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AIM® Provides TWO Opportunities for ‘Sanctioned Series’ Anglers in 2011.

Category: article

 Feb 25th, 2011 by OutdoorsFIRST 

Modified Feb 25th, 2011 at 12:00 AM

Anglers Insight Marketing, LLC has expanded the opportunities for anglers from the AIM Sanctioned Series program to compete at the AIM International Walleye Championship™ and the AIM International Team Championship™.

In 2009 AIM created an exciting program that invited the winners of regional walleye tournaments to compete alongside the AIM Pro Anglers in the season-ending Championship. The AIM Pro Anglers qualified for the Championship via their participation in qualifying AIM Pro Walleye Series™ tournaments.  The Sanctioned Series anglers received invitations based on their success in their affiliated tournaments.

For 2011 AIM has once again committed its support to the Sanctioned Series program and will offer TWO additional tournament opportunities to the top anglers.

First, the AIM International Team Championship will be staged September 15 and 16, 2011 at Akaska, SD. AIM will extend invitations to both members of the top team from each Sanctioned Series tournament. These anglers will compete as a team against the other Sanctioned Series teams from across the U.S. and Canada. The field of thirty teams will compete for a total purse in excess of $15,000 cash plus prizes (that is, more than 100% of the entry fees.)

More than 50 tournament organizations have accepted this opportunity to become an “AIM Sanctioned Series”. There is NO cost to the tournament organizations to become a Sanctioned Series. Affiliation with AIM allows the tournament to extend the Championship invitation to their top team. Determination of the qualifying team is at the discretion of each tournament organization, and may include the 2010 “Team of the Year” or the year-to-date “Team of the Year”.

In 2010, the team of Fred Sanchez and Chris Roehl took the first place prize at the AIM International Team Championship held on Lake Winnibigoshish, MN. The team of Sanchez and Roehl posted a two-day total weight of 36.79 pounds for the victory – a weight which would have also placed them solidly in the Top 10 of the Pro-Am championship!

Secondly, as was the case in 2009 and 2010, each Sanctioned Series will ALSO have the opportunity to nominate their top individual anglers to receive invitations to fish as Pro Anglers in the main event, the AIM International Walleye Championship, September 15 to 17, 2011 in Akaska, SD. This opportunity provides the angler the chance to fish against the top AIM Pro Anglers for an estimated total purse of over $150,000, including a 2011 Lund Pro V boat and 300hp Mercury Verado motor. The Pro Angler will be paired with a different Co-angler each day of the competition.

In 2010, Kevin Audrain represented the Texas Walleye Association at the AIM International Walleye Championship on Lake Winnibigoshish, MN. Kevin placed eighth overall, proving that the AIM Sanctioned Series anglers are skilled fishermen that can hold there own in head-to-head competition with the AIM Pro Anglers!

The 2011 AIM Sanctioned Series program means that every Sanctioned Series tournament circuit can qualify their top anglers to compete as Pro Anglers in the AIM International Walleye Championship, or compete as a team in the special AIM International Team Championship, or BOTH! (That is, extend invitations to up to FOUR anglers = 1 team and 2 Pros.) Again, the qualification criteria are up to each tournament organization.

Both the AIM International Walleye Championship and the AIM International Team Championship will be based in Akaska, SD on Lake Oahe. The city of Akaska has hosted AIM Pro Walleye Series tournaments in 2009 and 20101. In both cases, the abundance of walleyes and the great fan support was reason for AIM to schedule the 2011 Championships at this special location. Both events will use the innovative AIM Catch-Record-Release™ format. The thousands of walleyes caught by all the competitors will be photographed and immediately released with zero impact on the remarkable fishery.

A full list of the tournaments participating in the 2011 AIM Sanctioned Series program can be found at www.aimfishing.com (Sanctioned Series tab.) Each tournament logo contains a link back to the tournament’s website. In addition, new for 2011, AIM has introduced a new interactive forum at www.aimfishing.com. This forum will allow each Sanctioned Series tournament to post news about their events, tournament dates, and results. AIM will also provide assistance to any tournament that wishes to employ the AIM Catch-Record-Release format in any or all of their tournaments.