Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp USA and Warrior Boats Inc.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 28, 2021
Contact: Denny Fox, 920-505-0122
Anglers Insight Marketing LLC (AIM™)
Father, Daughter, Water, Win: Winneconne ’s Good To
Engebretsons, Who Take Home $8,000 And TOY Points
Fishing at Winneconne, you’ve got more than the usual number of choices during an AIM Weekend Walleye Series tournament. And the father-daughter team of Guy Engebretson, this time fishing with his 15-year-old daughter Julia instead of son Cole, topped a nearly full field to win $8,000 and those all-important Team Of The Year points at the Berkley Open with nearly 15-1/2 pounds.
“What a great story to tell for both of them, something to remember for dad and daughter for sure. And they did it in the lower Fox, only using two Berkley baits,” said Denny Fox, AIM national tournament director.
Engebretson, from Wausau, was more familiar with Lake Winnebago and Oshkosh area, so that’s about where they told their 250 Yamaha-power to go. Julia was the appointed “reeler,” and he, the “netter.”
They used only two lures, Berkley Hit Sticks on a three-way rig for a morning appetizer, and for the afternoon course, Berkley Diggers, and the lower Fox River ‘eyes declared them “deeelicious,” Engebretson said. He also credits his Power-Pole Charge battery charging and management system with keeping them on fish all day without a glitch or no power for his electric troller.
He admitted he fished the stretch of river he concentrated on in another tournament the weekend before. He and daughter Julia checked on them Saturday, tucked them in, and agreed that’s the spot, and returned on game day.
“We started at the I-41 bridge and drifted back through. The river funnels down into one area and there’s good structure and current. The fish can just sit there and let the food come to them,” Engebretson said. They concentrated on wherever they could find good rocks, trolling both up and downstream.
“It was a cold morning, and it was slow for us, but we just kept working through and never caught a lot of fish. It was one here and one there,” he said.
Their first fish came around 9 or 9:30, he said, between lots of boat traffic. “It messed up my plans, but as it went on the boats thinned out and we could fish more effectively. Our two biggest came late in the day when it started warming up. Our biggest was a 24, and the second biggest was about a 20-1/2 incher. Both those came on the Digger. Our fish in the morning when it was cold came on the Hit Sticks,” he added.
“We knew going in we had a pretty good bag and we actually got to town a little early and caught our last fish in town with just a few minutes left. We didn’t need it but you never know on Winnebago. We thought we’d be at least in the top five and had our fingers crossed we’d get a win. It was a small upgrade, but it didn’t make a difference in the win,” he said. Overall, they scored 15.43 pounds, winning by 1.7 pounds.
“Our Charge system was a game-changer, especially when you’re fishing the river current and wind. I never had to worry about our batteries. I could just fish so much more effectively with it,” he added.
Enbegretson had won an AIM tournament previously with son Cole, but college obligations kept him away. “So Julia was eager to fish with me, and that was important to me, very precious, that I could do it with my kids. Now Julia won with me and that’s a very special moment that I’ll never forget.”
In second place, Greg Golliher and Randy Harwood, both of Oshkosh, came in with 13.73 pounds, good for $3,500, and sweetened by first-place side pot money of $1,800. They showed up using that tried-and-true Fox River fly rig, towing three small flies in-line rigged with a two-ounce sinker, and nicking the bottom every so often. Their own secret sauce? They tipped those flies with fathead minnows. Another part of the mix? Both had forgotten their gloves and had to keep switching hands in pockets. Probably didn’t convince any walleye to hit, but it’s definitely a cool part of the story. Literally.
“We fished by the 41 bridge for about 90 minutes, then went to the mouth of the river into Winnebago and stayed there most of the day, and upgraded fish all day long,” Golliher said.
“We were actually on our last pass to see what we could get and that’s when we got our 23-1/2-incher. We stayed a little and never caught any more. We wanted to give ourselves time to get back so we went up and stopped at 41. We had about 10 minutes. We made one pass and came back on a second and popped a 19-incher that got rid of a 16-incher on the card, and by then we had to go. We probably caught about 25 fish,” he added. “I had a feeling we were going to be one good fish short. We were.”
Coming up with 13.2 pounds, good for third and $2,800, plus a side-pot pot of $1,080, were Ryan Pizzi and Don Rideout, both of Phelps. Fourth place and $1,400, plus a side-pot of $720, went to Joe Schneider of Van Dyne, and Brian Daun of Stockbridge. They landed 11.32 pounds. In fifth with 10.82#, and with $1,400 more than they arrived with were Brad Zahringer of Menasha, and Gary Zahringer of Hilbert.
Ok, Wisconsin, you’ve got a few weeks to get warm, and get re-rigged for big water, The Bay of Green Bay from Green Bay, May 16 and the AIM Garmin Open. Have at it, because the weather, your fuel range and yourselves are your only boundaries. Get in on the fun by going to AIM’s website to register.
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, X2Power by Batteries Plus, Abu-Garcia, Fenwick, Navionics, Power Pole, Worldwide Marine Insurance, AirWave Pedestals, Off Shore Tackle, Quality Flow Systems, Gemini Sport Marketing, Moonshine Lures Shiver Minnow, JT Outdoors Products, McQuoids Inn, Marinette, WI