Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp USA and Warrior Boats Inc.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 7, 2024
Contact: Denny Fox, 920-505-0122
Anglers Insight Marketing LLC (AIM™)
AIM Aims For Mille Lacs And The Next Weekend
Walleye Series Minnesota Qualifier Sunday
One thing’s for sure when you come to Minnesota’s “Grand Lake” in the Ojibwa language, or Thousand Lakes as French voyageurs named it, the fish are ready, bangin’ anything that’s thrown at them, and that means the second weekend in a row that anglers could see 40-plus-pound bags at the AIM Weekend Walleye Series/Warrior Boats Minnesota qualifier this Sunday, (June 9) on Lake Mille Lacs.
“All of Mille Lacs we hear, is hotter than hot, and many are calling action here the best in years, so it’s perfect timing that AIM is here this weekend. The lake is under catch-release regs right now, and we don’t care, because that fits our Catch-Record-ReleaseÔ format to a tee,” said Denny Fox, AIM national tournament director. “Multiple huge weights are definitely in the cards to be on our team’s cards, including that of the two who won last weekend’s National Championship Shootout who will be in the field, so let’s preview this one, Fan Nation.”
“AIM is well-suited for Mille Lacs right now,” agreed Kyle Manteuffel for Coon Rapids, MN, who’ll be on the water with Sean Nelson of Columbus. He was on the lake last weekend, his only day so far this season, but he calls the entire lake fishery the best he’s seen in several summers. He was back to zero in on spots starting Thursday.
“It’s absolutely phenomenal. Everywhere you go on the lake there are walleyes,” he said. “If there was a spaceship underwater that you could fish, there would be walleyes on it. Coming off Big Stone (on May 19), where the fish population is a lot less and tougher to find due to the weeds, it’s refreshing coming here. Walleyes are everywhere.”
But, you’ve got to find the right ones to win this, Kyle, and also deal with some interesting midweek weather before, according to the National Weather Service. The winds up to at least 30 mph, maybe higher, and a cool front, finally blow out to a manageable 10 to 15 mph Sunday.
That could mean teams may not be able to pre-fish where they want, and those using forward facing sonar, which gets persnickety when the waves get big. Instead, they may have to rely on “old school” side and down-imaging sonar. Mayflies won’t be a major problem, as some big hatches have already occurred, he said.
“The only thing that would change things is the wind. I think most will struggle with the wind with forward-facing sonar. This is definitely going to be a tournament decided by very small margins. A ¼-inch average across five fish is going to be a lot. The biggest I got (last weekend) was 26-3/4-incher. Those bigger than a 25 will be hard to find.
“People will be doing everything. The fish are hungry and it will depend on finding the big fish. Doing bobbers has been the hot thing, but likely rigging, casting plastics, you name it, and a tournament has been won with it in the last four years,” he said.
If you know the name Kent Andersen, you know what he’ll be running a Warrior, believe it or no, powered by a 250 Merc Pro XS. Andersen is national sales manager of AIM presenting sponsor Warrior. Both Warrior and Andersen have been big AIM boosters since the start. He also agrees that the Mille Lacs bite is the best in years. He’ll be teamed with Billy Carlson of Watford City, ND.
“This year it’s been on fire. A bad day is 20 a day and up to 60 or 70 fish a day is good, so it’ll be a good time. But to get the win, all fish over 26 inches with some good kickers, and it should definitely exceed 40 pounds for first,” Andersen said, who aims to meet that goal. That famous Mille Lacs wind may also be a factor.
“We do have a lot of wind for Thursday with gusts reaching the 40 mph mark and it’s also supposed to blow Thursday and Friday,” he added. National Weather Service predicts things starting to settle Saturday.
“If it does it will open up the lake for everybody. If it’s 30 mph, it will limit where people will fish and the whole LiveScope game will get a little trickier. But the weather will set up perfect for the Warrior teams, and they’ll get a little bit of a Warrior advantage in practice,” said Andersen, in a bit of unabashed product promo.
Presentations? Take your pick he said, because this is Mille Lacs. “You can do anything you want and catch fish out there. Troll cranks, slip bobbers, jigs and plastics, it’s an open buffet of whatever tactics fit you and what your strengths are, but what’s going to separate the top teams is if you can locate those pockets of bigger fish, capitalize on them, and put as many over the gunnels in eight hours as possible.
“Last weekend, it was like a 26-1/4-inch average to win. If you were to average that, you’ll probably need that with one or two good kickers,” he said.
Another team with what Andersen calls the “Warrior advantage” will be Eric Sherrill of Becker, with Josh Arbogast of Monticello. They’ll be in a V198 powered by a Mercury 225 Pro XS, with Garmin included in the electronics, and Rosemore rods in their hands. Thursday was his first day on Mille Lacs since last summer, but Arbogast was out last weekend, Sherrill said.
“He found 10 fish total, a couple over the 25-inch mark, which I believe it’s going to take all that for five fish to do any damage in this tournament,” he said. “It looks like with 28-plus pounds, you’ll be in the check-cashing range. Judging by his pre-fish, there’s a lot of 21- to 23-inch fish in the system with the protected slots. The 25 and 26-inch fish seem to be more consistent. I know there’s going to be some who will catch some rogue 28s or 29-inch fish, but they’re just not as plentiful as in years past. The norm then was the upper 40 pounds, now were down in the 30s.”
And he’s loving leeches for a podium shot on Sunday. “I think probably the 35-pound mark, and probably leeches will be common, whether on a jig or casting with LiveScope or via bobbers with LiveScope,” he predicted. He also says he’s partial to chubs.
“The wind will be bucking, but the general forecast is the wind out of the same direction the next four days,” Sherrill said, and that means, where the wind blows, the bait goes, and so does the wise angler.
“I’m thinking the lake’s south half is where this is going to go down. I don’t think the big fish are as plentiful in the north as they are on the south half,” he said. Jigs and plastics can come into play in the summertime swing, too. But it seems like leeches, they just can’t turn them down.”
We’ll see whether some of those leeches and chubs or something else will land the five biggest that in an AIM tournament will take it all. No culling. No worries about slot limits or keeping fish alive bouncing across the lake in a live well. Catch-Record-ReleaseÔ is the way of the future and the way the AIM Weekend Walleye Series has been doing it for 10 seasons, convincing more and more tournaments to join them.
It will all be on display starting Saturday evening, when AIM teams hold their online registration and rules meeting at 8 p.m. Boat inspection takes place at Macs Twin Bay docks starting at 5:30 a.m. Sunday. The first flight of boats leaves Macs at 7, with the second at 7:15. Boats must return starting at 3 p.m. to avoid a DQ. Awards will take place at McQuoid’s Inn. Good luck, all teams!
June’s AIM events continue next weekend. We’re back in North Dakota and back on Lake Sakakawea, as the AIM Warrior Boats qualifier takes place next Sunday, June 16. We’ll preview that one next week.
Meantime, enjoy Mille Lacs’ giants when you see them at AIM’s Facebook page throughout the day this Sunday. Go to aimfishing.com to join in the most affordable, lucrative walleye tournament existing.
You know you want to. You know you can.
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.
AIM Presenting Sponsors: Yamaha Motor Corporation U.S.A. and Warrior Boats inc.
AIM Supporting Sponsors: Mercury Marine, Garmin, Power Pole, Worldwide Marine Insurance, Off Shore Tackle, Gemini Sport Marketing, JT Outdoors Products, McQuoids Inn, Rosemore Outdoor Gear, Outdoor Authority fish house rentals, Adventure Recreational Finance, Oconto County WI., Forever Barnwood