For Immediate Release, May 6, 2015 Year
Trolling Crankbaits Ruled at the AIM Weekend Walleye Series ‘Starcraft Marine Open’ in Port Clinton
Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp. USA and Warrior Boats:
If it weren’t for one Michigan angler, it would have been an all-Ohio win at the AIM Weekend Walleye Series “Starcraft Marine Open” walleye tournament in the Great Lakes Division out of Port Clinton, Ohio May 3rd 2015.
Leading the way was the team of Ali Shakoor of Dearborn Heights, Michigan and Brian Zarembski from Avon Lake, Ohio with a converted weight of 54.49 pounds. For their efforts they will receive a check for $2,000.
“We mainly pulled Reef Runner crankbaits all day,” Shakoor said. Bare Naked, Pink Squirrel and Purple Demon were the three main colors the winners were trolling.
“We pretty much had the water column covered,” Zarembski said. “We were trolling from 10 to 30 feet of water”. Our lead lengths were staggered from 30 to 160 feet back,” Shakoor added, “We were trolling between 1.7 and 1.9 mph and we attached offshore planer boards to spread our offerings away from the boat”.
Both anglers said conditions were great with calm water, south winds and water temperatures from 54 to 58 degrees.
“I want to take a moment to thank AIM for holding this tournament, all the sponsors and the people of Port Clinton for having us here,” Shakoor said.
Second place went to Josh Pugh of Barberton, Ohio and Tyler Berthold from Columbia Station, Ohio with a converted weight of 49.16 pounds, earning them $1,200.
The team began the day using a variety of crank baits.
“We caught two fish right away on a Smithwick Perfect-10 Lemon-Lime Crush,” Berthold said. When action slowed, the pair began making changes to their fishing tactics.
“We changed to crawler harnesses run at 14-foot depths using OffShore Tackle Tadpole diving weights behind OffShore planer boards,” Pugh said. The Tadpole is an innovative inline weight, used with crawler harnesses, that digs like a crank bait. Because of this it gives the crawler harness a different angle or look to the fish not achieved by normal inline weights. When a fish hits the harness the Tadpole easily releases and no longer digs down, thus giving the fisherman straight line control over the fish. There were other teams that said they also used the tadpoles with great success.
At 30 feet back and trolling 1.4 mph, the pair were getting fish on chartreuse beads with Colorado blades.
Rounding out the standings were Chad Schilling of Baltic, Ohio and Joe Boewe from North Olmstead, Ohio with 48.25 pounds for third place and $900.00.
Fourth place went to Jason Kopf of Avon Lake, Ohio and Roger Riggs from Cleveland, Ohio with a catch of 48.09 pounds. They received $650.00
The winners of the event fished from a Warrior Boat powered by a Yamaha Motor. In the 3 divisions of AIM there have been three tournaments so far in the 2015 season. The 1st event on the Detroit River was won by a Starcraft Boat and Mercury Outboard package. The 2nd event on the Wolf River Chain of Lakes in WI was won by a Nitro Boat powered by a Mercury Motor. This event out of Port Clinton, OH on Lake Erie sealed a tri-fecta by being won with a Warrior Boat powered by Yamaha motors. All 3 of the winners were using boat and motor packages from companies that are major sponsors of the AIM Weekend Walleye Series for 2015. Take a look at what the winners are driving at your local dealer and tell them AIM sent you.
The next event for the Great Lakes Division will be June 7th 2015 on Saginaw Bay out of Linwood Beach Marina. The Great lakes Division Championship will be hosted by Eagle Bay Marina and Eagles Landing Casino on Saginaw Bay near Standish, MI on August 14th and 15th. Go to www.aimfishing.com for more info.
Contact: Denny Fox, AIM National Tournament Director, 920-505-0122; mailto: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.