Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp USA and Warrior Boats Inc.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 31, 2021
Contact: Denny Fox, 920-505-0122
Anglers Insight Marketing LLC (AIM™)
In The Hunt Again: Peotter, Englebert Launch 2021 AWWS With A $11,000 Win On The Fox River At Green Bay
You’ve read the names Dylan Peotter and Anthony Englebert here before, because they know what they’re doing when it comes to figuring out walleye at Green Bay, and they proved it again, winning the first Wisconsin qualifier of the season Sunday (March 28), the AIM Weekend Walleye Series Garmin Open, by a fin spine over two-thirds of a pound. And yup, you read that check right: 11K.
“Dylan and Anthony went big and they brought it home the same way, putting that 100-boat field behind them,” said Denny Fox, AIM national tournament director. “That $11,000 payday includes a rich $2,000 side pot, along with $9,000 from AIM. It was a mite nippy out there as predicted, but with 11Gs, they sure feel warm now! Here’s how they did it.”
Peotter, from Kaukauna, upstream on the Fox from Green Bay, and Englebert, also from upstream at Little Chute, a town as cute as its name implies, won with 34.11 pounds on the boat, rippin’ lips with No. 7 Rippin’ Raps near the De Pere dam, at a spot their partner team had found, and graciously gave up since Peotter and Englebert were Boat No. 1 to leave, and their teammates were 84th.
Peotter and Englebert, who run among other electronics, Garmin’s Panoptix LiveScope system, had their bow pointed to the lower Bay of Green Bay, where during pre-fishing, they’d found a number of big fish, including one day prior when they boated six over 26 inches.
“Then we started watching the weather, and that ruined that plan,” Peotter said, speaking of the cold and snow that moved in between Saturday and Sunday. They fished the river Saturday, and that’s when their partners found the spot. They ended up catching only five fish Sunday, but they were the right ones.
“We moved very little and left the dam around 1:30 p.m., hoping to get some in a couple of big fish spots, but didn’t get anything else, but it turned out we didn’t need anything,” Peotter continued.
Timing, he said, was important. From launching, to running upriver to get to “that” spot before the wind kicked up and changed things considerably. But, they went with it, casting into the wind and pulling the Raps back in the current slowly toward them.
“We were on a rock and sand transition. Anthony was on rock and I had sand on my side. It was only eight minutes, and we had our first, a 27-1/2, then a few minutes later, a 27-1/4, then a 23, and when we were letting our 23 go, our teammate arrived at 7:45. We picked up two more no later than 8:30, and we actually just ground out the rest of the day,” he said.
“I always seem to catch one or two fish but always the biggest, and Anthony catches the numbers,” he said. But that didn’t hold Sunday. Anthony caught four of their five. “There were three that absolutely demolished Anthony’s lure. One had that No. 7 completely inhaled. The fish’s mouth was closed, and you couldn’t see the bait. Both of the big females didn’t smoke the bait, but they got it,” he added. “We like to run and gun normally, but this time we tried to play it safe and it worked out for us. We got lucky on that.”
The pair are already looking forward to the AIM Warrior Boats National Championship Shootout coming up in about three very short months on Wisconsin’s Petenwell Flowage June 4-5, to potentially add to their plaque wall. They’ve already got one reading AIM Team Of The Year in 2019, and this one, the first qualifier win of their careers. They’re also looking forward to the next Wisconsin event April 25 in Winneconne. “We do pretty decent there,” he said
Finishing in second after giving a prediction of the event was the team of Matt Bootz of Wausau, Wisconsin, and partner Sam May of Crandon. They left with $3,500 for scoring 33.47 pounds-o-‘eyes, all of which are back in the water producing more fish for the Bay of Green Bay, thanks to AIM’s Catch-Record-Release™ format. Did his predictions in the preview story hold true about those known spots to find fish?
“What’s kinda funny is, we changed tactics all three days. We fished a tournament Saturday, so we knew the program, but between Saturday and Sunday it changed a lot,” Bootz said.
Yeah, like that crazy cold front, wind and snow a lot. While the water temp at least at the surface was steady, the bite changed. Those channel edges he’d predicted may hold the key and did Saturday, weren’t so much Sunday.
So, like the winners, they too went close to the dam at De Pere, and used jigs. Which ones? Bootz said they were by the well-known maker Nunya-bidness, and the style? The most productive was “I’drathernotsay.” The stickbaits they also used were by the same maker, and named “Ican’ttellyathateither.” Real names later. Maybe. But they got the pair to within oh-so-close of first, but in the top tier for the early Yamaha Team Of The Year contention.
“We started jigging in the morning and got most of our fish in a small feeding window between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. All our fish were between 24 and 26 inches. We never got a big kicker fish. We started farther way, then moved up. We had two spots that the majority of our time we spent at. We were catching fish all day, but the bigger ones were fairly steady.
Using their Garmin Panoptix system, he said, helped them pinpoint where to go, and eliminate water. “It’s kinda cool if we’re trolling and what’s neat is you can see the fish and tell in the water column where they are, and then adapt.
It was a little hard to know you lost by a half-pound (actually about 2/3), but we know the guys who took first and we’re happy for’em,” Bootz said. Bootz said they’re locked and loaded for Winneconne on April 25.
Rounding out the top five spots were Craig Suda of Green Bay and Phil Ralf of Rhinelander, earning $2,800 with 29.85 pounds. Fourth and $1,400 went to Jason and Russell Mathe of Oshkosh, taking $1,400 and 28.36 pounds. In fifth, earning $1,300 for 27.54 pounds were Brodie Berriochoa and Dean Smith of Columbus, Wisconsin.
Second place of $1,200 in the side pot scramble went to the sixth place team of Joe Mans of Peshtigo and Scott Hausauer. Algoma, and third place of $800 went to 13th place team of Andy “Woodeye” Woods and Jay Stelmach, both of Winneconne.
Okay, Wisconsin, you’ve got a while to reconnoiter the what and where of the Berkley Open Wolf/Fox/Winneconne/Winnebago system before you get boats wet. NoDak, that’s also your time to shake the snow off and get moving. You’re set for your first qualifier the same day, with the Warrior Boats Open on the Missouri River at Bismarck, which yielded yet another state record recently. All of 16.39 pounds. You’re not gonna let that stand, are you? Didn’t think so. Go for it!
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