Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp USA and Warrior Boats Inc.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 1st, 2024
Contact: Denny Fox, 920-505-0122
Anglers Insight Marketing LLC (AIM™)
The Hopes Of A Season Are In The Boats At AIM Wisconsin Division Championship On Winnebago Friday, Saturday
We’re at the end of the season in Wisconsin, and for competitors it all comes to a head on Lake Winnebago Friday morning, the culmination of all those hopes and dreams, as teams vie for not only winning the AIM Weekend Walleye Series Garmin Wisconsin State Championship, but Yamaha Motor Corp. USA Team Of The Year as well Friday and Saturday, Aug. 2-3.
“Fan Nation, here it comes, the start of Championship Season, and it’s all on the line on ‘bago in Wisconsin,” said Denny Fox, AIM national tournament director. “The lake is fishing great, and the upper lakes where AIM Wisconsin tussled way back in April could see some bags, too. There are 10 spots at stake in the 2025 Warrior Boats National Championship Shootout, and we’re chompin’ at the bit to get this thing started just like we were in April, to see who fills them. The points race is tight, and these two days will tell the tale.”
Trevor Krueger of Omro, partnered with Wesly Robl of Oshkosh, thinks he’s found them. Now if those gravel beasties will only stay put, and he hopes they will. That will raise their standings in Team Of The Year, not to mention that shot at winning this in their Mercury 250 Pro XS-powered and Garmin LiveScope-equipped boat. It would top a year that hasn’t been kind.
“There hasn’t been one tournament so far where we didn’t have boat problems,” Krueger said. “Winnebago is our home body, so it’ll be a good one to get some redemption on. I think we’re in 48th place so we’re hoping to get a top five finish so we can make it” into the ’25 Shootout. He worked all last weekend to take the rest of the pre-fish period off and get on the water.
“The fish are doing really well. My partner went out yesterday (Monday) and he got some decent fish and also ID’d a handful of spots. We’re big jig fishermen and right now the jig bite seems to be pretty good,” Krueger added expectantly.
“We normally throw 1/8-ounce jigs with crawlers. That’s our bread and butter. We use forward facing sonar but it’s really tough on ‘bago. We’ll use Shiver Minnows and Rippin’ Raps but for the most part I can see us throwing jigs,” he said.
“There’s a lot of water to look over with three different bodies, the two upper lakes (near Winneconne) and the main lake so we’re spreading out and grabbing friends who can hop in the boat with us. We should have a pretty decent idea of where the fish are set up,” he continued.
“We’ve heard of a couple good anglers we know who’ve been in the upper lakes and getting into some good fish, so that will make it really interesting. It’s an hour drive up to get up there on the water. We’ll go up and pre-fish and eliminate,” he said, noting that it’s always a gamble to make that run and if you find out there’s nothing, you’ve just wasted a good chunk of the eight-hour fishing day.
“Whereas, on the big lake there are a lot more alternatives. We’re really confident. We started out the season a little rough,” but at a recent 250-boat tournament on ‘bago, they won.
“Coming off that it’s a good feeling to keep that momentum going and we’re going into this one with high hopes,” he said.
Trent Papesh of Little Chute and father Scott of Appleton are also sporting Garmin in their electronics, in a boat pushed by a 150 Yamaha, meaning they’re eligible for Yamaha Power Pay cash. So far, however, they’ve been catching small fish, not the winners they want to find pre-fishing up to Thursday.
“We’ve found a lot of little ones. We’ve had a couple good bites but very far and few between,” Trent said, and they’ve been everywhere so far, including those upper ponds.
“I like jigs, too, with crawlers for the most part, but some plastics,” he said. But he and his father are still on the hunt. “It’s the ‘bago system so you have to run down spots and see what happens, really.” But, he may have to forego his favorite way.
“Unfortunately, we may be trolling. I like casting. We’ll be hitting the mud,” he added, at least for pre-fishing, and Winnebago’s summer algae bloom? Bring it on.
“For me, the greener the better. It seems that’s when the big bite turns on. Maybe the water’s darker, I don’t know,” he said. He’s also liking those bridge supports on Interstate 41 upstream from Oshkosh, where so many tournaments have been won.
Where will Dawson Bastian of Campbellsport and partner Bo Conner of Little Chute be in their Mercury 300 Verado-powered boat? Probably not the upper lakes. More likely, ‘bago’s north half, at least so far.
“I don’t think it’s necessary to try the upper lakes, because I know how they get when it’s warm, and Winnebago holds the winning fish if you can find them,” Bastian said. And he also thinks he’s found them there.
“They’re there. The numbers were incredible for both days for being Lake Winnebago” when he was out over the weekend. “Normally you can get pretty good numbers but only being out three hours Saturday and six Sunday we put pretty close to 80 or 90 in the boat. Only 12 or 15 were the right size,” Bastian added. But, Dawson, you’ll only need five of the “right size” each day to score. That’s the beauty of AIM’s now-often-copied Catch-Record-ReleaseÔ scoring system.
“There was a lot of the right kind. It’s a matter of finding where they’re holding. If they stay there and don’t move too far, I’m pretty sure I can replicate what I did on Sunday,” he said. And that will help them move into contention for a Shootout berth through TOY points as well.
“We’re currently in seventh and it’s very tight. We’ve got I believe 514.33 points and two places ahead are at 515.6. We can jump into third if we do well. It’s a very close race,” he said. They’re also loading up with jigs, bobbers and leeches and crawlers.
“That’s exactly our plan. I have full faith in bobbers. I like’em, with probably a mix of leeches and crawlers. I prefer leeches in the wind because they move a lot more,” he added. “I think the northern half of Winnebago holds the majority of the big fish.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s going to take 22 to 24 pounds both days to win. We’ve got storms predicted Wednesday and Thursday which is a good thing. Friday we’ve got rain which I don’t mind fishing in because it keeps the pleasure boaters off. Saturday looks warm and I don’t think the fish will be moving too much on us,” Bastian said confidently.
We’ll see which of the teams will have it figured out after this two-day-er on Saturday afternoon, and whether one of these teams will figure into it all.
The Wisconsin State Championship gets underway after the rules and registration online meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday. On Friday morning, boats arrive for inspections starting at 5:30 a.m. at Menominee Park in Oshkosh. On both Friday and Saturday, the first wave gets the “go” from Denny Fox at 7 a.m., and the second 15 minutes later. Boats must be back both days starting at 3 p.m. Awards will take place in Menominee Park Saturday afternoon.
Teams, review the boundaries. Good luck, all!
Next up, North Dakota on Lake Sakakawea at Parshall Bay Rec Area August 11th. Then it is on to Minnesota’s championship that takes place Aug. 23-24 out of Wigwam Resort on huge Lake of the Woods. North Dakota’s championship is scheduled for Devils Lake September 6th and 7th, but we’re not done with the qualifiers yet. The Mississippi River awaits for the Rivers Division Sept. 22 in Dubuque.
Hey, you AIM wannabees out there. No one has ever won an AIM event sitting home. Get in on the most affordable, lucrative fishing tournament around, now in its 11th season, and get ready to sign up for 2025. Just go to aimfishing.com. Follow all the fun at AIM’s Facebook page.
You know you want to. You know you can.
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, Power Pole, Worldwide Marine Insurance, Off Shore Tackle, Gemini Sport Marketing, JT Outdoors Products, McQuoids Inn, Rosemore Outdoor Gear, Outdoor Authority fish house rentals, Adventure Recreational Finance, Oconto County WI., Forever Barnwood