Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp USA and Warrior Boats Inc.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 11, 2024
Contact: Denny Fox, 920-505-0122
Anglers Insight Marketing LLC (AIM™)
‘Father’s Day’ Times Two, As Two Father-Son Teams Top Finish At AIM Yamaha NoDak Championship On Devils Lake
The AIM Weekend Walleye Series is no stranger to father-son teams winning, but the Yamaha Motor Corp. USA North Dakota State Championship at North Dakota’s Devils Lake took the cake, as two father-son duos took first and second Friday and Saturday (Sept. 6 and 7), guaranteeing both a shot at the 2025 Warrior Boats National Championship Shootout.
“The winning team of Spencer and his father Ron Deutz are Devils Lake regulars from Fargo, but the new kids on the water, Brent Wendel and 17-year-old son Jayden are in their second season with AIM and pushed it hard to place second,” said Denny Fox, AIM national tournament director. “Both teams held their spots from the get-go. Team Deutz blew everyone out of the water with 59.87 pounds, earning $4,150 plus $450 first-place cash in the AIM Side Pot Challenge. The rookies were closest to them with 44.92 pounds, good for $2,500, plus $270 in the Side Pot challenge. Both earned that bonus of going to next year’s Shootout. Great jobs, each of you.”
Team Deutz dominated, their boat powered by a new Yamha F350, with Garmin LiveScope in the electronics array. Spencer Deutz says the damage was done on the lake’s east side and East Bay, where it was predicted that fishing would be best.
“Our family has been at the lake many, many years,” he said, but even he couldn’t believe their totals.
“I was shocked. I thought it would be the low 60s to win. I thought that more teams would have had more. This time of year the fishing is tough. Fish are in transition and it’s much harder to locate bigger pods with more fish,” he said.
“We had several spots in both parts, so we fished mainly there (in the east). Pre-fish was similar to how the tournament went. We had a few days in the 30-pound range and a few in the low to mid-20s,” he continued.
They stuck’em with 1/8-ounce Northland tungsten jigs with either a leech or crawler on them, thrown in 8 to 12 feet of water.
“On Day One we had 34 some pounds (34.35 exactly) and all of that was by 8:45 that morning. We tried upgrading after that, but we couldn’t do it. Our smallest on the card was 23 inches and we did have a 30-1/2. We’ve been fishing Devils Lake a long time and that 30.5 was the longest we’ve ever caught. Every fish came on that tungsten jig.
“I thought we could get 25 to 30, but 30-plus pounds, I didn’t know if that was possible here. That 30-1/2 was what did it for us,” Deutz said.
Day Two, the wind had switched, and so had the fish. “The wind was not nice. It was offshore. We came around the corner on the second day,” he said, and it was sporty, By around 11 the lake had flattened. But the big ones were gone.
“At 8:45 we had five fish but only had about 15 pounds. That’s when we ran over to the East Bay and started fishing in the trees, and picked up three upgrades,” he said, all about 23 inches to add to the 27 they’d hooked at their first spot.
“We had a 10-pound lead, and we figured we could get 16 or 17, that’d be good enough. If we got 20, we’d be very good, and we were coming in with 25 (25.52 actually) pounds, so we felt pretty confident,” he said.
“We were happy and surprised. It was just a good tournament. When it works out, it works out. Our last event in another series we zeroed. So we went from the worst to the best, so you never know,” he added. He also gave a shout out to former AIM competitor Tom Huynh, who Deutz said was crucial to understanding LiveScope and getting the win.
“Without him teaching me what he knows there’s no way we’d be winning this,” he said.
Coming in second was Team Wendel, led by 17-year-old Jayden, both of Valley City, who when he speaks, sounds more knowledgeable about walleye than many people twice his age. Their boat is powered by a Mercury 400 Verado with an electronics spread of “all of the above,” including LiveScope.
“Pre-fish we knew the fish were scattered, either tucked in the weeds or the timber. We had to scan around with LiveScope and look for them. You may see one or two together at most. We’d cast a 1/4-ounce VMC jig, green with a full nightcrawler for them.
“If you could find the active fish, a lot were biting in flurries and if you could get on one of the flurries almost everyone would bite,” Jayden Wedel said. “We mostly pre-fished one day in the west end and then we focused on the east end and Black Tiger Bay.”
They’d find a few then leave them alone, he said. “We hoped on tournament day we’d pull in and catch one or two. Pre-fishing, we were catching them, on the weed edges, and on tournament time some were in the weeds, but we seemed to catch more in the trees in 13 to 14 feet.
“On Day One we went to all our different spots, plucking them out,” he said. They came back with six on the card, including a 23-1/2, a 22, and two 23-inchers. They were in second, with 24.03 pounds. That’s 10 pounds back, a lot to make up.
“Honestly were disappointed with our total. We figured we’d be in mid-pack. We were expecting more in that 30-pound range and after talking to a few guys we were surprised to be in second.
“Day Two was more interesting. We started in the same spot and didn’t catch any. Our second spot in 12 feet of water we had all our five in 25 minutes to an hour. They were all pretty much in the 20 to 21-inch range,” he said. There was a 20-minute lull. He saw a white bass or perch jump out of the water.
“We looked over at the LiveScope and it was a walleye chasing them, and it ended up being a 25-1/2. That was our biggest fish of the day and our tournament. It wasn’t really fishing for us like Devils,” he said.
“The bite was tough. We put 21 pounds on (20.89, so almost, Jayden) and we knew we probably had a top five, and didn’t expect to hold onto second. It ended up working out,” he added.
“Those guys (the winners) were something. He’s a local and an excellent fisherman, and we’re just happy to get second. It feels good. Last year was our first year of fishing AIM and it’s all you could ask for,” he said, looking forward to the 2025 Shootout.
“We haven’t fished much in other states. I’m only 17 (his dad turned 48 this week) and when you get to learn so much, we’ll take it,” he said. Translation: watch out for them at the Shootout.
Here’s the rest of the field qualifying for the 2025 Warrior Boats National Championship Shootout. Finishing in third with 44.74 pounds for $1,500 and $180 in the Side Pot Challenge were Brandon Van Dusen of Minot and Wyatt Wahl of Mandan.
In fourth and earning that Shootout spot plus $1,000 for boating 41.80 pounds were Matt Ristow and Kyle Hertz of Bismarck. The fifth spot went to Ethan Pankow of Minot and Bryce Hall of Burlington. They netted 39.98 pounds and $1,000.
Heads up, Fan Nation. We’re going river walleye hunting with some very talented Mississippi River Rats, and you can still count yourselves in. There are TWO qualifiers coming up. First one is Sunday, Sept. 22, in Dubuque in Pools 11 and 12, then let’s head to Pools 2 and 3 near Hastings and St. Croix Friday, Oct. 4.
That will play out right before the Division Championship, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 5 and 6 in Pools 3 and 4 at Hager City. Go to aimfishing.com to join in the 10th season of the continent’s most affordable, lucrative walleye tournament series. Follow all the fun at AIM’s Facebook page.
You know you want to. You know you can.
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