Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp USA and Warrior Boats Inc.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 20, 2024
Contact: Denny Fox, 920-505-0122
Anglers Insight Marketing LLC (AIM™)
With A Finally Lower Mississippi, AWWS Rivers Division
Returns To Dubuque For Third Division Qualifier Sunday
Sometimes the river behaves, and sometimes, even with all the flood prevention measures in place nearly its entire length, the Mississippi doesn’t, so this Sunday, (Sept. 22) will be the first time teams competing in the AIM Weekend Walleye Series Rivers Division have been on the water officially since May, and teams are more than ready to see what they’ve been missing all summer Dubuque.
“Wing dams, lock dams and more will be definite targets for teams throwing everything from willow cats to hardware,” said Denny Fox, AIM national tournament director. “Some teams haven’t been on the water since May, so they’ve got a lot of exploring to do between now and Sunday.”
That includes Aaron Fortney of Gays Mills, Wisconsin, who this time will be partnered with Tom Stiner of Moline, Il, and fishing against his usual boatmate, his son, Hunter. The Fortneys fished AIM’s Rivers Division in 2023 and he is looking to improve on a good showing then, but Aaron said he’s one of those River Rats who hasn’t been on the water since May. He and Stiner will be aboard a Mercury 300 Pro XS-powered boat.
“It’s been one of those deals,” Aaron Fortney said, of the high water that caused many Mississippi walleye anglers to stay off the water most of the summer. “We’ll fish Friday morning and Saturday and decide whether we’re going to use the willow cat option or not. I think it’s probably that time,” he said.
The issue is that both state and AIM rules come into play. If you use ‘cats, you can only fish the Iowa side of the river. Go elsewhere and use something else, you’re good. That, he said, will be the focus of their pre-fishing.
“We’ve spent a lot of time in the pool but not being down there for a while,” that’s going to be big, he said. And the walleye telegraph hasn’t been working well either for the same reason: no one’s been out much.
“I haven’t heard a lot. One buddy fished down there and my son was down last week and said there were fish but a lot of ‘shorts’,” he said, meaning smaller non-tournament-grade fish. And he’s also expecting that besides willow cats, others will be casting hair jigs as well as lures sending out lots of vibrations to get walleye interested, especially at the river’s wing dams.
“I think wing dams will definitely be in play. That’s generally what will hold fish. I would imagine there’s some up at the dam, but wing dams will play a big part,” Fortney added. “I fished down there a few times and some had close to 40-pound bags, but I don’t know if it will take that. If someone can put 30 pounds in the boat, he should feel pretty good. The river is actually low now. Temperatures are pretty decent so it will be fun to pick it apart, and put a little time in on each pool, unless we get something consistent.”
Jeremy Geisler of Waucoma, Iowa is reporting a bit different results, hinting that he and partner Mike Goltz of Monona, Iowa, may have found fish, and are ready to be on’em in their Mercury 250 Pro XS-powered boat, with Garmin LiveScope aboard.
“We see glimmers of hope,” is that hint that Geisler gave. “We’ve spent the last couple weekends out. My partner will start to pre-fish Thursday. We’ve caught some of the right fish, but they’re pretty spread out. You’ve got to do a lot of moving,” he added. “We’re more familiar with Pool 11 than with 12, 11 is closer to where we grew up.” And he’s not worried about being in a tournament this late in the year on the river.
“Temperatures are somewhat typical but if we had a little cooler water they’d be grouped up. We’ve found water temperatures over 70 still so I don’t think the fall bite has kicked into full swing,” Geisler said. And he’s got a lot of willow cats to use. Since not many anglers have been on the water this summer, ‘cats are abundant at bait shops.
“Depending on what we find pre-fishing will dictate whether we have any willow cats in the boat,” he said. He’s also looking at the low-30-pound range to be on the podium. And to cash a check, probably 24 or 25 pounds.
We’ll see come Sunday afternoon when the podium-standers will be announced following a day that will see some teams staying put in Pool 12, where the 7 a.m. launch will take place, and some teams locking upstream to Pool 11, which is also in play. Saturday’s online rules meeting is at 7 p.m., and boat inspection begins Sunday at 5:30 a.m. at Dubuque’s Schmitt Harbor.
There’s still time to get in on the Rivers Division fun. The next qualifier takes place on Pools 2 and 3 at Hastings, MN, Friday, Oct. 4, just before the two-day Rivers Division championship, Oct. 5 and 6 on Pools 3 and 4 out of Hager City, WI, to close out AIM’s 2024 season. Time to dip a toe in. Just go to aimfishing.com to sign up, and follow the fun Sunday 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.
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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