of a bay, that was loaded with big fish that would actually bite. Most of them were suspended roamers about halfway down over 30 to 40 feet. I would fish for my overs right away in the morning, and then target slots.”
Schilling and Beadle’s first fish of the tournament was an 11-pounder. Ten minutes later a 12-pounder smoked Schilling’s Jigging Rap X.
“Day one was a slammer of a day,” recounted Schilling. “We were done with our overs by 9:30, and we spent the rest of the day fishing for slots with the VMC® Tungsten Mooneye jig and a full crawler. We weighed 33.27 pounds on day one, which is the biggest bag in Gov Cup tournament history.”
More specifically, Schilling and Beadle targeted overs with the No. 9 Jigging Rap X in Chrome Blue and Purpledescent.
“I actually fish the new Jigging Rap X and Jigging Rap a lot slower than most. I always like to cast out in front of their head and not let it drop down too fast. You don’t want to surprise them on the fall. At about 10 feet above them, I will close my bail and ease it down to them. In this tournament, it was small pops right in front of their face. If they’re coming in hot, you can be really aggressive. I think I caught one that was really aggressive, but the others were quick, small pops. Everything came vertically. If they were going to eat, they were going to eat vertically. All of our overs came on the new Jig Rap X. For the slots, I used either a white 1/4-ounce or a white 3/16-ounce VMC Tungsten Mooneye jig.”
On day two, Schilling and Beadle had their overs even earlier. They then, despite all the confidence in the world, demonstrated tournament wisdom well beyond their years.
“I caught a 9-pounder almost right away. Then I missed one. Ben flipped out, and a 5-pounder came rocking. With yesterday’s record weight, we decided we had to keep that one, even though the bigs were biting. By 8:30, we had both of our bigs.”
After catching their slots, the scale read 24.75 pounds. With a two-day total of 58.02, they became the second team to win back-to-back Governor’s Cup titles. Their margin of victory was over 13 pounds.
“It’s a big deal to win one, so to win two back-to-back is pretty cool. It still doesn’t feel real. Getting to use a product of this caliber before it’s out to the public, I definitely had an advantage.”
Four-Time Champs Hjelm and Keller Finish Second
Duane Hjelm, the reigning NWT Angler of the Year, entered the Governor’s Cup as the local legend. He and partner Tyson Keller won the event in 2024, back-to-back in 2020 and 2019 and again in 2014. But accolades aside, their practice was mediocre at best.
“I honestly didn’t feel that confident about getting big fish,” admitted Hjelm. “The slots were fairly easy to catch, but the overs were a different story. I was thinking the goal was to get over 20 pounds a day; that meant we were going to weigh 6-pound overs.”
Taking the opposite approach as Schilling, Hjelm steadily surpassed that benchmark each day with a two-day total of 44.77 pounds.
“The No. 7 Jigging Rap X, and No. 7 Jigging Raps were what we were throwing for slots. It was a weird tournament in that it was 105 degrees on the days leading up to it. The water was 75 to 80 degrees, which is almost unheard of on Oahe. Our typical summertime water temperature is 72 to 75 degrees.”
While second place in a 200-boat tournament is an impressive performance, Hjelm tipped his cap to Schilling and Beadle.
“I’m blown away with these young kids,” Hjelm reflected. “They know how to find fish and how to catch fish. Lately, they’ve been ahead of me. It’s super impressive, and it’s certainly motivating me.”
Dewey Dishes the Deets
While Schilling received the new Jigging Rap X in May, Hjelm had a hand in designing it.
“We started prototyping this bait last fall. That’s when I first threw it on Oahe. At that point, the action was already so dialed. It’s more durable, has bigger hooks, and a rotating treble on the bottom. It also has realistic 3D eyes, and beads inside the body that act as an internal rattle system. The weights are the same, but the profile is slightly different. The body of the Jigging Rap X is slightly bigger, and the fall is slightly slower, but it has the same darting action.”
Despite the impressive attributes, Hjelm still has a tough time putting the original Jigging Rap down.
“I definitely have both tied on. The original Jigging Rap is what I grew up on, and this won’t replace it. But I will say the Jigging Rap X is slowly becoming more of my confidence bait. It’s the perfect complement.”