For Immediate Release, date
Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp. USA and Warrior Boats:
AWWS Nitro Boats Championship Green Bay, WI will It Take 100 Pounds to win?
The monsters of the Bay of Green Bay are waiting, and the question is, will it take breaking the 100-pound barrier to stand topmost on the stage on the final day of the AIM Weekend Walleye Series Wisconsin Division Nitro Boats Championship, this Friday and Saturday, Aug. 21-22?
And, from the scores of teams entered, there are two all-in-the-family teams, one of which includes a 16-year-old fishing fanatic, who are betting yes.
The first making that heavy-duty prediction is Tim Pizzi, who runs Fishing For A Living Guide Service with his Nitro ZV18, powered by a Mercury Opti-Max engine. Pizzi, who finished 6th in team of the year standings last season, fishes with 37-year-old son Ryan, and he’s reporting some massive fish being caught just last week.
“I was out there last weekend, and it’ll take 100 pounds to win this,” Pizzi predicts. “In six hours we had four over 29, two over 30 and more miscellaneous.”
“I know guys who were out there today who caught several over 10 pounds,” said Pizzi, who currently sits 24th in the Amsoil Team of The Year standings. “Not everybody’s going to do that but a lot of local guys are in the hunt; they know the water well and will find them.” He expects teams will run up to 30 miles because the bay turned over recently, pushing the warmest water to the east side.
Another family team is headed by Gary Neumann of East Troy, WI, who is fishing his second AIM season with his granddaughter, Sierra Burnett, of Cedar Grove. She started this season at age 15, and celebrated her 16th birthday a week after the Oconto qualifier in May. She, in fact, is the one who asked Neumann to fish AIM’s Wisconsin division with her this year.
“We’ve fished all four qualifiers,” Neumann said. “I’ve been tournament fishing for a few years and my dad had been my partner. Dad said he couldn’t fish anymore, and Sierra said she wanted to give it a try.” Her first walleye? A 30-inch, 10.7-pounder. From that point, he said, she was hooked.
“She came to me last Christmas and said, ‘grandpa, I want to fish a circuit,’ and I said there’s only one out there we want to fish, AIM. We’re currently about 48th overall for Team of the Year and qualified for the championship. We’re fishing this because of Catch-Record-Release™. I’ve fished tournaments for 15 years and have seen too many fish die. AIM is a way better format,” Neumann said.
“At first, everyone’s afraid of how to take the pictures, but it only takes one minute to do everything including the hero shot, and it’s so much easier on the fish,” he added.
Now, he’s not giving away any coordinates, at least not until Saturday night, but Neumann said those big boys and girls everyone is after will no doubt be hanging off the bay’s reefs.
“They’re doing that now. Baitfish are hanging there because of the hot weather we’ve had and the walleye have followed. My granddaughter’s already got our spots picked out. If we do well in this tournament and place high, she’ll be a shoe-in for next year. She loves fishing with me and also with her dad. She drags him down to their ponds all the time. She and I have a ball. We got skunked in one tournament this year and still had a good time.”
This weekend’s show looks like this:
Entry deadline: Tuesday, Aug. 18, 11:59 p.m. Central Time.
- Mandatory meeting Thursday, Aug. 20, Crivello’s, downtown Oconto.
- Friday, Aug. 21: Teams leave the City of Oconto Breakwater Park in flights at 7 and 7:15 a.m., returning at 3 and 3:15 p.m.
- Each day’s ceremonies take place at Breakwater Park starting at 5 p.m.
Contact:Denny Fox, AIM National Tournament Director, 920-505-0122; info@wordpress-1142496-4082033.cloudwaysapps.com
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.
AIM Supporting Sponsors: Mercury Marine, Nitro Boats, Starcraft Marine, Amsoil, Navionics, Powrtran, Power Pole, Worldwide Marine Insurance, Off Shore Tackle, Team Lodge, National Fleet Graphics, Gemini Sport Marketing, The City of Oconto, Eagle Bay Marina and Eagles Landing Casino, Montevideo MN Chamber of Commerce, Randall’s Milan Beach Resort