Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp USA and Warrior Boats LLC.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 13, 2016
Contact: Denny Fox, 920-505-0122
Anglers Insight Marketing LLC (AIM™)
Local boy makes good: Wolden wins at AWWS Warrior Boats/Kovash Marine Open on Minnesota’s Ottertail
As a boy, Tyler Wolden spent his summers and even learned to fish on Minnesota’s walleye-liscious Ottertail Lake. So, winning Sunday’s AIM Weekend Walleye Series Warrior Boats/Kovash Marine Open here by over 3 pounds was practice made perfect.
Wolden, from Wadena, MN, and partner Nate Leininger, of Miltona, MN, put together a double combo to win $6,000 after boating 23.96 pounds on both trolled Berkley Flicker Shads and live bait, and both in the shallows and going deep.
“Our first fish came shallow, in 7 feet of water pulling No. 7 Berkley Flickers,” Wolden said. Then the wind, which was predicted to be an issue, calmed flat. And when the lake goes flat, all good fishermen go deep, which is exactly what Wolden and Leininger did. Their first, on that Flicker, measured 22-1/2, and then the fish went small.
“Around 9 a.m. we began catching smaller fish so we made the choice to go into 26 to 32 feet. We had a combination of deep spots and humps, and we did live bait rigging with red tails, leeches and crawlers, and by 10:30 we basically had the fish we needed to win the tournament,” he said. “We just got into a window where the big fish were eating. It was pretty specific to us from what people were telling me.”
Wolden said that sticking to their plan and knowing the lake since childhood were big boosts to get the win. “We knew we were doing okay but still felt like we had to stick to our spots B, C and D, where we caught the big fish and upgraded. At B, we caught a 25-3/4-incher and a 23-1/2, and C, we got a 23, and at D, we caught a 19-1/2-incher and that filled out our card,” he added. In all, they landed around 20 or 25 on this lake that is full of ‘eyes.
“The fish stayed true for us, and our plan worked exactly the way we wanted. The only real challenge was Saturday night. We had crazy weather come through and a circuit breaker at my house that I had the boat charging on popped, so the boat batteries had hardly any power, so a lot of things had to go right. After the morning, the rest of the day we didn’t need that battery power, so for us, the planets aligned.”
Wolden, who says if his math is right, is now sitting third in Team of the Year standings, said his next stop on the AIM Weekend Walleye Series will be the Minnesota Division Championship, Aug. 26-27, sponsored by Mercury Marine.
“We’ll be at Lake of The Woods for the whole thing. Hopefully we can put up a good showing.”
Brett King of Claremont, MN and Destry Foyte of Eagan Mn took 2nd place with a 20.61# Bag was good for $2,000.00
3rd Place team of Mike Klein of St. Paul MN and Allen Kichler of Elk River MN scored 20.13# for $1,500.00. 4th Place was nailed by Paul Reiland and Brady Mork both from Brandon MN. They carded 16.98#’s good for $1,300.00. Chad and Adam Friederich, father/son team from Breckenridge, MN secured 5th place with 16.94#’s good for $1,200.00
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, Navionics, Powrtran, Power-Pole, Worldwide Marine Insurance, Off Shore Tackle, Team Lodge, Vibrations Tackle, Pro Chattrr, National Fleet Graphics, Gemini Sport Marketing, 4 Bears Casino North Dakota.