Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp USA and Warrior Boats Inc.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mar 7, 2025
Contact: Denny Fox, 920-505-0122
Anglers Insight Marketing LLC (AIM™)
Route to the 2025 National Championship Shootout: Rivers and Wisconsin Divisions
The start of the AIM Weekend Walleye Series season is right around the corner and as always, AIM Anglers have one goal in mind: qualifying for the National Championship Shootout. Now is a great time to look back on last season and relive the excitement and drama that led to the field of teams competing in the 2025 Shootout May 30th and 31st on the St. Louis River in Duluth.
Rivers
By definition, competing in the Rivers Division means being comfortable fishing in current – the kind of water teams might encounter on the St. Louis River for the Shootout. But by the end of May, walleye should be migrating out of their St. Louis River haunts downstream toward Lake Superior, it remains to be seen how much of an advantage that experience will be.
Having won both the Rivers Division Championship and Team of the Year (TOY), the team of Joe Newcomb and Kyle Brantner might be the team best positioned to solve that mystery. Newcomb and Brantner won two Rivers Division tournaments in 2024 and finished second in two others so they’re obviously very comfortable on the Mississippi River. Let’s hope that success translates to the St. Louis River.
Nipping at Newcomb and Brantner’s keel all season was the second place TOY team of Joe Okada and Galen Bremmer. Okada and Bremmer were the model of consistency in 2024, finishing in the top 10 of every tournament in the Rivers Division, including a narrow win at the Hastings, Minnesota tournament over, you guessed it, Newcomb and Brantner.
Finishing in second place in the Rivers Division Championship was the father / son team of Dave and Anders Lester. Anders Lester was only 17-years-old in that tournament and for that reason, other teams might be tempted to look past them in the Shootout. But sleep on them at your peril because being an underdog suits the Lesters just fine and their ability to quickly pivot under changing conditions might be just the ticket in Duluth.
Bob and Carter Thill of La Crosse, Wisconsin are also one of the teams headed to the Shootout because of a double qualifying team from the TOY standings and State Championship: further proof that the innovative AIM Weekend Walleye Series scoring system means every fish in every tournament matters.
Yamaha Motor Corp USA T.O.Y. and Rivers Division Champions
Kyle Brantner / Joe Newcomb
Additional Qualifiers
Taylor and Connor Steffens
Joe Okada / Galen Bremmer
Will Shaw / Brett King
Aaron Fortney / Tom Stiner
Chris Staebell / Paul Hebbeln
Mike Jr. and Mike Schommer
Carter and Bob Thill
Dan McGuire / Lucas Kersten
Anders and Dave Lester
Wisconsin
Wisconsin AIM Weekend Walleye Series anglers are looking forward to taking their skills north to Duluth for the 2025 Shootout. Given some of the talent in this bunch, they have plenty of reasons for optimism.
At the top of the TOY standings was the team of Brett Walser of Fond du Lac, and Vince Moldenhauer of Onalaska. Walser and Moldenhauer also finished fourth in the State Championship, double qualifying and opening the door for the sixth place TOY finishers Slawomir Wiater and Tomasz Gorgon.
Walser and Moldenhauer finished in the top 10 in four of the five tournaments they fished in 2024, including a win at the Wolf River Chain of Lakes in Winneconne.
Proving that it’s not how you start but how you finish, the team of Tristan Beckwith and Isaac Lakich won two of their last three tournaments, including an easy victory in the State Championship where they won by more than 20 pounds over their closest competitor, and finished second in the other to come in second in the TOY standings. Their double-qualification enabled the 7th place TOY finishers Randy Fifrick, Brandon Beggs and Clark Valukas to make the Shootout.
You’re only a rookie once on the AIM Weekend Walleye Series and by now, the Wisconsin State Championship runner up team of Trevor Parsons and Dylan Schmidt are fishing like seasoned veterans and will be a formidable competitor in the Shootout.
With a good mix of rookies and experienced anglers headed north for the Shootout, don’t be surprised if a Wisconsin team steals home-field advantage from their Minnesota hosts.
Yamaha Motor Corp USA T.O.Y.
Brett Walser and Vince Moldenhauer
Wisconsin State Champions
Tristan Beckwith and Isaac Lakich
Additional Qualifiers
Mark Maas and Cade Fredrick
Slawomir Wiater and Tomasz Gorgon
Trevor Parsons and Dylan Schmidt
Trent and Scott Papesh
Randy Fifrick / Brandon Beggs / Clark Valukas
Dylan Peotter and Anthony Englebert
Steve Wagner and Hunter Seelow
Jason Wanty and David Parker
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