For Immediate Release,June 22, 2015
Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp. USA and Warrior Boats:
It’s Time to play At AIM’s ‘Nitro Boats Open’ on the Wisconsin’ River Impoundment “Petenwell Flowage”
It may be more like a game of dodge ball than a fishing tournament to those not familiar with Petenwell Flowage on the Wisconsin River, site of the next AIM Weekend Walleye Series Wisconsin Division qualifier.
But as AIM National tournament Director Denny Fox says, “that’s what makes fishing here exciting.”
Why? It’s known not only as a great walleye producer, but also for stump fields that have a hearty appetite for props, motor lower units and crankbaits but not necessarily in that order, however, if you know how and where to fish it the fishing is good.
Also known as the Pete, everyone who’s ever fished this body of water says that this may be one of the trickiest tournaments in the division, and that knowledge of this 23,000-acre lake will be the key to a win here, especially when trying to avoid that “immoveable object versus unstoppable force” scenario. As in, tree stumps lying just under the surface like mines waiting to snag boats, motors and baits. That word’s coming from three veterans of the lake.
Chad Wiskow of Neenah predicts it’ll be won trolling crankbaits through the stumps or the lake’s former Wisconsin River channel, which has had lots of recent rain.
“You’ll be seeing a lot of crankbait donations here, I guarantee it,” Wiskow advised. “There is a main channel through the fields and when it says four feet, there’s four feet of water with stumps in it. Once you get down toward the southern end, most are under water. There are some good deep areas too, but I usually figure that from pre-fishing to the time the tournament is over, it’s usually between a $60 and $100 bill for cranks depending on what you’re using.” Two of the most popular lures for locals are Shad Raps and Wally Divers, he added.
Terry Mayhall from Waukesha, WI agrees, adding that a great navigation chip from Navionics will help you stay out of trouble and in the fish.
“I’ve fished it about 20 times so I’m familiar with the water but you definitely need a good chip. As long as you stay in that channel, you’re fine, but with the way the weather has been with all the rain dumping into that flowage, it’ll be even trickier. The water has been dirty with a lot of floating debris so crankbaits may be tough. There are stumps everywhere and I anticipate you’ll see quite a few teams jigging and more in the north end because of the dirty water,” Mayhall said.
I’m figuring about a 25-pound card would be my guess to win,” he said, with so many fish from 20 to 28 inches on this slot-limit lake. But, with AIM’s Catch-Record-Release™ format, that slot won’t be an issue, agreed Jim Preissner.
“The nice thing about an AIM tournament is you don’t have to worry about slots. That’s why I love fishing these because you can just take a photo and catch as many big fish as you want,” Preissner said. “I would love to see more circuits go to this. It takes about a minute to take that picture and release that fish.”
But, his mind returned to those stumps. “This lake has got stumps and some other hazardous areas that you have to really know about. I’ve got another tournament there also on Friday and Saturday, so I should have a pretty good handle on it for the AIM tournament.
“I was there about a week ago so I kinda know how to navigate it,” he added. “Kinda,” being the operative word here on a lake where water depths and clarity can, and have, changed due to a wet spring.
Anglers will be leaving at 7 a.m. from Petenwell County Park, about midway up the lake’s east side, and will return at 3 p.m. The awards presentation will take place at the county park at 5pm. You have until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, June 24, to enter. Go to www.aimfishing.com and register today!
Contact: Denny Fox, AIM National Tournament Director, 920-505-0122; info@wordpress-1142496-4082033.cloudwaysapps.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.
AIM Supporting Sponsors: Mercury Marine, Nitro Boats, Starcraft Marine, Amsoil, Navionics, Powrtran, Power Pole, Worldwide Marine Insurance, Off Shore Tackle, Team Lodge, National Fleet Graphics, Gemini Sport Marketing, The City of Oconto, Eagle Bay Marina and Eagles Landing Casino, Montevideo MN Chamber of Commerce, Randall’s Milan Beach Resort