Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp USA and Warrior Boats LLC.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  April 2, 2019

Contact: Denny Fox, 920-505-0122

Anglers Insight Marketing LLC (AIM™)

 

Bismarck-Mandan, Nodak and Marinette, Wisconsin

Are 2019 AIM Weekend Walleye Series Sponsors

 

Picture “The Real North.” Pristine walleye waters, both inland and smack in the middle of some of the region’s best walleye action on Green Bay. Picture beautiful Lake Michigan beaches and tumbling water. If you think Marinette, the eastern tip of Wisconsin, has all that and more, you’re right.

Picture being a part of the frontier of western U.S. history. “No boundaries” country, where the seemingly endless prairie silence and Native American lore stretch on and on. Picture a sportsmen’s paradise with some of the nation’s best walleye waters, along with great upland hunting. If you’re thinking Bismarck-Mandan, North Dakota with all that and more, you’re right.

They’re both waiting for you to explore, and they’re both major sponsors of events in the 2019 AIM Weekend Walleye Series.

“We’ve been talking about Bismarck-Mandan, the twin towns astride the Missouri River, for a while now, as sponsors of the May 31-June 1 2019 Warrior Boats AIM National Championship Shootout,” said Denny Fox, AIM national tournament director.

“Marinette will be the site of one of four AIM Wisconsin Division qualifiers on May 19, and the AIM Wisconsin State Championship Aug. 23-24. Both towns have embraced AIM and our Catch-Record-Release™ format. They know that when AIM comes to town, the fish stay where we leave them, and locals will know what our anglers used to catch those big weights Sunday, so they can winch’em on Monday.

“So you in Fan Nation, can get ready for this triple-header war on the water, let’s focus on both those towns and what they have to offer anglers.”

“We’re really excited to have the AIM tournament here,” added Bismarck-Mandan Convention and Visitor Bureau CEO Sheri Grossman. “Some people don’t think of us as a fishing destination. There’s great fishing along the Missouri and we’re excited for the exposure that the event will provide, and it’s great that all the fish go back into the river” under AIM’s Catch-Record-Release™ format.

The Missouri coursing past Bismarck-Mandan is about as fishy as a river can get. With the big Garrison Dam holding all that water back, it’s created a legendary walleye fishery above in Lake Sakakawea, and below, in the river.

Lake Sak is the scene of three of the North Dakota Division’s qualifying events this year. The river bursts out of Garrison’s gates, and its sandy runs are a natural location for the one AIM tourney to rule them all, the AIM Championship shootout. Shootout entrants will leave and return to Hazelton Recreation Area south of the two cities.

Sandy islands ribbon the channel here, making walleye feel all warm and fuzzy-like, and safe, ready to pounce on anything drifting past, like a nice, tasty jig tipped with plastics or live bait.

That’s what won it all during an AIM qualifier here last May, and chances are, just like last year, anglers who will have plenty of water to contend with being released from Garrison.

However, Grossman said, the spring snowmelt has been slow, and chances are at least for now, the river looks like it will behave itself, making it a great spot for teams to test their skills for a chance to stand on the podium, and bring home that Warrior Boat/Yamaha motor/Garmin electronics package.

There’s more than fishing out here to the surrounding area. Bismarck-Mandan is home of two important historical sites.

The first is On-A-Slant Village, the restored Mandan Indian community on the Missouri’s banks, north of where anglers will launch. Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery, stopped in the village before pushing on to winter upstream in what is now Washburn, ND. They found the Mandans peaceful farmers who traded the crops they grew along the Missouri with other tribes. Besides On-A-Slant, other Mandan village sites are at other sites in the area.

Nearby, you’ll also find Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park, featuring a campground near the river, and the remaining buildings of a fort figuring greatly in American western history. It was here that George A. Custer and men of the 7th Cavalry set off to their destinies at the Battle of The Greasy Grass, as the Native Americans called the river where Custer met his match, and what most Americans know as the Little Big Horn. Custer’s Commandant home still stands, and is open for tours.

Bismarck also is home to the recently expanded North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum and the “skyscraper on the prairie,” the 19-story state capitol.

To the north and west today, upland bird hunting for pheasant here and in South Dakota is huge, and nearby, Lake Sakakawea holds even more outdoor fun.

In Wisconsin, the Door Peninsula stands guard over Marinette, midway in Green Bay, where the Menominee River divides Wisconsin from Michigan. The Door protects this part of Green Bay from Lake Michigan’s storms much of the time, and provides a nursery for walleye, producing a bonanza for anglers. The water around Chambers Island is well known as a great spot for big ‘eyes, and it will be fair game for the AIM qualifier and Wisconsin championship.

“We like the fact that this is a catch-and-release tournament series,” said Melissa Ebsch, marketing and tourism director for Marinette County, which is the third largest county in the state. “Our decision to have AIM here was either go big or go home. This is a premier walleye tournament and we are a premier walleye fishing destination.”

Marinette’s history has always been tied to water. It’s the home of Marinette Marine, a builder of the Navy’s angular, stealthy Littoral Combat Ships. The ship builder recently announced a large expansion.

The county itself is billed as Wisconsin’s waterfall capital, with 15. The county also includes the historic town of Peshtigo, which was engulfed by fire at the same time as the Great Chicago Fire, and took more lives. A museum there tells the story.

Marinette County also is home to Lake Michigan beaches, camping at Governor Thompson State Park on the Peshtigo River and at numerous others in the county and of course, roadside stores selling that famous Wisconsin cheese.

Menekaunee Harbor Park, where the AIM tournaments will start from and return, is site of a huge reclamation and improvement project by the state and city. The site is sacred to the Menominee tribe’s five clans, and statues honoring each will be installed there as well.

Later this week, check out the preview for the first AIM tournament of the 2019 season, beginning at Wisconsin’s Green Bay, on Sunday. For information on all AIM tournaments, and how to register, go to our website, or our Facebook page.

 

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, LLC.

 

AIM Supporting Sponsors: Mercury Marine, Nitro Boats, Garmin, Navionics, Power Pole, Worldwide Marine Insurance, AirWave Pedestals, Off Shore Tackle, Bismarck Mandan Convention and Visitors Bureau, Marinette WI, Pro Chattrr, Missouri Secrets Tackle, Gemini Sport Marketing, Anglers Avenue pro shop, Moonshine Lures Shiver Minnow, JT Outdoors Products, Fox River Lures and Rods.

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