Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp USA and Warrior Boats Inc.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  May 11, 2023

Contact: Denny Fox, 920-505-0122

Anglers Insight Marketing LLC (AIM™)

 

Will Weather Be A Factor Again At Next AWWS

Qualifier On Bay Of Green Bay At Oconto Sunday?

 

Wisconsin Division AIM Weekend Walleye Series Navionics Open anglers, we can sympathize if you’re getting frustrated with how the weather has played the trump card so far this season, and that hand could be dealt again as teams head to the Bay of Green Bay at Oconto for the  third state qualifier Sunday, May 14.

“Our teams became icebreakers on the Fox River barely a month ago. They got pelted with rain at Winneconne, and the way the weather looks at Oconto on our Windfinder app, it may be breezy and wet again, but these teams are ready, the bay is ready to produce, and we’re ready for some fun, too, Fan Nation,” said Denny Fox, AIM national tournament director.

We asked two team members from Wisconsin who, after this one is in the books, will be prepping for AIM’s National Championship Shootout on the Rock River at Fort Atkinson, what they expect to happen Sunday.

Russ Ory from Fremont figures trolling cranks is the ticket to the podium, but jigging may do it, too. He and partner Marcel Cardinal, also from Fremont, will be under Mercury 350 Verado power, and he’s wary about what the weather will do Sunday.

“Sunday’s weather I believe it’ll be a little tougher that day, but the bite should turn on, so the fish will be on the chew up to Sunday, so it won’t affect all of the bay,” Ory said. Or at least that’s the plan at midweek. “It’ll bring cooler water into the bay, but it will still push the warm water into some areas, so there will be places where you’re going to get fish.

“It’s going to slow the shallow areas down, but there are so many tactics you can use. There’s a lot better bite I know in the southern end of Green Bay,” he said. He was testing the water to the north Sunday after big fish, but he found cooler water, and for now at least that means fewer fish.

“It’s been a little challenging. I know the Sturgeon Bay area (off the Door Peninsula) is doing well, and everything south. Now to find the big fish,” he said. Based on his trip into Michigan waters, he’s thinking that isn’t the place to be this time.

“I don’t believe so on this one. I didn’t find the sizes I wanted. I usually do, but the water’s a lot cooler so you’re looking for fewer bites up there. But, if you’re in the right spot….” he said. “If I were going to put my finger on it, it would be anywhere near Sturgeon Bay where some of the bigger weights will come from. But the weather front’s going to be different between Saturday to Sunday.  So I’ve got a lot of homework to do.” So do all the others entered, Russ.

Ory won’t be back on the water until Friday morning. “They’re getting them on crankbaits trolling but I think some will get on them and jig them up, and maybe a lot of hair jig bites in Door County. We usually do pretty good there, but,” he said, he didn’t want to jinx it.

“I do know someone will have weights in the upper 40s,” he said.

Terry Mayhall of Waukesha, one half of Team Mayhall (Jarod Mayhall is from Milwaukee), also has the weather on his radar. They’ll be in a Merc 200 Pro XS-powered boat, with Garmin Livescope among the electronics mix.

“What I’ve been looking at looks like on Sunday, we might have pretty heavy seas and that might change the whole game plan,” Terry Mayhall said. And he didn’t just mean their boat.

“We’ll have to keep our eye on that,” he added. He agreed that there are fish to be measured with AIM’s Catch-Record-ReleaseÔ system along the Door, but those expected huffy northeast winds are the issue.

“The only drawback is, if you have 15 mph out of the northeast (and predictions are they’ll be gusting a lot more), that will take some of that out of play, and some of the southern bay, too,” he said. To give you, Fan Nation, an idea of the issue, The Egg Harbor/Sturgeon Bay will be a 45-minute churned up ride into the waves away from Oconto.

“I think people will fish from Menominee south to the lower bay, if possible. If we’ve got a northeast wind, that’s what’s going to limit people, so some may even elect to go into the rivers. There were fish in those rivers last weekend and teams who do that may do okay,” he said.

That will mean primarily jigging, and maybe pulling flies, but that bite may be waning.

“When I was there (Oconto area) last weekend, we had a ton of rain, and that’s probably close to clearing up. The bite has been really good there, and for big fish, too,” Mayhall added. There are some close-in reefs that teams also could fish, if the weather cooperates a few hours.

“If the wind lays down in the morning, you’ll see some big weights. If it’s blowing all night and blasting in, then you’ll have to adjust your plans. That’s a big blow coming down all of the Bay of Green Bay,” he said warily.

All that predicted rock’n’ roll will start Saturday evening with AIM’s online rules and registration meeting. Boats will begin lining up for inspection at 5:30 a.m. at Oconto’s Breakwater Park, and the first flight will get the green light at 7 a.m. Teams must start returning by 3 p.m. Awards start at 5 p.m. Sunday. Good luck, and stay safe, all teams!

Fan Nation, we’re still in Wisconsin. We’re getting underway soon in Minnesota and North Dakota, and on the Mississippi in our Rivers Division Later this month with a couple of double-headers in just a bit.  So stay tuned to AIM’s Facebook site Sunday for on-water updates, and later for previews of those upcoming events to the west. Learn how you can register for the next events 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, Navionics, Power Pole, Worldwide Marine Insurance, Off Shore Tackle, Gemini Sport Marketing, Moonshine Lures Shiver Minnow, JT Outdoors Products, McQuoids Inn, Rosemore Outdoor Gear, Outdoor Authority MN, Island Bar and Grill, Bait Box on the Rock, Oconto County WI.

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