Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp USA and Warrior Boats Inc.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 4, 2023
Contact: Denny Fox, 920-505-0122
Anglers Insight Marketing LLC (AIM™)
Winging It: Dams Win Final AWWS Rivers Qualifier;
Now On To The Division’s First Championship Oct. 20-21
Just as predicted, those Mississippi River wing dams did the deed for Dubuque locals Dave Flury and Jamey Streif in the final AIM Weekend Walleye Series Rivers Division qualifier of the season, as they bested the field by about four pounds Sunday (Oct. 1).
“These two river rats came back to the dock with only three minutes to spare Sunday, but they were using that time wisely, fishing that one last spot. We’ve all done that, and that got them the win going away with 35 pounds, good for $2,750, plus $950 in side pot cash,” said Denny Fox, AIM national tournament director. “Both the first and second-place teams did it with Rapala DT 10 cranks that imitate what they both report was a massive amount of shad in the system, making for pretty picky fish.”
Flury in fact reported that their pre-fishing was “extremely tough” with that bait combined with low, clear water.
“I think there’s so much live shad in the water, especially in the Dubuque and Bellevue pools,” Flury said. “And the water is so clear that I think they spook if it was bright skies.” And, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky on Sunday.
“We had fish going in both pools. We pre-fished last weekend downstream and found a couple good fish and that was it. We went back to Bellevue Friday, and it was extremely tough. We fished the Dubuque pool Saturday and had fish going but they weren’t the right size.
“So we put all our eggs in one basket and decided to go south. We could always make our way back up,” he said.
They began just a few miles north of the dam at Clinton, near Sabula, Iowa’s only city on an island. They were alone, far from the weekend traffic, including buzzing personal watercraft that were running over some of the river’s dams, and that’s what they wanted,.
They were third launching out of Dubuque in their Mercury 250 Pro XS-powered and Garmin-equipped boat.
“Dubuque is known for its walleye, and we were worried about the local anglers being out there,” he said. After quickly locking through, they were at their first spot in 20 minutes, with those DT10s hitting their first wing dam, with Bandit 300s also in the water.
“If we’re going to cover a lot of water fast, Jamey and I usually go to throwing crank baits over wing dams,” he said. Their first fish, a 25-incher, came about 15 minutes after stopping. Next stop, and a 24-incher came into the boat. A 17-incher came in, but it was another, a 27-incher taken in the Bellevue pool, that boosted their chances. They saved the best for last.
“The end of the day was the best. It made the day for us and for me,” he said, after they had locked back up into the Dubuque pool.
“We had just minutes to fish, and I think at like 2:45, I hooked into our last, a 26-incher, on one of our big fish spots that we didn’t have any luck on pre-fishing. I threw it and bam!, right away, a 26-incher. Jamey got the net and I thought, the clock’s ticking, and we got the fish scored and made it back with three minutes to spare. My nerves were just rattled,” and he said, and they still were the day after.
At the dock, it was all smiles and fist bumps.
“The 26-incher was the icing on the cake. My nerves are still rattled from that one. We fish a lot of tournaments including the local Mississippi Walleye Club, so we knew what it was going to take. I’m a huge believer in the slot limit that’s now up and down the river. Between 15 and 20 inches, you can keep one. If it touches from 20 to 27, it’s got to go back in the river and you can keep one over 27 inches up to Genoa (Wisconsin). You’re going to see the fishing numbers and sizes just boom,” he said. He’s also a believer in AIM’s Catch-Record-ReleaseÔ format.
“AIM runs a great circuit, we’re very impressed,” he said. Due to scheduling conflicts, you won’t be seeing them at the upcoming division championship, but you can bet they’ll be fishing every qualifier in 2024. Flury also made a few predictions for that event.
“I’m looking for a good bite for the championship if the water temperature cools down. This time of year though the weeds start to die off and I think the anglers are going to struggle to find fishable, clean, water,” he said.
Finishing in second were Clayton Freiburger and his father Robert, also of Dubuque. They boated 30.95 pounds, good for $1,750, plus $570 in side pot cash.
Clayton said that he also concentrated on those productive wing dams, all with Rapala DT 10 crank baits.
“It was a pretty tough tournament. We only caught six fish throughout the day but luckily, they were the right ones,” he said. They also started in the pool south of Dubuque.
“At the first dam we caught an 18-incher, and then fished another dam and didn’t’ catch anything. On our third, we picked up a 22-incher,” he said. A 28-incher from pool 13, and after locking north, a 19-incher, topped off by a 28-1/2 caught by Robert Freiburger in the last 20 minutes, cinched it.
“Those two 28-inchers really add up in a hurry on the score card,” he added. “Coming back, we figured we needed 34 or 35 pounds to pull it off but with the bite the way it way, we knew we’d be in the top three or four.”
And you can bet you’ll see the pair at the championship in about 15 days.
“We fished all events so far and I’m sure we’re well within the top five for Team Of The Year to make the 2024 Shootout,” he said, and he also had a prediction about the championship.
“The bite will be considerably better. By then, the water should be cooled 10 or 15 degrees, and that should help the bite. The fish are already fat, so it’ll be interesting to see how much fatter they’ll be when they put on their fall weight.”
The rest of the top five were Taylor and Rick Steffens of Fairfax, IA in third, with 26.88 pounds, winning $1,250 plus $380 on side pot cash. In fourth with 22.87 pounds, good for $625, were Robert Lampman of De Soto, WI, and Tom Beck of Genoa. Fifth place and $350 went to Wayne Millman Jr, of Saint Donatus, IA, and Dave Ahmann of Bellevue.
Heads up, Fan Nation. The Rivers Division Championship and Team Of The Year battle is next, Oct. 21-22 on the river in pools 9, 10 and 11, based from Prairie du Chien, WI.
In early 2024, registration opens for the entire 2024 qualifier season in AIM’s four divisions. Learn how to get in on the fun 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.
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