Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp USA and Warrior Boats LLC.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 29, 2016
Contact: Denny Fox, 920-505-0122
Anglers Insight Marketing LLC (AIM™)
A cure for ‘alewife-itis’: pitchin’ and rippin’ does it for Blosser/Okada in AWWS Sturgeon Bay Nitro Boats Open
As predicted, the alewife spawn on Green Bay made life tough for anglers in Sunday’s AIM Weekend Walleye Series Nitro Boats Open, but anglers Robert Blosser and Joe Okada teamed to pitch into the rocks in Michigan waters to take this year’s final qualifier event and head home with $7,000.
“The alewives moved in pretty heavy early last week so obviously fishing became a lot tougher,” said Blosser, from Poynette, WI. Okada is from Fitchburg, WI. “So we were looking for more of a reaction bite, casting blue and chrome Rippin’ Raps and snap-jigging gold blade baits into shallow rock structures.
“Typically when we go to Green Bay it’s one of the ones I look forward to because typically we’re pulling Offshore boards. But with the goofy spring and alewives rolling in, the only way we could get some consistency was to get a reaction bite out of them,” he said.
They did that by learning the technique and the area during the tournament that took place earlier in the week, where Okada finished seventh, and Blosser, 21st. On Sunday, he headed his Skeeter WX2190 powered by a Yamaha F300 Offshore west to Michigan waters, fishing rocks in a 15- to 20-mile stretch they had marked.
“We’d found a bunch and knew we would just keep rotating through until we were able to locate an active fish or two. You may see 10 or 12 and catch one,” Blosser said. But usually, they caught none. They kept moving, and were rewarded with enough hits to card 39.58 pounds to win, while sacrificing a few baits to the fish gods along the way.
“We were probably only getting a half-dozen bites each a day, so we had to capitalize on them, but it wasn’t uncommon to see 30, 40, 50 fish,” he said. And by ‘seeing,’ he meant sight-fishing them in clear Green Bay water 10 to 14 feet deep.
“You could see them cruising but you wouldn’t flip to them. We found more success if you see a group of 3, 4 or 5 cruising a structure to make long casts and try to anticipate where they were going and bring the lure through that little wolf pack of fish.
“The “Bay” also got pretty bumpy in the afternoon. The wind picked up and it took us a few hours to get in, and if wasn’t for my Smooth Moves seats I’d be so achy I probably wouldn’t be able to walk today,” Blosser added.
Close behind them in second were Jason Wanty and David Parker of Waupaca, Wisconsin, with 38.95 pounds, good for $2,200. They were literally right behind them also, having the same idea of going west to Michigan’s rocks.
“In fact we started in the same spot they were in and only got one. They got one and they headed north and about 11:30 we headed south. We pretty much used the same tactics, with Rippin’ Raps and jigs casting into the shallow rocks. Trolling for the most part was ineffective. If you were trolling, you were probably struggling,” Wanty said.
Jigging for walleye, he feels, is catching on among more anglers. “In Green Bay they were mostly inactive fish, and if something hops along two inches from their face, they’re going to strike at it. I’m laying the wood to ’em, and the trollers aren’t doing a thing,” said Wanty, who will also be at the Wisconsin championship on Lake Winnebago July 22-23.
In third with 28.91 pounds were Ryan Foster of Kaukauna, WI, and Jeff Neuchterlein of Greenville, WI, who left with $1,800. Fourth place went to John Schneider of Shawano, WI, and John Clumpner, of Little Suamico, WI, who landed 25.77 pounds and $1,400. In fifth were Kyle Kneser of Oostburg, WI, and Kevin Dahlhauser of Cottage Grove, WI, with 25.16 pounds and $1,200.
Anglers Insight Marketing LLC (AIM™) is a unique tournament organization created and owned by many of the most accomplished and recognizable professional walleye anglers, along with others who share the mission of advancing competitive walleye fishing and making it sustainable into the future. AIM is committed to marketing excellence on behalf of its tournament competitors, the tournament host communities, and the brands that partner with it.
AIM is also committed to maintaining healthy fisheries across the nation by the development of the exclusive AIM Catch-Record-Release™ format, which is integral to its dynamic events and unparalleled consumer engagement. For more information about AIM™, AIM Pro Walleye Series™, AIM Weekend Walleye Series, AIM sponsors and AIM anglers, visit www.aimfishing.com.
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