Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp USA and Warrior Boats Inc.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  May 1, 2025

Contact: Denny Fox, 920-505-0122

Anglers Insight Marketing LLC (AIM™)

Hang onto your gunwales, walleye anglers across the Midwest, and all the thousands of loyal members of AIM Fan Nation. Because In 2026, the “NXT Tour” of walleye tournament fishing will arrive.

From the AIM Weekend Walleye Series, The NXT Tour will launch a new era of big-time national fishing, and teams competing in the AIM Weekend Walleye Series in 2025 will get first crack at signing up.

“Planning for the AIM NXT Tour series has been quietly coming together for two years now, and while we’re still putting the details in place, it’s time.  We’re absolutely thrilled to finally break the news to everyone in Walleye World that AIM’s ‘NXT’ big thing is coming to the water,” announced Denny Fox, AIM national tournament director.

“Our aim, pun intended, is to offer all walleye anglers a high-quality tournament tour experience, with AIM’s proven and now often copied Catch-Record-Release™ philosophy at the core. We know you’re going to be ready to jump on board when we roll this series out, guaranteed. We’re truly pumped to let you know what we’ve got in store, as we begin ramping this up to go next season,” Fox continued.

AIM will be announcing much more information about the tour in the coming months, but here are the details so far:

• The NXT Tour will feature three 75-boat qualifier tournaments with a $1,400 per two-person team entry fee, followed by a no-entry-fee championship. Qualifiers will take place on Thursdays and Fridays. All teams must enter all three qualifiers. There will be no single event entries. All events will feature AIM’s proven Catch-Record-Release™ format.
• Pre-fishing will start on the Saturday before each event. Each tournament site will be closed to all entry for seven days from the Saturday before the official start of pre-fishing.
• The no-entry-fee championship will be three days of competition, with the top 40 boats from the tour invited. The top 10 teams will make the final day cut.

How do you get in????

To enter, teams will receive an invitation using these criteria:

First Tier:

• The top 20 percent of teams in the 2025 AWWS Yamaha Motor Corp. USA Team of the Year standings in each of AIM’s four divisions (Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and Rivers) get the first-tier invitation.

“We will allow teams to break apart and take two spots to enter,” Fox explained. “To illustrate, if my partner and I win Team of The Year, we can each pick another partner to enter. This stands for all tiers of qualification.”

Second Tier:

• The next eligibility will open to remaining teams in the AIM Team of The Year standings in each division who fished three events and their division championship.

Third Tier:

• Eligibility will then open to anyone who has fished at least one AIM event in the previous year.

Last Tier:

• Finally, eligibility will be extended to anglers who have fished an AIM tournament at any point in the past. This will begin with the tour’s second season.
• All teams must enter all three qualifiers. There will be no single event entries, which is why it’s called a tour. At the season’s end of qualifiers, if you are in the top 50 in NXT Tour T.O.Y. points, team captains will automatically retain their spot in the NXT Tour for the following season if they choose. The remaining 25 spots for the NXT season will follow the tour’s qualification process outlined above.

“Fan Nation and ALL walleye tournament competitors. Your NXT Tour is coming in 2026,” Fox said. “Join us as AIM goes all in on the future of walleye tournament angling.”

Watch for updates at aimfishing.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 inc.

AIM Supporting Sponsors: Mercury Marine, Garmin, Worldwide Marine Insurance, Off Shore Tackle, JT Outdoors Products, McQuoids Inn, Rosemore Outdoor Gear, Adventure Recreational Finance, Oconto County WI., Forever Barnwood, The Bighorn Store