Starcraft Marine Championship On Saginaw Bay
Category: npaa
Jun 2nd, 2015 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Jun 2nd, 2015 at 12:00 AM
Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp. USA and Warrior Boats:
Aug. 14-15 Starcraft Marine Championship On Saginaw Bay
Now Open To All With A Dream
If you’ve ever dreamt of fishing in, much less qualifying for, a major walleye tournament, here’s your chance.
By special arrangement, anyone can now enter to compete against some of the best in the business during the upcoming AIM Weekend Walleye Series Starcraft Marine Open Championship brought to you by the Saganing Eagles Landing Casino and Eagle Bay Marina Aug. 14-15.
“AIM wants to make it easier for any angler, regardless of whether they wear a sponsor’s shirt or a T-shirt on the water, to enter this event and experience AIM competition and the difference our unique Catch-Record-Release™ format makes,” announced Denny Fox, AIM national tournament director.
“For the upcoming Starcraft Marine Championship tournament only, there will be no qualifying event to fish. We want to open up the field for the newest of our three divisions so everyone, from weekend anglers who’ve sat around the family campfire after a successful day on the water saying ‘yeah, I can run with those guys,’ to pros and semi-pros, have a chance to sign up,” Fox said.
“This is a real opportunity for everyone, regardless of their standing. Just bring your gear and your A-fishing game, because every team that will be there will be doing the same,” Fox said.
The tournament will be headquartered at Eagle Bay Marina, three miles from the casino, off Michigan Highway 13 (M-13), southeast of Standish.
The bay is teeming with millions of legal walleye, which by mid-August, will be moving to cooler outer Saginaw Bay to the popular fishing areas near the Charity islands, as well as the deeper parts of the bay proper, including its shipping channel.
Eagle Bay is perfectly placed at the middle-upper end of Saginaw Bay, a prime launch point to find fish that have been fattening up all summer. The newly renovated marina, which is part of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, is a natural for a nationally recognized catch-release tournament since it matches the tribe’s principles of conserving and growing the bay’s walleye fishery.
Entry is $500 per team, with a 90 percent purse payout going to the top 15 percent of entrants.
Entrants will start and return to Eagle Bay Marina, 1893 Sagatoo Road, each day. Keep your boat at the marina, and use the shuttle between it and the casino or its 50-site RV park, if wish, three miles south of the casino.
Daily weigh-ins will be at the Saganing Tribal Center, 5447 Sturman Road, and will have live updates all day both days on AIM’s facebook page which is Aim pro walleye series. The center is near the casino, which is at 2690 Worth Road, southeast of Standish.
The number of teams allowed in the field is unlimited for a purse that, depending on the number entered, could quickly reach north of $12,000, just for first-place.
For more information and entry forms, go to AIM’s website.
“After all,” Fox concluded, “all you need to win is the determination and confidence in your abilities, a bit of fishing knowledge, a boat, and a bit of luck. Regardless of who you are, or how many tournaments you have under your belt, the beauty of our format is, on any given day, everybody’s got a chance to be a hero.”
Contact: Denny Fox, AIM National Tournament Director, 920-505-0122; [email protected]
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.
AIM Supporting Sponsors: Mercury Marine, Nitro Boats, Starcraft Marine, Amsoil, Navionics, Powrtran, Power Pole, Worldwide Marine Insurance, Off Shore Tackle, Team Lodge, National Fleet Graphics, Gemini Sport Marketing, The City of Oconto, Eagle Bay Marina and Eagles Landing Casino, Montevideo MN Chamber of Commerce, Randall’s Milan Beach Resort
Yamaha Motor Corporation U.S.A. and Warrior Boats.