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Insider Report: Hodge adjusts to serene Sakakawea

September 10, 2020/in News/by amandagutierrez

GARRISON, N.D. – After a rollercoaster practice period, which included blustery winds and bitter frost, day one of the third National Walleye Tour event, presented by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s, was a welcome respite. Warm sunshine and a surprisingly calm prairie breeze allowed anglers to travel freely over 360,000-acre Lake Sakakawea. The result was a stacked leaderboard that included 46 stringers over 15 pounds and 13 five-fish limits over 20 pounds.

Leading the pack with 24.99 pounds is Minot, N.D., pro Gary Hodge, who owns and operates the White Tips Guide Service. In addition to guiding, Hodge fishes every tournament held on Sakakawea. He took off this morning confident that he was around big fish, but unsure if they’d bite without the wind.

“The fish have been in that area now for about a month,” said Hodge, the Mercury pro. “The bite has been on and off. Today was actually a slower day, especially for numbers. A week ago Friday I had 27 pounds off there.”

In this event, pros and co-anglers, fishing as a team, are permitted to keep eight walleyes and weigh their best five each day. Culling, or upgrading, is not allowed. Hodge never had to make any difficult decisions as he boated only seven walleyes.

“At 1 p.m., I only had two fish in the box. I went back to my starting spot and caught three more. The good news is that today they came in the right order. The first four fish were big, and the last one was a 23-incher that weighed over 4 pounds.”

Hodge explained that he has four spots all located in one general area. He described his run to this area as “fairly long.” However, Hodge did not have to stop to refuel. While many pros thought this event would be dominated by trolling leadcore and Berkley Flicker Minnows, Hodge said he caught his fish with two techniques – Shiver Minnows and live bait.

“I absolutely think I’m around the fish to win. I could definitely back it up again tomorrow. There are no guarantees in fishing, but this is a wind-driven spot, and we’re supposed to get more wind tomorrow. Where I’m at, I’m going for the “W” tomorrow.”

If his primary area fails to produce, he does have two other backup spots that have been kicking out 20-and 22-inch fish.

“I’ve got to do it again tomorrow. But just seeing my name on top of that leaderboard today was unreal. I never would’ve dreamed I would see that. I feel privileged just to fish with these top guys, let alone lead it.”

Cox second

Manhattan, Kansas, pro Jaran Cox sits in second place with a five-fish limit weighing 23.80 pounds. While it looks impressive on paper, Cox managed only five walleyes the entire day.

“The bite had been pretty good all week,” Cox said. “I had a good practice, but everything was wind driven. Without the wind today, we only had five bites. It was nice to keep them all buttoned up.”

After a 35-mile run, Cox coaxed his first bite at 9 this morning and had three in the box by 11.

“It took the rest of the day to get those two more.”

Cox has five productive spots in total, two of which he considers “big-fish spots.” Ironically, none of his kickers from day one came from the aforementioned big-fish spots.

“Everything was kind of flipped around today. The plan was to go get five easy bites. With a full livewell, I was then going to hunt bigger fish since we’re allowed to keep eight. That’s not how it ended up.”

While Cox trolled considerably in practice, everything today came from casting in 40 feet.

“I’ve got my trolling sticks ready to go tomorrow if I need them. The big thing is you have to have wind. The wind is supposed to be coming the right way on two of my spots tomorrow. So that’s better than we had today.”

Northrop third

Local fisherman Cody Northrop of South Heart, N.D., is third with a five-fish limit weighing 22.71 pounds. Northrop was unavailable for an interview.

Geitgey fourth, Johnson fifth

Rounding out the top five are pros Scott Geitgey and Josh Johnson. Geitgey, the Canton, Ohio, pro, made a 21-hour drive to fish Sakakawea. Johnson, on the other hand, traveled 2 hours from South Heart, N.D.

For Geitgey, the long trip was worth it as he boated 21.65 pounds.

“This is my first time here, and I have to say, it’s one of the most gorgeous, awesome fisheries I’ve ever been to,” said Geitgey. “We found our main area a few days ago, but a teammate of mine really dialed it in. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but luckily they came in the right order.”

Geitgey started the day with three good fish and finished with a 24-incher and a 26-incher. In total, he caught between 20 and 25 walleyes.

“Today I fished three different spots and used three different techniques. And they all caught fish. Of the eight we put in the box, five came on Rapala Jigging Raps. I think we can do well again tomorrow. I’m not worried about getting to my area, but I am concerned about the winds and getting back.”

Johnson’s five walleyes weighed 21.26 pounds, which has him fifth among the 120 pros.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 pros at the 2020 National Walleye Tour event on Lake Sakakawea:

6th: Jason Votava of Minot, N.D., five fish, 21.03

7th: Ryan Rieger of Belle Vernon, Pa., five fish, 20.71

8th: Mike Defibaugh of Bellefontaine, Ohio, five fish, 20.61

9th: Dusty Minke of Walker, Minn., five fish, 20.46

10th: Bill Shimota of Northfield, Minn., five fish, 20.36

Endless Sakakawea awaits National Walleye Tour anglers

August 21, 2020/in News/by amandagutierrez

The Deadline to do this for Garrison is Monday, Aug 24th.

GARRISON, N.D. – After holding events in Wisconsin and Michigan to start the 2020 season, the National Walleye Tour, presented by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s, swings west Sept. 10-11 to the prairie playground of Lake Sakakawea, the third largest man-made reservoir in the United States at over 350,000 acres. While the first two tournaments saw plenty of open-water fishing, Sakakawea offers a more diverse reservoir experience. Green Bay and the “Soo” produced walleyes, but Sakakawea is expected to deliver both numbers and big fish.

Ranger pro Jacob Ell use to reside in Garrison, but now lives downstream in Bismarck. He still makes the short trip up the Missouri River as often as possible.

“It’s such a healthy fishery right now,” Ell said of Sakakawea. “The bite has been really good all summer, but in the dog days the fish have started scattering. Right now, in a lot of the places the fish are there one day, then gone the next. Still, it’s going to be good, and it should only improve as we transition to the fall.”

Mandan, N.D., native JR Carter agreed with Ell and said the timing for the two-day tournament is excellent.

“The fish will be in a summer-to-fall transition,” echoed the American Ethanol pro. “That doesn’t mean it will be tough. It won’t; everybody is going to catch fish. It’s set up at the right time. People are really going to be excited with the amount of fish they catch. The challenge is going to be dialing in the bigger ones with consistency.”

For 22-year-old Dylan Nussbaum, the biggest challenge is breaking down a massive body of water. Nussbaum, who currently sits second in the Angler of the Year race behind Tommy Kemos, has never visited Sakakawea.

“Going to Sakakawea is a dream destination for me,” said the Rapala pro. “It’s a reservoir, and that’s how I grew up fishing in Pennsylvania. When I go to a new place, it’s actually more exciting for me. I’m feeling really good about this one; I think it might be in my wheelhouse. I’m thinking more about learning this new lake than I am winning Angler of the Year. Yes, Angler of the Year is the ultimate goal, but it’s still early in the season, and there are some huge sticks out there. I’m just going to keep my head down and fish as hard as possible.”

“With a place that big, you don’t want to be aimlessly running around. You want to cover an area efficiently. I might spend three or four days in the more popular arms, then only a half day in the next arm.”

Nussbaum believes trolling breaklines with leadcore will be his primary search strategy. Ultimately, he hopes to find a more precise jigging bite.

“If I catch a few fish trolling in an area, then it’s probably time to stop and cast, especially on the smaller humps and smaller pieces of structure. I really think I can get something dialed with the Jigging Rap or Flat Jig.”

Nussbaum explained that while the Jigging Rap has the stronger reputation, he’s had more success recently with the Flat Jig.

“The Flat Jig is the first thing I’ll throw after trolling. The body glides two to three times farther than the Jigging Rap, so it’s a great search bait. It makes the walleyes freak out. I let it fall, then rip it up, catch it for one second, then let it fall without slowing it. You can just feel them smack it on the way down. It’s such a fun bite. But at an ounce and 3/16ths, it’s an arm burner to use all day.”

Ell reported that Sakakawea’s most popular bait recently has been the Berkley Flicker Minnow.

“They have become a staple in Sakakawea for mimicking smelt,” said Ell. “That bait has exploded in popularity out here. That’s no secret. People fish them just above the thermocline. But colors, those are still kept secret.”

Carter believes trolling will be the most prominent pattern, but other methods can certainly catch fish.

“Leeches and minnows are getting tight this time of year, but there are plenty of worms. Crawlers on Slow Death Rigs can work great. I honestly think the top finishers will be trolling. If you’re casting, you’re going to catch fish, but it’s two lines in the water compared to four.”

When the NWT last visited Sakakawea in 2017, roughly half the field made long runs. That event was held in early May. This time, both Ell and Carter believe more anglers will fish close.

“Some people are still going to be running up to Van Hook, which is about a 70-mile run,” added Ell. “I don’t plan on doing that, but I could, I have AirWave seats that give me control and comfort. Sakakawea is just so vast; there’s so much good water you’re running right past. The east end is very good. I feel that you can still find the bigger fish on the east side and get away from the crowd.”

“The last time we were here, the wind didn’t blow at all,” Carter recalled. “That’s not typical for North Dakota. When it does blow, it will shut you down; it doesn’t matter what direction it’s blowing. This year, I think you’ll see the boats spread out more. It can honestly be won burning a gallon of gas a day or as far as Lund’s Landing, where you burn 100 gallons.”

Ell and Carter both believe a wild card could be the weed bite. Ell also alluded to the possibility of a deep tree bite, similar to what Jason Przekurat accomplished at the 2016 NWT championship out of Mobridge.

“There’s weed fish going right now, some even close to the ramp,” said Carter.

“Someone could definitely tap into a shallow bite in the weeds,” agreed Ell. “The water is lower than the last time we were here. It’s been dropping, and now those green, leafy weeds are accessible. I’m curious about the tree bite too. Those deep trees, the old cottonwoods, do exist in Sakakawea. Jason won it on Oahe trolling the tops of the trees. I’ve never seen it work here, but it certainly could.”

Ell and Carter both believe it could take 60 pounds or more (over two days) to win the tournament.

“Fifty-two pounds could definitely win,” Ell said. “But at the same time, it could take over 60 pounds to win. My goal is 25 pounds per day. Understanding the bite window and the quality of your fish is so important in a no-cull tournament. This place is full of smelt, so the walleyes don’t have to eat. Sometimes there are only certain bite windows, and the window will only be an hour and a half. It’s all about playing the game on what you’re going to keep and what you’re willing to wait for.”

“I think 40 pounds will cash a check and 44 to 50 pounds will be needed to make the top 10. To win, I think it will take five over 25 inches with a kicker (each day). That could be as much as 64 pounds. The 5- and 6-pounders here are plentiful. The key is going to be getting them in the right order. It’s going to be a great event, and like always out here, it’s going to be a game of ounces.”

Anglers will take off each day at 7 a.m. Central time from Garrison Bay Marina at Fort Stevenson State Park, located at 1252A 41st Ave. NW in Garrison. The daily weigh-ins will also take place at Garrison Bay Marina, beginning at 3 p.m. The full field fishes each day with the winner in each division being determined by the heaviest cumulative weight.

The National Walleye Tour consists of three regular-season events and a year-end championship. Each regular season event is a two-day, pro-am tournament and delivers over a 100 percent payback. Pros compete against other pros, and co-anglers compete against other co-anglers.

Registration is ongoing for the Lake Sakakawea event. The deadline for guaranteed entry (by signing up with a pro or co-angler) is Aug. 24. Registration can be taken over the phone at 501-794-2064 or online by visiting www.nationalwalleyetour.com/tournaments/register/. For more information on rules and tournament payouts, visit www.nationalwalleyetour.com.

Insider Report: Schaefer runs south for “Soo” win

August 14, 2020/in News/by amandagutierrez

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – As soon as the National Walleye Tour, presented by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s, announced their revamped schedule, both anglers and fans alike started speculating about the potential for long runs at Sault Ste. Marie, the second tour stop of the 2020 season, better known as the “Soo.” While risky, the potential for thick, beefy 4- to 6-pound walleyes was real. To make it happen, pros would have to complete a treacherous run south on Lake Huron towards Alpena, Mich. In the end, pro Peter Schaefer proved the risk was worth it as he hauled in 10 walleyes over two days that weighed 45 pounds.

Even before practice, Schaefer knew his winning area was a spot that warranted extra attention.

“Those walleyes are summering there,” said Schaefer, who serves on the board of directors for the Saginaw Bay Walleye Club. “This time of year, that’s just where they’re living. They live in the cracks and crevices of big Volkswagen-sized boulders.”

To reach his spot, Schaefer would venture 86 miles south from Sault Ste. Marie. To complete his roundtrip trek, he would have to refuel on the way back. Today, he plowed through 3- and 4-footers on his journey north as he could only manage top speeds of 36 or 37 mph.

“My main spot down there was like 38 to 48 feet deep,” Schaefer explained. “I was trolling crankbaits – mainly Bandits and Smithwick Top 20s with 2-ounce snap weights. Chrome bases were key – purples and blues with orange bellies.”

With speeds of 1.7 to 2 mph, Schaefer would pull the cranks 1 to 5 feet from the bottom. Today, the wind picked up and blew the bait, eventually pushing some walleyes to his secondary area, an adjacent shoreline piece of structure.

“My second area was like 17 to 24 feet of water. Today it accounted for my biggest one and a 4-pounder.”

On the shallower spot, Schaefer would have the crankbaits ticking the tops of the rocks. He trolled these cranks 100 to 120 feet from his planer boards.

“On my way back, I stopped at a jigging spot within sight of the ramp. At 3:48, I popped a 5-pounder on a jighead and pork-tail minnow (fluke-style plastic). That fish gave me a 3-pound upgrade.”

What Schaefer didn’t know was that his late cull also secured his first national win.

“I’ve been tournament fishing for 13 years. I’ve won a few local tournaments, and I’ve done well on the Michigan Walleye Tour and the MWC. But to win on this level, it means a lot. I’ve dedicated a lot of time and effort to this sport; I’m addicted to it. This is the real deal, and I’m ecstatic that I won.”

The 34-year-old, who works as an account manager for American Maintenance and Cleaning Services, said the key to his victory was finding his productive, yet unpressured area.

“I have to thank my partner Jake Trombley. Without him, we wouldn’t have been able to put this together. There was a lot of pressure up north by the islands, and there was no pressure around me. I figured the risk versus the reward was worth it, and I was right.”

For winning the second event of the 2020 season, Schaefer earned a Ranger 2080MS with a 250-horsepower Mercury outboard, $15,000 cash, and an additional $2,280 in Anglers Advantage cash for a total purse of $80,380.

Kemos continues hot streak

In his last three NWT events, Strike King pro Tommy Kemos has finished second, seventh, and second. His recent hot streak more or less started after a disappointing “Soo” event last year. This year, Kemos opted to make the unfathomable 110-mile run south near Alpena.

“We would stop for fuel at Presque Isle on the way down,” Kemos said. “On the way back up, we would get gas at DeTour Pass.”

Kemos described the journey as the second toughest of his long career. The other led to him missing his check-in time.

“I’m going to be sore for a couple days, but this run was absolutely worth it.”

After traveling, Kemos would leave himself between 2 1/2 and 3 hours to fish. Knowing that the wind was increasing, he gave himself 3 hours to return today. He checked in with 7 minutes to spare.

“I promised myself I would leave by noon today. When it was time to go, I was graphing a small pod of fish. I started turning on them, and then realized I was making a mistake. It was super tempting, but if I would’ve stayed and fished those fish, I wouldn’t have made it (back in on time).”

The Oconomowoc, Wis., native was pulling crankbaits with snap weights like Schaefer.

“I was basically following the smelt migration. The walleyes move to follow the smelt. In my area, the water was crazy clear. What I found is that they wanted the more natural colors – blue or blue chrome and silver with white and chartreuse bellies.”

Kemos was fishing 45 to 50 feet. In the clear water, the fish were positioned near the bottom, but coming up 15 feet to hit the crankbait.

“It’s weird. You actually want to make them work for it in the clear water. If it’s too close, they get too good of a look at it.”

Kemos said his Garmin LiveScope was crucial for spotting fish, especially in that he was able look out ahead of the boat in the clear water.

“The fish were definitely spooking off the boat. You would come across a small pod of two, three, or four fish. When I saw them, I would adjust my speed. If they were real low, I would slow down because I was using snap weights. But I would also get a lot of bites speeding up so the baits would rise. My normal speed was 2 mph, but if I was trying to crank them up I would go 2.2.”

For second place and a two-day total of 42.72 pounds, Kemos earned $16,571.

“Second stings a little, but overall, I’m pretty happy with it. It was a super tough week of practice. All things considered, as tough as the bite was, I’m happy with it; it worked out. The difference for me lately is that I’m figuring out how to use that LiveScope. Now that I have that understanding and confidence, I’ve been on a roll.”

Vandemark rallies to third

Linwood, Mich., pro Steve Vandemark demonstrated remarkable consistency and finished the tournament third with 37.33 pounds. On day one, Vandemark sacked 18.35, and today he backed that up with 18.98. Unlike Schaefer and Kemos, Vandemark opted to stay close to takeoff.

“We stayed right in the river system,” said Vandemark. “Nobody was fishing close, so we made a pact to poke around and find fish close, and it worked.”

Vandemark would start his day 8 miles from the launch by trolling spinners over matted grass in 12 to 16 feet. Once the sun would come up, he would switch to jigging deeper water.

“We jigged both the mouth of Lake George and the Garden River. I was using lead-head jigs, either a 1/2-ounce or 3/8 tipped with half a crawler. This year, the fish were positioned right on the breaks where there was no current. If you get in the seam, you catch them.”

The two-pronged attack resulted in nine keepers yesterday and 14 today. With a Ranger bonus, Vandemark earned $18,892.

“As someone who fishes this system often, I’m surprised the long runs paid off (for first and second place). They got extremely lucky to make it two days in a row. It’s never that calm. I’ve made those runs when I was younger, and I know what it’s like. Those guys earned it.”

Defibaugh fourth, Stanaway fifth

Rounding out the top five are pros Mike Defibaugh and Dane Stanaway. Defibaugh, the 2017 Lake Erie champion, finished fourth. After catching 18.91 pounds on day one, Defibaugh slipped to 17.91 today. His two-day total weight was 36.82.

Stanaway, the local pro, took fifth with a combined weight of 35.77 pounds. On day one, he boated 15.88 pounds, and today he improved to 19.89.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 pros at the 2020 National Walleye Tour event at Sault Ste. Marie:

6th: Gary Gorsuch of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., 35.15

7th: Jim Schiefelbein of Marseilles, Ill., 35.02

8th: Benjamin Teets of West Fargo, N.D., 34.60

9th: Ed Stachowski of Canton, Mich., 32.32

10th: Aaron Marzean of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., 31.77

Nickel earns co-angler title

Tyler Nickel took home top honors in the Co-angler Division with a total weight of 35.25 pounds. On day one, Nickel fished with Defibaugh, and the two caught limit worth 18.91. Today he fished with young stick Dylan Nussbaum, and together they weighed five walleyes for 16.34.

Nickel, the Oshkosh, Wis., native, earned $8,428 with contingencies.

Up next

The third event of the 2020 National Walleye Tour season is slated for Sept. 10-11 on Lake Sakakawea in Garrison, N.D.

Insider Report: Schiefelbein tops tight leaderboard at NWT Sault

August 13, 2020/in News/by amandagutierrez

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – When the National Walleye Tour, presented by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s, visited Sault Ste. Marie last year, Ranger pro David Kolb busted out of the gate with a 30-pound stringer. He never looked back and won the tournament by over 14 pounds. After day one this year, the “Soo” leaderboard is much tighter. Ten pros sit within 5 pounds of current leader Jim Schiefelbein, who caught five walleyes weighing an impressive 23.47 pounds.

Schiefelbein is back to competitive walleye fishing after a two-decade hiatus where he focused on his business. This is officially his second NWT event, and thus far, he’s making the most of his return.

“Today was pretty interesting,” said the Hard Core pro. “We had boat No. 15 this morning, and we were able to pass every boat except for one. I run a Ranger 621 with a 400-horsepower Mercury Verado, so it was a nice, flat 50-mile run.”

Schiefelbein never touched a fish on his first spot. His second spot likewise proved fruitless.

“We got to spot No. 3 at 9:45 or 10. We got one fish on our first pass and three fish on our second pass. We got our limit fish on our third pass, and we did cull a few times. We had all our weight by 10:30.”

The Illinois pro explained that his practice was spotty. He experienced good days, but there were also days filled with struggle.

“I know there’s a lot of sandbagging out there, but not from me. Today was the best bag I’ve had since I’ve been here. I’m cautiously optimistic about tomorrow. I believe in what I’m doing and where I’m doing it. I had no one around me all day, and I’m pretty confident the fish will stay in the same area. Of course, you have to go out and make it happen. It’s a Great Lakes body of water, and there are a lot of big fish out there.”

Schiefelbein said he’s trolling spinners with night crawlers. He attributes his early success to paying attention to his electronics while “hump jumping” various pieces of structure.

“This is such an elite group of anglers. I’m humbled to just be in the lead spot. It’s exciting, and it’s humbling.”

Schaefer second

Sitting in second place with 22.78 pounds is Linwood, Mich., pro Peter Schaefer, who like Schiefelbein, had his weight by 10:30 this morning.

“On our first pass, 20 minutes in, we hooked up a double,” said Schaefer, who is fishing his third NWT event. “As we got one in, we had another one on. The bite was strong this morning.”

Schaefer, who calls Saginaw Bay home, said he was trolling shoreline structure. His goal before takeoff this morning was 22 to 27 pounds.

“Honestly, I expected to do about this, or maybe even a little better. I’m pretty confident. The only variable is the wind direction. It’s supposed to swing about 180 degrees from what it was two days ago. My partner and I are making a long run. It’s a low-pressure area; that’s why we’re going there. I’m pretty confident I can pull another 20 pounds at least if the weather holds.”

Teets third

Mercury pro Benjamin Teets sits in third place with five walleyes weighing 22.31 pounds. Unlike his peers at the top of the leaderboard, Teets is primarily employing a casting program.

“I’m mainly casting Shiver Minnows,” said the West Fargo, N.D., native. “Plan B is trolling Flicker Minnows.”

Teets said he made a medium-sized run this morning. Within 45 minutes, he had five in the livewell.

“Then I went to the trolling program and made one cull. This was a spot I wasn’t sure about because I didn’t prefish it a whole lot. A lot of boats were there, but I was doing something a little different.”

Teets believes the wind won’t affect him, but there will be considerable boat pressure.

“I still think it has the potential to win. We’re just going to keep graphing and break it down piece by piece.”

Kemos fourth, Gorsuch fifth

Rounding out the top five are pros Tommy Kemos and Gary Gorsuch. Kemos continued his hot streak today with five walleyes worth 21.30 pounds.

“I’m making a very long run,” said Kemos, who took seventh at the season opener and second at last year’s championship. “I had to get gas twice today.”

Once he arrives, Kemos trolls crankbaits with snap weights.

“These are deep fish that are feeding on smelt. I’m basically targeting a point where they sort of pause on their migration route. I’m using the new Lew’s planer board rods that Jason Przekurat and I designed.”

Last year at the Soo, the Strike King pro was in the top 10 after day one, but was running a casting program.

“I learned a valuable lesson in that event. On day two, the fish moved, and it caught me off guard. In practice this week, the fish were pretty scarce. I just didn’t have enough targets for casting this year.”

When Kemos looks at tomorrow’s forecast, it looks favorable for a long run in the morning, but the return trip could be treacherous.

“I don’t really have any other choice as far as winning the tournament. But as soon as I get five, I’m getting the heck out of there. I’m not going to stick around and be greedy.”

In fifth place is local pro Gary Gorsuch of Hubbard Lake, Mich. Gorsuch managed a five-fish limit today worth 21.11 pounds.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 pros at the 2020 National Walleye Tour event at Sault Ste. Marie:

6th: Aaron Marzean, five fish, 20.70

7th: Todd Kaniper, five fish, 19.93

8th: Max Wilson, five fish, 19.77

9th: Mike Defibaugh, five fish, 18.91

10th: Jake Trombley, four fish, 18.67

The final day of competition begins tomorrow at 7 a.m. Eastern time as the full field takes off from the Aune Osborn Boat Launch, located at 1225 Riverside Dr. in Sault Ste. Marie. The final weigh-in also takes place at the Aune Osborn Boat Launch, beginning at 3 p.m.

Day 1 Full Results

A BIG thank you for our Local Sault Ste Marie Sponsors!

Sault Ste. Marie to host second National Walleye Tour event

August 5, 2020/in News/by amandagutierrez

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – After a record-setting National Walleye Tour opener, presented by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s, which saw Korey Sprengel shatter the largest margin of victory, the NWT returns to Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., Aug. 13-14 for the season’s second stop. Last year, the “Soo” was new water for most of the field. In addition to breathtaking natural scenery, the Soo offered diverse fishing and a healthy population of 5- and 6-pound walleyes.

At last year’s Soo event, Ranger pro David Kolb put on a clinic with a two-day total of 10 walleyes weighing 65 pounds. Kolb’s domination stood as the NWT’s largest margin of victory until Sprengel’s recent conquest.

“What I had last year, that was an exceptional weight,” said Kolb, the Rockford, Mich., native. “The big ones just happened to be concentrated like that. I found something special and amazingly had it all to myself. Typically, somewhere around 50 pounds is the mark to win on the Soo.”

Kolb caught most of his fish trolling crankbaits, but he started by casting lipless crankbaits. Either method could trigger strikes, but trolling proved to be more efficient.

“I think this year it’s 50-50 if it will be won trolling or casting. I’ll be bringing both with me.”

In last year’s event, both Canadian and U.S. waters were in play. This year, Canada is off-limits, not only for fishing, but also for navigation.

“The no-Canada rule is going to have an impact,” Kolb continued. “A good chunk of fishable water has been eliminated. Running the north channel to Lake George is out of bounds. A lot of the check weights last year came from Canada. It’s still such a big area, so it’s not going to be too bad. There are even spots in the river that you can do well. The salmon are coming up, so there might be an Atlantic Chinook mixed in.”

Hager City, Wis., pro Brett King made the risky decision last year to venture towards Saginaw Bay. Each morning, he would embark on a treacherous 100-mile run south. On day one, he used a bass boat to arrive faster and maximize his fishing time. On day two, in more blustery conditions, he switched back to a more traditional walleye vessel.

“I’m not ruling the run out, but honestly, I’m less optimistic that it will work this year,” said King, who finished fourth by trolling crankbaits. “That’s typically shallower stuff. I don’t know that the fish will still be using those same haunts with the water temperature rising. Last year was an awesome experience, but I’m only bringing the walleye boat this year. Guys like me who’ve done this for a while, our bodies are beat up. I’ll take the Smooth Moves seat under my butt this year.”

Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops pro Kevin McQuoid made a 50-mile run each way last year en route to a fifth-place finish. McQuoid trolled spinners with inline weights over humps.

“I expect to troll again this year, but I definitely plan to prefish a number of different ways,” explained McQuoid. “The big thing about the Soo is that you can fish to your strength; it fishes both like a river and a lake. I personally like fishing more on the lake side of things. With this year being a few weeks later in the summer, they could be out on the main lake. I will definitely spend a day or two on Lake Huron itself.”

King agreed with McQuoid about the need to be adaptable and explore areas with an open mind.

“August is the time of year those fish like to be up in the river. The last time I fished the Soo in August, the deep channel edges were a big part of the puzzle. Obviously, I’ll be exploring that more. In general, there will be more opportunity to fish up near the Soo itself. That’s just their migration; they follow the bait. There could be a weed bite as well. The weeds are taller now than most of the field has ever seen.”

Kolb believes both bays, particularly Munuscong, will play. In addition, the power plant right in downtown Sault Ste. Marie could be productive.

“There’s still a wide range of spots,” he said. “And when you fish the river, the shipping barges are a variable that can actually help. Hold on to your hat when they come by, but then the walleyes bite afterwards. All the current stirs them up and gets them activated. One bait that I’m looking forward to trying is the No. 9 Scatter Rap Tail Dancer. When you troll it at 2 or 2.1 mph, it’s got a great kick that I believe is an attractant.”

“You can really fish to your strength on the Soo,” McQuoid added. “You can troll cranks, troll spinners, jig and cast plastics; all of those work. What I really like is we’re getting back to our roots. We’re not just running back old waypoints. We’re actually getting back to scouting and learning new areas.”

“With the new boundaries, I’m going to be spending considerable time studying maps, learning to navigate and how to maximize time,” King explained. “I really believe a big part of success in this event will be eliminating mental errors.”

To win the tournament, all three anglers agree it will take less than the 65 pounds Kolb caught last year. There’s also consensus that the middle of the leaderboard will be stronger.

“I would venture to guess 55 to 60 pounds will win it,” King offered. “I won’t be surprised to see 60. There are a lot of 5- and 6-pound fish in the system.”

“With this being the second year, I expect the average weights to actually go up a bit,” McQuoid concluded. “I don’t think 65 is going to happen again, but the guys that are coming up in check range, that number will be higher than last year. Overall, I’m really looking forward to it. It’s such a beautiful area. It’s a fun week spent.”

Anglers will take off each day at 7 a.m. Eastern time from the Aune Osborn Boat Launch, located at 1225 Riverside Dr. in Sault Ste. Marie. The daily weigh-ins will also take place at the Aune Osborn Boat Launch, beginning at 3 p.m. The full field fishes each day with the winner in each division being determined by the heaviest cumulative weight.

The National Walleye Tour consists of three regular-season events and a year-end championship. Each regular season event is a two-day, pro-am tournament and delivers over a 100 percent payback. Pros compete against other pros, and co-anglers compete against other co-anglers.

Registration is ongoing for the Sault Ste. Marie event, but the deadline for guaranteed entry (by signing up with a pro or co-angler) has already passed. Registration can be taken over the phone at 501-794-2064 or online by visiting www.nationalwalleyetour.com/tournaments/register/. For more information on rules and tournament payouts, visit www.nationalwalleyetour.com. A BIG thank you for our Local Sault Ste Marie Sponsors!

Sprengel’s strong statement starts NWT 2020

July 26, 2020/in News/by amandagutierrez

OCONTO, Wis. – For the better part of a decade, Korey Sprengel has been the most dominant walleye pro in the sport. But over the last few years, other anglers have encroached on his spotlight – namely Brett King and his quest to win back-to-back Angler of the Year titles, Tom Keenan (reigning AOY) and John Hoyer and his ridiculous three-tournament stretch (two wins, one second) to close 2019. After a delayed start to the 2020 National Walleye Tour season, presented by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s, Sprengel quickly and emphatically reclaimed the unofficial title of “hottest walleye stick on the planet.”

Sprengel fishes Green Bay so often he knows it like the back of his hand. He knows the spots, he understands seasonal migrations and he’s intimately aware of how wind direction impacts current and water temperature. But in a no-cull tournament (anglers can keep six and weigh their best five), even the most experienced pros struggle with the mental turmoil of mistakenly releasing quality fish, or on the other side, keeping mediocre fish and regretting it when the mother lode finally feeds.

Coming into the season opener, Sprengel knew the only person that could beat him was him. With that confidence, he limited himself to only one day of official practice. Instead, he was going to trust himself and make decisions on the fly.

“The whole key this week was my first bite on day one,” recalled the Berkley pro. “With the northeast wind, I knew it was going to be a needle in the haystack. But I also knew the recipe. I just needed to know if the recipe was going to work. That first fish bit twice, if not three times. It was only like a 20-incher, but I knew if they were going to bite multiple times, there was something to be had. From there, it was all about fine tuning it.”

What Sprengel was referring to is a small 100-yard stretch up in the islands area, located roughly 30 miles from takeoff at Breakwater Park and Harbor. This rocky stretch had gobies, but more importantly it had current and warm water. The warm water was especially important and rare with the northeast wind. When Sprengel shocked the field with a 42-pound stringer yesterday, he wasn’t sure the spot would hold up.

“This morning, when I put the trolling motor down and saw the color and temperature of the water, I knew I was going to win. That sounds cocky, but the water was perfectly murky, algae stained and warm. I don’t know where it came from, but I knew that’s where I was going to live.

With no company around initially, Sprengel made his first full pass and caught an 8 1/2, a 7 1/2 and a 6 1/2. He proceeded to catch and box another 6-pounder on his second pass.

“With 27 pounds for four fish by 8:30, I’m thinking I want to head back ASAP and get off the water as easy and safe as possible. But I knew I needed one more bite. But with more and more company showing up, that didn’t come until noon. At one point I counted 21 boats; it was like a parking lot. I finally was able to get through the same area and caught a 24-incher. About 20 minutes later I caught another 6-pounder. I was done at 12:20 on both days one and two.”

Sprengel has had success both with the innovative casting methods as well as traditional trolling. This week, all 10 of his fish came via trolling crawler harnesses.

“In the middle of the summer, the fish start suspending, and that’s when crawler harnesses shine. The crawler harnesses allowed me to have multiple doubles and a key triple today. The other thing was that you don’t lose fish with harnesses. I would use a Fusion 19 octopus hook on the front and round bend trebles on the back. Plus, with monofilament line and planer boards, the fish almost swim in with you. They have no bait to fling around, no weight to throw around when they fight.”

Sprengel’s main line was 14-pound Trilene XL, and his leader was 15-pound Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon. His blades were a combination of Colorado and willow. Gold was the best color blade yesterday, and purple produced the best today. With 1/2- or 1-ounce Offshore Tackle Guppy weights, he would troll between 1.4 and 2 mph depending on the desired depth. When he saw the biggest boulders on his Lowrance SideScan, he’d increase his speeds.

“I watched a lot of boards act like submarines. These Green Bay fish hit hard and are built for speed. It’s all rock down there, but there are giant boulders that act as current breaks. I was always looking at my side imaging on my Lowrances, so I knew when the rocks were going to come up. I wanted my baits close to the bottom (in 10 to 20 feet) without touching. The fish were relating to the current and warm water. The current was basically putting them there because that’s where the warm water was. This morning the water was over 70 degrees. If I got out of that little stretch, it would change by 3 degrees. If I ran 2 miles, the water would be around 57 degrees. That’s how much it varied.”

Sprengel’s cumulative weight was 77.48 pounds. Not only did he have the heaviest weight on the first day, he also managed the biggest bag on the second day. He won the tournament by a whopping 17-pound margin.

“It was all about trusting myself. I knew it was going to take time. After that first bite, I knew the bigger fish would show mid-morning or mid-afternoon, and they did.”

Spanning the National Walleye Tour and the FLW, Sprengel now has six tour-level wins, among other victories on the MWC and NTC. For winning the 2020 season opener, the Beaver Dam, Wis., native earned a Ranger 620FS with a 250-horsepower Mercury outboard, $15,000 cash, and an additional $2,635 in Anglers Advantage cash for a total purse of $92,130.

“This reiterates that confidence in yourself is how you win tournaments. Very few tournaments are won because a guy had a spot and it held up all week. You may not have had the best practice, but you can win if you trust yourself and your electronics. Where I was putting my planer boards, I don’t know that I’ve ever trolled that stretch in my life.

“I’m happy with the win, but it just gives me another start to a consistent year,” Sprengel concluded. “The biggest accomplishment for me is not a win, because wins take some luck. I’m more proud of my AOY finishes over the past eight years. For all those years, I’ve been in contention to win the AOY. That consistency means more to me than winning.”

Lakich up to second

Wisconsin rookie Isaac Lakich made an impressive National Walleye Tour debut. After catching 33.19 on day one, the 24-year-old followed up with another 27.12 today. His two-day total for 10 walleyes was 60.31 pounds. Lakich fished the same general area as Sprengel, but he chose to cast.

“Yesterday I was mainly snap jigging with a Jigging Rap or a Shiver Minnow,” Lakich said. “Today it was flat calm, so I was casting a crawler harness-type rig. It’s technically a slow death rig by Walleye Nation Creations.”

The setup consisted of a 3/4-ounce jig head, spinner rig and slow death hook.

“With my Garmin LiveScope, I was able to put that presentation in a fish’s face every single cast. I LiveScoped almost every fish I caught.”

In his first NWT event, Lakich finished second and earned $21,210.

“It’s pretty crazy. I’m feeling really good, really confident, yet really humbled. I feel so blessed to finish where I did against this competition, the Gary Parsons and Keith Kavajeczs of the world. I can’t even begin to describe what that means.”

Dempsey rallies to third

Local Green Bay, Wis., fisherman Ryan Dempsey surged up the leaderboard after catching a 34.70-pound limit, the second heaviest of the day. Combined with 25.38 from day one, he finished with a cumulative total of 60.08 pounds.

“I was trolling the whole time,” Dempsey revealed. “I tried crankbaits for a bit, but everything came on spinners and crawlers. Yesterday I just fished waypoints and memories and the day got away from me.”

Dempsey explained that Sprengel’s big lead actually put him at ease. Knowing that he couldn’t win, he spent more time looking and fishing freely.

“What I learned is that the fish kind of left the structure and were suspending.”

Dempsey would troll at .9 to 1.2 mph – making 1/4-mile passes. His baits would run through 15 feet over water 30-feet deep. His area was also roughly 30 miles from takeoff. He saw Sprengel once, but never got close.

“I wasn’t like I was on them like crazy. I had a decent day, and then I caught a 10-pounder that saved my butt.”

For third place, Dempsey earned $16,070.

“You always want to win, especially on your home water, but without that 10-pounder, I could have easily been in 15th place. It was a really tough bite.”

Ruffalo fourth, Ell fifth

Rounding out the top five are pros Brandon Ruffalo and Jacob Ell. Ruffalo, another promising young stick from Cleveland, Wis., was remarkably consistent in a difficult bite. On day one, he caught 27.06 pounds, and today he boated 26.95. His two-day total weight for 10 walleyes was 54.01 pounds.

Ell, the Bismarck, N.D., pro, finished fifth with a combined weight of 53.66. After catching 28.25 pounds on day one, Ell slipped to 25.41 today.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 pros at the 2020 National Walleye Tour event on Green Bay:

6th: Tim Long of Bergland, Mich., 51.93

7th: Tommy Kemos of Oconomowoc, Wis., 50.36

8th: David Kolb of Grand Blanc, Mich., 49.52

9th: Jeff Erickson of Appleton, Wis., 49.01

10th: Dylan Nussbaum of St. Marys, Pa., 46.49

Atkinson claims co-angler title

Steve Atkinson took home top honors in the Co-angler Division with a total weight of 57.67 pounds. On day one, Atkinson fished with Jacob Kaprelian and the two caught four walleyes worth 22.97. Today he fished with Dempsey, and together they weighed a limit worth 34.70.

“I won’t be falling asleep at the wheel on the way home tonight,” quipped Atkinson. “The credit goes to my great pros. Those guys knew this lake, and they put me around quality fish. It was a great week.”

Atkinson, the Sault Ste Marie, Mich., native, earned $7,186 for his win.

Up next

The second event of the 2020 National Walleye Tour season is scheduled for Aug. 13-14 in Sault Ste Marie, Mich.