GOOD BITE PREDICTED FOR AWWS WISCONSIN CHAMPIONSHIP
Category: Tournament
Sep 5th, 2014 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Sep 5th, 2014 at 12:00 AM
The quest for the Championship will begin this Saturday for anglers fishing the AIM Weekend Walleye Series (AWWS) Wisconsin Divisional State “Alumacraft Championship”. The venue for this two day event is the sprawling waters of the Bay of Green Bay and fifty qualified teams will stream out of the City of Oconto’s Breakwater Park & Harbor looking for the key bites to claim a new Alumacraft boat and Yamaha engine.
“The first year of the AIM Weekend Walleye Series has been such a success, with full Qualifier fields and happy anglers,” said Michelle Trudeau, Brand Manager of Alumacraft boats. “Alumacraft is very proud to be a part of it!” The prize boat for the Wisconsin State Championship is an Alumacraft Escape 165 Tiller powered by a 40hp Yamaha, a perfect 16 foot fishing boat for nearly every application. It features a livewell, rod storage and an excellent fishing layout. “Alumacraft is dedicated to doing our part to help grow the sport and truly believe in AIM’s Catch-Record-Release (CRR) process.” All AIM events feature CRR where fish are measured, photographed, and immediately released to be caught another day.
According to AIM Wisconsin tournament director Denny Fox, fish are being caught in good numbers up and down the bay and if the bite holds there is the potential to see some monstrous weights. “Conditions are looking good and we are set to have a terrific tournament,” said Fox.
Also at stake is the Amsoil AWWS Wisconsin “Team of the Year” title. After winning the inaugural AWWS event in Winneconne last April and consistent finishes at other qualifying events, Pete Petta and Dave Cooper are currently sitting in first place with 494.71 points in the Amsoil Team of the Year race. “It’s always a great feeling being on top in anything in life,” stated Petta. “Winning is fun! We have worked hard to be sitting in this position. We both feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to compete at this level with a bunch of great guys.”
Their confidence going into the tournament is tough to gauge. “Both Dave and I have busy lives with our families and running our insurance agencies and we haven’t had much time to be on the bay since the middle of July,” said Petta. “So we will be checking many spots in our prefish, discussing presentations and areas with our teammates and go from there. But I can promise you this- we will be as prepared as any team come tournament time!”
Following Petta and Cooper in the Amsoil “Team of the Year” race with 467.50 points are Mario Nanna and Ryan Dempsey, a team that is widely recognized as a force to be reckoned with on this body of water. “We won’t have a lot of time to prefish for this tournament,” said Nanna. “So we are going to have to rely a lot on what we know about the bay.”
While there is a chance they could take the team of the year title, the team claims it’s not their focus this week. Their primary goal is to stay in the “top five” to qualify for next spring’s Warrior Boats “Border Battle Shootout”. “We can’t swing too hard for it,” stated Dempsey. “We have to play conservative the first day and then see where we are at. If we swing too hard right away we could lose the whole thing.”
Staying in the “top five” is also the objective of Jeremy Bock and Mark Bartels currently sitting in third place with 464.00 points. “We are excited for the championship,” said Bock. “It would be a long shot for us to take team of the year, so our focus is to stay consistent and end up in the top five.”
Boats will begin taking off from Breakwater Park at 7:00am each day and will return at 3:00pm each day. Teams are allowed to bring in a scorecard with their best five fish. All waters of Green Bay are open, including both Michigan and Wisconsin waters.
The weigh-in and final awards ceremony will take place at 5pm both days at Breakwater Harbor. On Sunday, the winning team will be awarded the Alumacraft/Yamaha boat package and the Amsoil AWWS Wisconsin “Team of the Year” winners will also be announced.
Teams finishing in the “top five” at the Championship as well as the “top five” finishers in the Amsoil “Team of the Year” race will qualify for the Warrior Boats “Border Battle Shootout” in the spring of 2015. Qualified teams from AWWS Divisions in Wisconsin and Minnesota will fish for a chance to win a brand new Warrior 1898 DC powered by a 150hp Yamaha outboard engine.
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 Marketing Partners: Yamaha Marine, Warrior Boats, Alumacraft Boats, Nitro Boats, Mercury Marine, Navionics, Amsoil, Power Pole, Worldwide Marine Insurance, Team Lodge, Powertran, Gemini Sport Marketing, National Fleet Graphics, and The City of Oconto.