Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp USA and Warrior Boats Inc.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 25, 2025
Contact: Denny Fox, 920-505-0122
Anglers Insight Marketing LLC (AIM™)
They don’t call it the Big Mo for nothing. Teams who’ll be dodging submerged logs and rocks to find loads of walleye lining up to spawn during North Dakota’s AIM Weekend Walleye Series Warrior Boats Open Saturday (April 26) say that besides the obstacles, the only issue will be sorting through the numbers of heavy duty “whale-eyes.”
“We’re hearing that there’s a whole new set of gravel bars for both walleye and our teams to choose from near Saturday’s launch area, and the Missouri is overrun with fish,” said Denny Fox, national tournament director. “That means a great chance for the season’s first 50-pound bags. Last April, the winner was just shy of 50, and the way things look we’ve got a good chance, Fan Nation, to pop the top on that one.”
Jason Feldner of Minnewaukan, North Dakota wasn’t quite sure what kind of boat he and partner Gene Merck of Bismarck will be in Saturday. They chipped a lower unit gear on one of the new logs they found where the river had carved out new spots to try. Fishing and finding’s both been good.
“The water level is average, but this winter carved a lot of new spots. The river is totally different,” Feldner said, after three days of pre-fishing near mid-week.
“It’s migrating fish. You find them in one spot one day and the next they could be gone, so you might see some spawning this weekend. Fish spawn and start leaving the system, and there’s new coming up. The farther you go, the colder the water gets and clearer also,” he reported. No big deal, though, he added. Just keep up with the conditions and change presentations.
“I try to find areas where there aren’t as many boats and you just grind it out. The weekends are pretty busy,” he said, and he’s also counting on that famous Dakota prairie wind to blow this weekend. That might help keep the traffic down.
“It seems you get a day when it’s 20 mph and some dead calm. Saturday it’s supposed to start picking up from the southeast, and the further south you go the worse it’s going to be because it widens out so much more,” he said. Feldner’s been fishing here for about 13 years now, and he’s reporting lots of new spots to try.
“There are so many more spots to fish this year. It’s really spreading the boats out which is nice, and the spots seem to be a lot bigger than the last couple years,” he added. He’ll be relying on the river standby: jigs, minnows and plastics.
“Hair jigs seem to work better. These fish are smelt oriented. It should be pretty darned good unless the wind ramps up early. I think you’re going to see the upper 40s and pushing 50 pounds,” he said, reporting he spiked a 28-1/2-incher that went 11 pounds on a scale already. But you’ve got to move.
That wind is supposed to ramp up Saturday to what’s called “breezy” there, from 11 to 21 mph, gusting to 35. Yup, “breezy.”
You’ll see long-time AIM competitors and “Bismarckians” Matt Ristow and Kyle Hertz Saturday in a Mercury 350 Verado-powered boat, with a Garmin Kraken at the bow and a LiveScope among the electronics. Ristow agrees that the fish are moving, coming up from upper Lake Oahe. He’s on the water from now.
“Quite a few fish seem to be getting ready to spawn. The river is at normal level, and the sand bars move around every year,” Ristow said, leaving some areas the same, some different.
“We spent the vast majority of our time so far making new trails and marking all the seams. We’re pretty careful when we go out and take more time than most, and we mark all the trees we find, then we make a trail. There’s an area that I’ll guess we made a trail a couple weeks ago that is starting to sand out, so the sandbars are shifting. It’s probably one of the most challenging places navigation-wise,” he said.
“They (Garrison Dam, upstream) increase the flows and that raises the water level, and the ice moves and cuts the sides of sandbars out and the next thing you know it’s a whole new world,” Ristow explained. And, he said, for that and other reasons, fishing could be challenging Saturday.
“It could be tough. It’s not easy right now. There’s fish to be caught. The big females are moving and there definitely seems to be bite windows. If you get them at the right time, it can happen fast,” he said. “If someone gets on the right pod, 50 pounds would be the number.”
“It’d be nice to have a couple feet more of water for navigation where you don’t have to worry. Running north is pretty treacherous. So you go south and navigation’s not bad. You go north and there are a lot of trees in the water.
“We pitch jigs quite a bit and when conditions call for it, we’ll pull crank baits on planer boards. Depending on water and weather and where the fish are sometimes you have to keep a lure in front of their faces,” Ristow added.
Rufus Hostetler and Daniel Miller, also of Bismarck, are finding very good numbers of fish. They’ll be out now through Friday, and he’s also noticed changes in the river.
“I have noticed that I came to an area and realized it’s changed into a nice little spot that actually produces some decent fish,” Hostetler confirmed.
“Pretty much anywhere you go off sandbars, right off fast current,” Hostetler said. He also likes pitching jigs with plastics and minnows. “We’ve caught a few trolling as well, but mainly what we’ve seen is bigger fish produced by finding them with our Garmin LiveScope and casting to them,” he said. “It’s going to be interesting Saturday. With the wind it might be a little challenging in some areas but the spots we’ve picked out will be okay.
“We’ll see if it holds with what we’ve put together. That will determine the bite. We’ve seen some really nice fish. Someone will come in with a 40-plus bag. Whether it’s us or someone else, who knows. As of today, I don’t think trolling will be it for us. Over the next days, we’ll come up with the final answer for Saturday. We’re excited to get the season started,” Hostetler added. “The excitement is high for us.”
And when you hear that, it’s probably because they’re on fish, and feel they’ve got a shot at the podium. It sounds like Saturday will be big-time walleye fishing, in more ways than one, maybe 50 ways or more, in fact.
And, it’s exciting for AIM, too, especially with this week’s announcement of the new AIM Nxt Tour, coming in 2026. Get a preview at AIM’s Facebook page.
But, back to this season, and the Missouri. Let’s set the basics: After the 7 p.m. Friday online rules and registration meeting, teams will gather at the launch site, Graner Bottoms, also known as Sugar Loaf, 17 miles from Bismarck, starting at 5:30 a.m. Saturday for boat inspection.
Teams get the takeoff nod at 7 a.m. and must report back at the launch by 3 p.m. Good Luck, all teams, and stay safe!
Stay tuned, Fan Nation. AIM is ramping it up for 2025. There’s another double-header Saturday, May 10, when the Rivers Division comes to the Mississippi’s Pools 8 and 9 at Genoa, Wisconsin North Dakota’s second qualifier of the season gets underway the same day on Devils Lake. Minnesota, you’re on for May 18.
Watch for the hawg update this weekend from Winneconne and Bismarck at AIM’s Facebook page. Now it’s up to you to join the show, including the new AIM NXT Tour, on the launch ramp for 2026. Sign up for all divisional qualifiers at aimfishing.com.
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, 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