Aim Anglers Smash Records on Green Bay
Category: npaa
May 16th, 2014 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified May 16th, 2014 at 12:00 AM
As predicted by tournament director Denny Fox, record-breaking five fish limits were recorded by anglers fishing Anglers Insight Marketing’s (AIM™) “Alumacraft Open” on Sunday.
In a battle between anglers using jig rods, pole line rods, and trolling rods, records were broken as prime conditions existed on the Bay of Green Bay for a big fish bite. Ultimately anglers using mostly jigs prevailed and captured the top spots at AIM’s “Alumacraft Open” held out of Metro Park on Sunday.
With two monstrous 31-inch walleyes to top off their scorecard, Mario Nanna and Ryan Dempsey CRR’d (Catch-Record-Release™) five fish that converted to a weight of 55.93lbs earning them a check for $8,000. Their giant catch easily smashed AIM’s all-time weight record for 5 fish in the Weekend Walleye Series!
Most of the 15 fish they caught were on ¼ to ½ oz. jigs with goby colored paddle tails and ringworms. Varying their presentation as conditions changed, the team targeted big fish in the morning near Sturgeon Bay and did some trolling along the east shoreline on the way back to Metro Park in the afternoon. The smallest walleye on their scorecard was 29 inches in length.
After making a long 45-mile run to Door County, Lynn Niklasch and Mark Kumonkiewicz started catching fish as soon as they got to their spot. Niklasch joked about how fast the fish came, “When do you fish a tournament and sit down at 10:30 in the morning to have a sandwich?” Their 5 best fish totaled 50.02lbs on the scorecard, giving them second place honors and a check for $2400. The team felt adding scent to their vertical jigging presentation played a large role in their success.
In third place, Joe Mans and Shannon Larson pole-lined three-way rigs with Rapala stickbaits in current. Key to their success was keeping lures wobbling at the perfect speed and the best bite for them was early in the morning before the wind picked up. The team’s five best fish converted to a weight of 48.42lbs, good for $1800.
RJ Harwood and Brad Skupas never prefished the Menomonee River, where they ended up carding 46.96lbs for fourth place and $1500 during the tournament. The duo was turned on to the bite by teammates who had found fish there. “We had to borrow jig rods and buy jigs,” said Harwood.
Orange and yellow bucktail jigs tipped with a crawler fished slowly in 44 degree water was their best presentation, working the channel edge in 19 to 25 feet of water. They had a “small” 24-inch fish on their scorecard that ended up hurting them. “We lost some bigger ones,” stated Harwood. “That’s just fishing for you!”
A total of $23,700 in cash and prizes was paid out to the top fifteen finishers in the full-field 100 boat event. This was the second Wisconsin tournament in AIM’s Weekend Walleye Series which is presented by Yamaha and Warrior Boats.
AIM’s next Weekend Walleye Series event will take place May 18th on Otter Tail Lake in Minnesota. Teamsfrom both Wisconsin and Minnesota Divisions will also be competing on the Mississippi River June 29th,and Lake Winnebago will be the site of Wisconsin’s final Open Qualifier event on July 13th.Anglers Insight Marketing LLC (AIM™) is a unique tournamentorganization 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 Marketing Partners: Yamaha Marine, Warrior Boats, Alumacraft Boats, Nitro Boats, Mercury Marine, Navionics, Amsoil, Power Pole, Worldwide Marine Insurance, Team Lodge, Gemini Sport Marketing, National Fleet Graphics, and The City of Oconto.