Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp USA and Warrior Boats Inc.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 21, 2025

Contact: Denny Fox, 920-505-0122

Anglers Insight Marketing LLC (AIM™)

Tyler Wolden predicted that minnows might do the trick, but it was leeches and crawlers on jigs, along with some shiners, that won him and partner Nate Leininger the AIM Weekend Walleye Series Warrior Boats Musky House Open qualifier on Minnesota’s Leech Lake Sunday (May 18) with 40.63 pounds, earning them $9,250 for a day’s work.

“Leech proved once again to be a bit bumpy, but Wolden and Leininger knew where to go and what to use,” said Denny Fox, national tournament director. “They won this in July of 2022 and May 2023 as well, and we’ll be seeing what they can do in two weeks at the AIM Warrior Boats National Championship Shootout at Duluth, when they and 39 other teams go to work for that V 193 DC Warrior Boat, Yamaha SHO four-stroke, Garmin electronics and a Garmin Kraken bow troller, plus all those Rosemore rods aboard. That’s the top prize worth $105,000 in a total purse of $150,000. Here’s how they did it on Leech.”

“It was cold, and it blew in the morning. It was not comfortable at all when we took off out of the horseshoe,” said Wolden, who is from Carlos. Leininger is from Miltona. “But we got there, and they started cooperating early.” Where was the “there”? “We’ve won Leech in 2022, 23 and now in 2025. It was similar to the 2023 win. We had a similar program going,” Wolden said. To refresh your memory, Fan Nation, they won that time on both the main lake and in Walker Bay.

“Our first was a 26-something incher. That was early, when they weren’t messed with. Then we got another mid-morning, a 28-incher,” he added, but then came that lull, which every angler experiences. This one lasted more than a few hours, then the lake woke up again, and they got to work in their Mercury 400 V-10 powered boat with all Garmin electronics, throwing 1/8-ounce jigs. They won $7,000 from AIM, $1,750 in first-place Side Pot Challenge cash, plus another $500 for running all Garmin electronics.

“Around noon or so we went to a new spot, and it just turned on 15 or 20 minutes of getting it in front of the right fish, and they would eat. The stars aligned as they say,” Wolden said. They used leeches and crawlers on jigs, along with shiners, but most came on the squigglies. “We had a 22-inch on the card for quite a while and our last was a 26 and change to get us to that 40. Once that was done, we didn’t catch a decent fish until literally minutes before we had to leave. That last minute glory fish got us locked in. It was a get-the-blood-pumping kind of fish,” he said. We literally only caught eight fish but three were the right ones and the other two were kind of one-offs in the morning.”

“We got into the mid-50s water temperature. In practice, everything was in the mid to upper 50s. They called for six- to eight-mph winds, but it was blowing and made it tricky. When the wind blew the fish were unsettled. When it went calm during that bite window the fish went back to normal and they were willing to bite,” he said.

“We’ve been fishing Leech for 10-plus years so we know how it is, but our teammates cut their teeth on Leech. Chuck Hasse (long-time Leech guide) has a lifetime of knowledge, so a lot of credit goes to Chuck Hasse,” Wolden said.

“We’ll be in Duluth for the National Championship,” Wolden confirmed. “We’ve got two systems to look at, the St. Louis River and Superior, but with this cold snap it may have set things back. We’ve fished it in the past but always in the late summer so we’re going in blind. It’s going to be fun to do something new. We’re looking forward to breaking it down.”

Second went to Dan Fuller and Bryan Martinka of Bemidji who won$2,800 plus $1,050 for second in the AIM Side Pot Challenge, posting 38.09 pounds in their Mercury 250 XL-powered and Garmin-equipped (five, in fact) boat.

“It was very windy and difficult toward the end of the week, so we had to hunker down and dress warm and try to cover as much water knowing that the fish were going to be totally different,” Fuller said. “Our pre-fish ended up being just looking for fish and not trying to catch any after Wednesday. “It was hot and sunny with fish biting on the main lake then but as soon as the cold front came we searched for big fish to figure out a pattern and hopefully things would work Sunday.

That meant going to snap jigging, plastics and more to try to trigger fish, he said. “Put a presentation in front of their face and get them to react. They tried the main lake and were surprised. “We were absolutely blown away that we had the area to ourselves where we wanted to start. We caught a 26-something fairly early and got two others of our biggest about noon. We had three by 12:30 which I thought was pretty good. We changed to a different part of the main lake and started sorting through a pile.

“From 12:30 on we rifled through a whole bunch. We filled in with a 24-1/2 and a 25 and lost a couple, but everybody has that story, so we took second,” he said. Their eight fish went like this: a 27-1/2, followed by a 26-3/4 a 28-1/4, then the 25 and 24-1/2.

“When I grow up, I want to be like Tyler and Nate. It was a tough day under tough conditions and when the dust settled, we were very happy we ended up where we did. I just can’t beat those guys and I’m going to someday. They’re very good friends of mine and I’m very happy for them,” he said. Be looking for him at least on Ottertail in July and on Vermillion in August. And, for sure at the division championship on Cass Lake in September.

“We’re really looking forward to the state championship on what would be considered my home body of water,” Fuller said.

“We’re also looking forward to an opportunity to try to qualify for the AIM NXT Tour (coming in 2026). That would be ideal if we could qualify for that. There’s a lot of buzz going around about that and people are excited,” he said.

In third place, Mitch (from Nowthen) and Matt (from Pequot Lakes) Weber, who took home $2,200 plus $700 in third-place side pot cash for boating 35.35 pounds. Fourth went to Zachary Christenson of Cambridge and Toby Kvalevog of Brainerd, who won $1,300 for 35.27 pounds. Fifth place and $1,200 went to Aaron and Rich Isaman and Lake Park and Pelican Rapids, respectively.

Fan Nation, watch for a preview of the May 30-31 AIM Warrior Boats National Championship Shootout next week, and enjoy the holiday weekend! It’s Time To Rock, as Denny says, and also time to jump in an upcoming qualifier. Sign up for all AIM 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