Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp USA and Warrior Boats Inc.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 16, 2025
Contact: Denny Fox, 920-505-0122
Anglers Insight Marketing LLC (AIM™)
Big things sometimes come in small packages. At least for the team of Zach Govert and Tyler Thostenson who kicked off the AIM Weekend Walleye Series Rivers Division season with a bang by besting 28 other teams and winning last Saturday’s Rivers Division opener on pools 10 and 11 of the Mississippi.
“Welcome back Fan Nation to another AIM season, especially to those new to the Rivers Division this year. This one was very tight – only two pounds separated first and fifth place. What a fantastic way to start the season.” said Denny Fox, AIM National Tournament Director.
Mother Nature cooperated by providing great weather which had everyone expecting big, maybe even record-breaking, catches in the days leading up to the tournament. But the river’s big walleye must have missed the memo because the catches didn’t come close to meeting those lofty expectations.
Mother Nature also doesn’t control barge traffic on the Mississippi so when a downbound barge coincided with the tournament’s start, teams planning to lock through to pool 10 had a decision to make. Wait out the barge and lose precious fishing time or change strategies and stay in pool 11. About half of the 29-team field rolled the dice and waited patiently for their chance to lock through, killing time casting jigs below the dam in Gutenberg before finally getting the green light. In the end, despite losing three hours of fishing time, their patience was rewarded as the top finishers all fished the same pool 10 area near Prairie du Chien using very similar approaches.
The upstart team of Govert and Thostenson won with 13.62 pounds which earned them $3000 plus an additional $1,100 in Side Pot Challenge Cash. More importantly, they earned valuable Team of the Year points and are off and running in their pursuit of a spot in next year’s National Championship Shootout. “We knew deep down we could probably do it… when there was a tough bite, we were able to grind out five fish”, said Govert.
Govert and Thostenson aren’t just new to the AIM Rivers Division, they’re new to tournament fishing. It’s a testament to their angling ability that they were able to win in only the second tournament they fished. (The first was last year’s AIM Rivers Division tournament in Genoa, WI where they finished 10th.)
They may be new to tournament fishing, but they bring with them some old-school river fishing techniques – specifically handlining, which turned out to be the difference maker in the tournament.
“Handlining was ideal for slow trolling our orange, jointed floating J7 Rapalas”, said Govert, adding “We tried three-way rigs but kept getting ‘drive bys’ – fish that would hook up for a second and then not be there. Handlining enabled us to feel those light hitting fish”.
The high, debris-filled water pouring out of the Wisconsin River made it an easy decision for them to wait out the barge and lock through to pool 10, but the lower-than-expected weights caught them a bit by surprise. “We did really good on Dubuque rigs near Lynxville the week before but that didn’t work on tournament day, so we went downstream and started handlining”, said Govert, adding “We caught our fifth fish around 1:00pm and spent the next 30 minutes casting jigs and plastics to a few places we’d marked the day before, but when that didn’t pan out, we decided to lock back through.”
Second place finishers Jordan Fluekiger and Maddy Berg also waited out the barge before arriving at the same pool 10 location as Govert and Thostenson. “There was actually another barge coming upriver, but thankfully the lock operator decided to let some pleasure boats through first”, said Fluekiger, a full-time guide on pools 4, 5, and 6 who prior to this tournament had never fished pools 10 or 11 but in his first full season with the AIM Rivers Division, is off to a great start.
That was the right call as Fluekiger and Berg’s second place finish of 12.79 pounds landed them $2000, an additional $660 in Side Pot Challenge Cash, and valuable Team of the Year points.
They started out casting jigs and plastics but after a couple hours, hadn’t caught a single fish. “We went to our plan B, pulling stick baits, and caught four fish on our first pass, two more on our second pass, and then we were out of time”, said Fluekiger.
Fluekiger acknowledged the tough bite and theorized that the fish were in mid-spawn, a theory supported by the veteran team of Jeremy Geisler and Mike Goltz th third-placing team. “I think they were actively spawning and that kind of shut them down”, said Geisler. Geisler and Goltz did get one big prespawn female to bite – a fish that almost certainly would have improved their 12.68-pound weight – but unfortunately it got off when the line got tangled in the kicker motor, so they had to settle for third place, netting them $1000 and of course those valuable Team of the Year points.
Geisler and Goltz have fished together in the AIM Rivers Division since it’s inception and when it came time to prepare for this tournament, their strategy was clear. “I have a cabin up on pool 10. From where we fished, I could see the cabin all day long”, said Geisler. So, barge-induced delay or not, there was never any thought given to changing plans.
Geisler’s familiarity with the area, especially the opening and closing schedule for the gates on the Guttenberg dam, helped confirm that decision. “The rollers were still running wide open, but I heard they were going to drop them at some point during the day which would change the current seams and fish location”, said Geisler.
Proof that they made the right decision was provided on their first trolling pass. “We didn’t get to our spot until 9:30am but we had our five on the card by 11:00am”, said Geisler.
Unlike Fluekiger and Berg, they started pulling stickbaits – orange and gold floating Rapala’s – from the start and never changed. Speed proved to be a critical factor. “The slower you went, the better your chances – between .2 and .4 mph was the best”, said Geisler.
Rounding out the top five were the team of Chris Staebell and Paul Hebbeln who finished fourth with 11.86 pounds, good for $900, plus third place Side Pot Challenge Cash winnings of $440, and the team of Dwayne Smith Jr and Tom Stiner whose 11.60 pounds was good for fifth place and $700. Smith Jr and Stiner also took home an additional $500 in Garmin Tournament Rewards for their exclusive use of Garmin electronics. The team of Brett King and Will Shaw also took home $500 of Garmin Tournament Rewards cash for the highest finishing team (10th place) using a Garmin Force Trolling Motor.
Next up, follow the AIM Rivers Division to Genoa, WI as they move upstream to pools 8 and 9 on May 10th. Also, be sure to catch the North Dakota opener in Bismark on Saturday, April 26.
Follow all the action on AIM’s Facebook page. And for those looking to get in on the fun, visit aimfishing.com and sign up for the Rivers Division or one of the other three divisions.
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