Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp USA and Warrior Boats Inc.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 19, 2023
Contact: Denny Fox, 920-505-0122
Anglers Insight Marketing LLC (AIM™)
‘Carter And Carter,’ 21-Year-Olds, Are AIM ‘Bago Champs, Heralding Next Generation Of Tournament Anglers
Where will the next generation of tournament anglers come from? And how many of you, Fan Nation, have wanted to be that up-and-coming future pro on the podium? No need to guess or worry. They’ve arrived, in the form of anglers like the “Two Carters,” Carter Greening and partner Carter Dittman, who won the final 2023 AIM Weekend Walleye Series Wisconsin Division Qualifier, the Garmin Open, with 25.3 pounds of gold on Lake Winnebago, for a $10,700 payday Sunday (July 16).
“They went home with $8,500 from AIM, plus $2,200 in first-place side pot cash. If the Yamaha motor they used to do it was a tad bit younger, they also would have been eligible for Yamaha Power Pay incentive cash,” said Denny Fox, AIM national tournament director. “Wind did play a role on ‘bago, but not in the way you might think. But the real story is the emergence of a new generation of anglers like these two who are hungry, and good, and with dreams of advancing to pro status.
“This was also the first visit to the podium for all the top three teams at Winnebago. That’s great for the sport, the resource and for all of you out there who enjoy learning about the catching walleye from all our anglers,” Fox said.
It was two excited Carters, Greening from Fremont, and partner Dittman from also from Fremont, who stepped up to claim first. And, true to at least one prediction, it was won on the Fox River, on Lake Poygan at Winneconne, site of this season’s second AIM Wisconsin qualifier in April.
“I pretty much grew up on Poygan, but I talked to a bunch of others and the week prior, it sounded like Winnebago was doing pretty well. We pre-fished Poygan Monday and Tuesday,” he said, and found some nice fish. But he wanted to see what was up on Winnebago.
“We caught quite a few sheephead, and I just couldn’t figure it out,” Greening said. They returned to Poygan on Friday and Saturday, and made their choice for Sunday.
And, putting it mildly, “it worked out really well for us,” he said. They did it pulling crawler harnesses in seven to eight feet of water around one to 1.6 mph.
“The wind was messing with us. In the morning we were trolling probably 1.3, but the speed fluctuation didn’t seem to matter. It was probably right around 9 a.m. that we caught our first, a 19-1/4-incher,” he said.
“After that we had a bunch of small ones and we were actually thinking about picking up, then we had that 26-1/4 come in, right around 9:45 to 10 a.m. After that we got a 24-1/2 probably 15 to 20 minutes after, and it probably took us another 45 minutes to catch our 25-1/2, which solidified our card,” Greening said. At that point, the boat talk turned into anxious smiling and shaky hands.
“The talk in the boat was really good. We were wondering what it was going to take to win. We were actually trembling trying to put crawlers back on our hooks. It was a really good feeling,” he said.
“Harness color didn’t seem to matter. We had a lot of short bites, so we had to check our baits often. If we didn’t’ have a bite after 20 or 25 minutes we checked to be sure there weren’t weeds, and to make sure the crawler was still there,” he said.
It was their first visit to the podium. Ever.
“We finished 14th on the Fox River (at Green Bay), but that was the closest. We used to fish just the Winneconne event, but this is our first year fishing the whole series. We really enjoyed the Winnie event and now we’ve got a good enough boat and truck to venture around.
“We really like Catch-Record-ReleaseÔ. If we had to keep the five we weighed, I don’t think we would have made it back to Oshkosh without them dying. I think it’s really cool to have a tournament where you have the fish live and let another angler have the opportunity to catch them,” he said. And, he agreed with Fox’s description of being “young and hungry” to shine.
“We like getting our names out there,” Greening said. “We love the sport. Usually you see older teams on the podium and a lot of people think you have to be older to win. A lot of young teams are coming up. I work and think about fishing. That’s all I do.”
Finishing in second were 27-year-old Cole Johnson and his 25-year-old brother Blake, both from Oshkosh, in a Mercury 200 Pro XS-powered boat. They also headed up the Fox from Oshkosh to fish the next lake down from Winneconne, Butte Des Morts.
“Winnebago has been a very tough bite lately and we got fish pre-fishing two days in a row upriver,” Cole Johnson said. “I didn’t go, my brother did, so he was keeping me updated. We had a club event the weekend before and got one fish in the lake, and we went into the river and got three more.
“Friends went upriver, and we tried early and caught fish on almost every pass Saturday, so we left it alone and went back. There were probably 30 boats making the same pass,” he added.
“Our first pass, we got a 13, and a 20-3/4, so we ran over it a few more times and got a lot of 15-inchers, and we upgraded with a 21-3/4 and a 19-3/4. Every pass we upgraded at least one fish. We had 10 minutes left and made our last pass, and one board went flying back. We thought it was a pike, and it was a 25-3/4-incher, and that was the end of the day,” he said.
They were trolling crankbaits, Salmos, Flicker Shads and Flicker Minnows in about seven feet of water, anywhere from 1.8 to two mph.
“It was the best weight my brother and I caught in any tournament. We had a little feeling we were going to be in second, that someone was going to have a really big bag, and that’s what happened,” he said. They even caught a blue walleye, but since it was only 17 inches, it didn’t get on their card.
And what’s in store for future tournaments?
“In the long run I’d like to do more. We do all the local ones but right now we have a newborn, so we really can’t travel, but in the long run, I’d like to, yes,” he said. He’s also a big fan of catch-release tournaments. And, he said, they’ll be in the hunt for the 2024 AIM season.
Finishing in third with 19.46 pounds, earning them $2,600 and a first-time podium visit, were Aaron Zak of Greenville, and Kody Swatzina of Curtiss. Fourth place and $1,500 went to Ryan Mereness and Justin Heider of Oshkosh. They carded 17.23 pounds. In fifth were Eric McQuoid of Kewaunee, WI, and Kolton Krawiecki of Pillager, MN. They netted $1,300 and second-place side pot money of $1,320. And, an honorable mention goes to seventh-place finishers Jeremy Hurst and Jim Erdman of Oshkosh for winning the third-place side pot cash of $880 to go with $1,100 from AIM.
Now it’s On, Wisconsin, to the Garmin/Navionics State Championship and Yamaha Motor Corp USA Team Of The Year (TOY) award Aug. 25-26 at Oconto on the Bay of Green Bay.
But, not before Minnesota has a say in their last qualifier July 30 at Otter Tail Lake for the Warrior Boats/Kovash Marine Open. It’s followed up by the Mercury Marine Minnesota State Championship and TOY award Aug. 18-19 on Lake Winnibigoshish in Bena, then Sept. 8-9 for the Yamaha Motor Corp. USA North Dakota State Championship and TOY award on Lake Sakakawea at Beulah.
After all that, AIM travels to the Mississippi at Clinton Iowa for the next Rivers Division qualifier Sept. 10. River rats, your championship is Oct. 21-22 on that river at Prairie du Chien, WI.
This weekend, stay tuned to AIM’s Facebook site for updates, including the Navionics Big Fish Thursday award. Want to join the upcoming next generation of tournament anglers? Learn how at aimfishing.com.
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, Navionics, Power Pole, Worldwide Marine Insurance, Off Shore Tackle, Gemini Sport Marketing, Moonshine Lures Shiver Minnow, JT Outdoors Products, McQuoids Inn, Rosemore Outdoor Gear, Outdoor Authority fish house rentals, Island Bar and Grill, Bait Box on the Rock, Oconto County WI, Odyssey Battery.