Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp USA and Warrior Boats Inc.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 30, 2025

Contact: Denny Fox, 920-505-0122

Anglers Insight Marketing LLC (AIM™)

Jason Feldner and Gene Merck went wild on the walleye to take the first AIM Weekend Walleye Series Warrior Boats Mild 2 Wild Open qualifier of the season Saturday (April 26), using jigs to win $3,000 and take the lead in the North Dakota Division Yamaha Motor Corp. USA Team Of The Year standings.

“The Missouri’s big spawners came through this time of year and despite that NoDak wind kicking up the water with up to 40 mph, it gave it up for Feldner and Merck. Jason came out of retirement to win with 43.56 pounds, 3.63 pounds over second,” said Denny Fox, national tournament director. “That brought them $2,500 plus $500 for first place in the AIM Side Pot Challenge. Let’s see how the overall division leaders did it.”

Feldner, of Minnewaukan, North Dakota, and Merck of Bismarck, carved a trail through the tree fields and went upstream to land their five within sight of downtown Bismarck. When we found them during pre-fishing, Feldner had dinged a lower unit on one of those trees, so he also took a tiller boat out of retirement, powered up its Mercury 150 four-stroke, turned on the Garmin among the electronics and side-scanned their way to the win.

“We fished basically in downtown. There were a lot of males south, but when you got upstream there were fewer fish, but when you did find them, they were big,” said Feldner, who guides full-time on Devils Lake, site of the next qualifier May 10, and on Lake Sakakawea. It took about 35 minutes to travel the 17 or so miles upstream, with the biggest issue being finding a safe way to get there. “We keyed in on current seams and watching the side scan and knowing that the big fish were there. We used Lindy Max Gap jigs. It’s got a little wider gap so I could take the hook, thread it through the mouth up the gill and the belly to get the hook a lot further back” he said. Why? Because during pre-fish when they’d rig a jig into a lip, they were feeding fish, not catching.

”They were grabbing it and we were coming up with just the head left. You get a lot better hookset into them,” he said, starting with the first cast, a 26-1/2-incher, their smallest carded fish. Their biggest, a 29-3/4, came around 1 p.m. on that same ¼-ounce Firetiger and white jig.

Meanwhile, the wind was picking up, gusting to 40 mph as they headed back downstream through the stump fields.

“It was rougher than heck. We took our time, hit one more spot and didn’t get anything there. There was another boat on the sweet spot, and they ended up getting a 26 and a 29 while we were sitting there. We gave them room,” he said, not knowing they were watching Jacob Miller of Bismarck and Jordan Binstock of Beulah secure their second-place weight of 39.94 pounds, enough for $1,200, plus $300 for second in the Side Pot Challenge and another $500 for the highest finishing team running a Garmin Kraken trolling motor. As Miller and Binstock connected, Feldner and Merck were wondering if they were watching the winners.

“We didn’t add up what we had on our score card, so it was a little unnerving while we were sitting there. You wonder what else they had,” Feldner said, before they continued downstream into tight four-foot rollers coming straight against the current. Feldner had won other tourneys before, so Fox teased him about how it felt to come out of retirement to snag the win. “I’m a full-time fishing guide but these early ones, it’s easier to get away. We’re going to the May 10 Devils Lake event and the championship (Sept. 13) on Sakakawea,” he said, and since he guides on both, watch out.

For second-place finishers Miller and Binstock, who did their damage using LiveScope in a 200 Yamaha-powered boat after maneuvering upstream and casting live bait and plastics, a jig and minnow got them to second place. “We didn’t put any pre-fishing into this other than after work and making trails,” Miller said. “I have a pretty good history with the river and knowing the timing of these spots and the travel of these fish. We use the Garmin LiveScope to locate the right sized fish and focused on them because they’re not easy to catch.

“Wednesday evening we were making a trail and did see some decent fish in a spot and caught a 25 and figured it was worth stopping at. We got back there around 1:30 Saturday. We had a full card but knew we needed more,” he said. “As we pulled in, Feldner and Gene-o pulled in and watched us get a 27, and we were kinda protecting the fish and casting into the wind. Once they left, we repositioned our baits again and literally pulled over and got the 29-1/2, and as we caught that, my partner said ‘we gotta go.’ We had two from the take-off to noon and I think we put a 17-incher on at noon and stopped at a spot to fill the card,” he said, then went looking for winners.

“It was a perfect example. We caught the last two and my partner said it was time, and we netted that 29, and he said this is why no matter how your day is going, you never, ever give up. I think we left at about 2:30. it was blowing 40 to 50 mph and a south wind makes for some really nasty navigation and we had a lot of logs to drive through and the waves hid the logs.” You may not see Miller and Binstock at Devils Lake, but there’s a good chance you will when AIM visits Sakakawea.

The rest of the top five were, in third, winning $900 with 38.89 pounds, Dylan Martell and Thomas Leintz, both of Hazen. Rufus Hostetler and Daniel Miller of Bismarck nabbed fourth and $400, plus $200 more in Side Pot Challenge cash. Fifth and $350 went to Kaid Hertz of Bismarck and Beau Hillius of Mandan. They landed 36.49 pounds.

North Dakota you’re still up on Saturday, May 10 when AIM heads to Devils Lake, which is currently behaving itself, depth-wise. That’s in addition to when the Rivers Division splashes on the Mississippi’s Pools 8 and 9 at Genoa, Wisconsin. Watch for all the news at AIM’s Facebook page, and sign up for all divisional qualifiers 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, 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