Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp USA and Warrior Boats LLC.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 16, 2020
Contact: Denny Fox, 920-505-0122
Anglers Insight Marketing LLC (AIM™)
AIM Sets Its Sights On Petenwell Flowage For
2021 National Championship Shootout; Ready To Rumble?
Locals call it Lake Pete. Or The Pete. Or Whiskey River. Whatever the nickname, the 11-mile-long Petenwell Flowage in central Wisconsin is adding another moniker: site of the 2021 AIM Weekend Walleye Series Warrior Boats National Championship Shootout, June 4-5.
“The Pete is built to challenge the 31 teams that will converge here from across the Upper Midwest. It’s got stumps. It’s got submerged timber structure. It’s got those channel spot-on-a-spot hideouts walleye love. It’s got drowned oxbow channels. It’s got dark, tannin-stained water that keeps these fish active and hungry all day. And it’s got a load of 20- to 26-inch toothy humpbacks, with a lot of even bigger ones mixed in. In short, it’s got everything we could ask for in a championship venue,” said Denny Fox, AIM national tournament director.
“We were here for a qualifier tournament way back in 2015, when it took a little more than 22 pounds to win. We liked what we saw. The walleye here are even chunkier and feistier now, and ready to be Shootout stars and smile for AIM cameras. It’s a great fishery that’s even better six years later, and that’s why we’re back to see what the best of the best in AIM can do. So it’s game time, teams. Gear up, plan up, and get ready to rumble,” Fox said.
At stake, of course, is who will drive away that new V1898DC Warrior, a 150 four-stroke Yamaha bolted to the back, and new Garmin electronics on the dash, all worth more than $55,000.
Here’s the down-low on Petenwell, Wisconsin’s second-largest inland lake. At about 11 miles long, its 23,000 acres feature a drowned channel impoundment of the Wisconsin River, with one dam upstream, and another down, where Castle Rock Lake begins. It features more than 100 miles of shoreline and has a 20- to 28-inch protected slot. Meaning lots of big fish to say howdy to.
Its irregular river channel is about 45 feet at its deepest, and rises quickly on the edges, many featuring those fish-holding out-of-current pockets, also featuring lure-grabbing timber. It earns the nickname “Whiskey River” because it’s heavily stained by tannins, with low vis. That’s good, because it means fish aren’t generally shut down by summer sun, and some say they’re actually turned on by it because it’s easier for them to see dinner in the stained water. It’s also a disadvantage to anglers, because fish can use it for cover, but with tools like Garmin’s LiveScope, they can swim, but they can’t hide.
While most tend to fish the inside bends and turns of the old channel, there are plenty of old drowned oxbows, holes, timber piles and other “locals like’em” spots like Barnum Bay, the mouth of Fourteen Mile Creek, and those current pockets that will invariably hold fish. However, these fish can get pressured out of areas with too much traffic.
The walleye here are ready, whether it’s hitting trolled cranks over that lure-snagging structure, nipping crawler or minnow-tipped weedless jigs, rigged minnows or crawlers. Or, according to a local bait shop, The Bighorn Store, any rig with three- to five-inch blacktail chubs attached that sell by the gallon in season (yup, that could be a free local hint) along with walleye suckers. Shootout teams using any presentations they’re comfortable with, in other words, are in for an event worthy of the challenge.
While the rest of the rules will be announced as the dates get closer, teams can pre-fish here up to May 17. From then to 6 a.m. on Memorial Day, May 31, when the official championship pre-fish period begins, Petenwell will be off-limits, Fox said.
Keep looking on AIM’s Facebook page for more updates as well as details on all our sponsors, all AIM tournaments, and when and how you can sign up for 2021’s qualifiers. It will all be at the AIM website soon. We’re not done yet!
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, Berkley, Abu-Garcia, Fenwick, Navionics, Power Pole, Worldwide Marine Insurance, AirWave Pedestals, Off Shore Tackle, Pro Chattrr, Quality Flow Systems, Gemini Sport Marketing, Oshkosh Visitors Bureau, Moonshine Lures Shiver Minnow, JT Outdoors Products, McQuoids Inn, City of Marinette, WI