The 2024 NWT championship is happening Sept 4-6 on Lake Huron out of Oscoda, MI.

What’s up for grabs?

The event will feature the top-41 pros and cos in Progressive Angler of the Year standings who have qualified for this year’s championship. Pro-Anglers who are competing in the no-entry fee championship will be fishing for a 1st-place prize of a 2024 Ranger 620FS powered by a Mercury 250 Pro XS . The winning pro will also earn $30K cash as well as any additional money from various contingency programs. Co-Anglers will be fishing for a first-place prize of $6.5K. At the end of the event, 1 in 2 anglers will walk away with a paycheck from the championship.

In addition to the championship title on the line, pro- and co-anglers will be fishing the final tournament of the season and will be earning points toward the 2024 Progressive Angler of the Year honors. Not only is this a life-changing title for any angler, the 2024 Progressive Angler of the Year will also walk away with a 2024 Nitro ZV21 powered by a Mercury 300 Pro XS. Past Angler of the Year title holders include Duane Hjelm, Korey Sprengel, and John Hoyer.

Where we at?

The NWT has been to Sault Ste Marie, MI numerous times, but that would have been about a 150 mile run one-way to get to the Oscoda, MI area of Lake Huron....

Far as I can tell ????️‍♂️ the last time the NWT had folks fishing somewhat near-ish the Oscoda, MI area of Lake Huron was June 14-15, 2018 at the Saginaw Bay event that launched out of Bay City, MI. Most of Saginaw Bay fishes completely differently than the ‘big water’ of Lake Huron, BUT the top-3 finishing pros at that event were actually making a 70 to 80-ish mile run out to the big water (and closer to Oscoda, MI where the championship will be held).

So those areas would all be in play for the Championship AND allow them even more fishing time (versus spending the majority of their time making the longer runs out to their spots, stopping for gas, and running all the way back...which left them with only a few-ish hours of actual fishing time).

How the top-3 pros caught ‘em at that 2018 Saginaw Bay event.

Walleye hammer Brett “Kinger” King took home 1st with 10 for 49.83 lbs.

So much for trolling to win...he won it casting (this was before FFS) at rockpiles with a "chrome blue" color #7 Rapala Rippin' Rap.

“With the right conditions, I was willing to take the gamble and make the run. I put over 400 miles on my new boat during the 2 tournament days. It’s a daunting thing to think about those runs. Everything has to go perfect, and this time it did.

“Most of the time my boat would sit in 20-24’...the top of the pile would be in the mid-teens where they were relating to a specific type of rock. These clear-water fish were skittish, so we’d make long casts...let it hit bottom and rip it back up. When you’re limited on time, you’ve got to fish clean.

“If I got a bite, it was almost a guarantee that it was a walleye over 3 lbs. Occasionally it was a lake trout and [the 2nd day] I caught 2 smallmouths for the first time. Knowing it was a walleye made it really fun. Plus, Saginaw Bay has such a clean bottom – it’s an awesome place to cast.”

Joe Okada’s 2nd-place bag weighed just a few water droplets (0.12 lbs) less than Kinger’s.

He also caught his fish casting a #7 “blue chrome” Rapala Rippin’ Rap with the standard “rip and let it fall” technique.

Said he fished an isolated rockpile 80-ish miles from takeoff on the west side. Only had 3.5 hours of fishing time after the long run.

Joe Okada: “I only fished 1 spot today...once you’re there, you can’t waste time hopping around. At least I can’t do it that way – I have to fish more thoroughly.

“The rockpile was almost 100 yards long, but only one small section of it held fish. It was 15′ on top of the pile, but adjacent to deep water. The fish could come and go. They’d stop, hunker down and snack on some gobies.

Tom Keenan took 3rd with a 2-day total (10 fish) of 47.45 lbs. He caught his fish using leeches and crawlers black/purple #7 Rapala Rippin’ Raps.

Tom: “The fish were eating gobies and the water is so gin clear up there.... I didn’t want a real bright bait...black purple wasn’t quite as flashy.

“I was trying to throw on the rock transitions and have my co-angler work the edge. I’d make a long cast – let it hit bottom – and rip it up. I was just basically ripping it.

“I fished 5 or 6 different rock piles in 12-21′. When it was gin clear, I’d start on the deeper piles."

So what’s it gonna take to win? ????

Obviously it was a while back and a different time of year, but those fellas had a 4.75- to 4.98-lb average on 10 fish, and they only had a few hours to fish each day after their long runs. And keep in mind this was in 2018 before forward-facing sonar entered the chat, and the top folks were still more effective running casting programs versus trolling....

Not personally knowing any specifics about how the size structure has changed (or not) out there, all I can say is more time to fish + folks more dialed in thx to FFS = heavier avg weights to come. Especially considering that culling IS allowed in this tourney.

I almost forgot to mention that the Michigan Walleye Tour was out of Alpena (40 miles north) about a month ago. It was a 101 boat field, made up of 3-person teams, and fishing for 2 days. The top-3 teams each broke the 50-lb mark and 1st place had 53.2 lbs on 10 fish (full results).

Soooo I’ve gotta think that they’re gonna need to have a 3-day total (15 fish) of 80 lbs to be in the hunt. But cracking 85+ is for sure doable if the weather holds out. Can’t wait to see how it all goes down!

Oh, and don’t forget ‼️ there’s an 8-oz dead fish penalty if any fish “is determined to be non-releasable. The cooler water temps of the Great Lakes definitely helps with this, but if the wind is blowing they still get beat up in the livewell, so that's...

And it’s not because we’re getting too old/tired/sore to actually swim.... Some tourney pros have been using ’em to give their fish extra cushioning in the livewell in rough water. Especially awesome idea for you Great Lakes guys.

Helps eliminate the gap between the water and the top of the livewell = the water/fish slosh around less...don’t smack their heads off the “ceiling.”

Bonus snippet: You can use the leftover noodles to make the ultimate DIY leader holder. As Ross Robertson says, “Because tangles suck.” Older video, but a great little trick:

Dude has always been an absolute master and fishing arts & crafts.

Few lines from here.

Parent size and the conditions in which actively spawning adults lived are the most influential factors affecting growth of Lake Erie walleye, a new study has found.

The findings surprised the scientists, who expected recent temperatures and food availability to have the highest impact on walleye growth.

Cold winters and more sizable mothers were associated with faster growth in 3- to 5-yr-old walleye offspring....

"When you're thinking about factors that affect growth, you think you have to account for temperature and prey. And in reality, those signals were so small themselves that they weren't the strongest in any way. It was very surprising."

The pace of growth is used in research as an indicator of overall health in many species – and is influenced not only by experiences, but also genetics. By any measure, the current status of the Lake Erie walleye population is considered quite robust....

Sounds to me like instead of pushing climate change talk, I’d rather focus on protecting those big female fish.... But of course Lake Erie is a whole different world from anything we’ve got around here as far as walleye populations and size structures go.

Which I suppose is why their “tournament weigh-in bags” looks so much different. ????

- That’s guide Jeff Sundin talking about bass walleye fishing during algae blooms throughout Aug and early-Sept...but it’s actually one of his favorite scenarios to target ’em:

“A lot of people take one look at these conditions and say, ‘Nope, I’m not doing this.’ But if you fish the right spots with the right tactics, algae blooms can produce some of the summer’s most consistent and enjoyable walleye fishing.”

Jeff goes over a whole bunch of specifics on how and where he hits ’em right now in this Dan Johnson In-Fisherman write-up. ????

1. Forrest Leitch and “Hank” had themselves a day ???? dropshotting with a half of a nightcrawler. Forrest said, “Never know what you’ll stumble across in these tiny [few hundred-ish acre] northern-MN lakes! I knew this lake was home to a few walleyes, pleasantly surprised to find out there were some big ones.” Pleasant surprise is right:

Start ’em off young. ????

2. Brittany Peeters catching waldos in northern SK with her blue-eyed fur child! ???????????? Said she caught this one on the “Canadian Classic” aka jig + minnow:

3. Riley Dalzell’s pupdawg, Rip, figured out a new way to cool off – that or he’s trying to catch the fish that Riley already threw in the well haha. Either way he’s legit smiling:

4. Lindsay Martin and her furry friend Gus are cheesin’ with a solid, southeastern-CO saugeye! Pic posted on @eagleclawfishing’s Insta:

5. This miniature Australian shepherd (named Trout!) has more patience for the trolling bite than I do:

6. Enjoy these hot summer days ‘cuz we’ll be walking on water ???????? before ya know it...and not everyone is as excited about that idea. Shot from @jigsandspoons:

1. Here’s the 2025 NWT schedule:

Apr 24-25: Missouri River – Bismark, ND

May 22-23: Mississippi River – La Crosse, WI

July 10-11: Lake Huron – Alpena, MI

August 7-8: Lake Erie – Dunkirk, NY

September 3-5: Bay of Green Bay – Marinette, WI

2. Water Gremlin assets being auctioned off, Aug 27.

Sinker/weight company that entered Chap 11 bankruptcy last year.

Complete Operation Liquidation – Featuring: a late model fully automated packing line, huge quantity of lead finished goods, work in process and raw material (approximately 485,000 lbs), fabricating, sorting, and packaging equipment, and 70+ yr brand names and trademarks.

3. MN: Mille Lacs walleye limit increases TOMORROW.

Effective Fri, Aug 16 thru Sat, Nov 30:

Mille Lacs walleye anglers can harvest up to 2 walleye.... Both fish can be 18-20” in length, or 1 can be 18-20” and the other must be longer than 28”.

4. MI/WI: Lac Vieux Desert Tribe restoring wild rice + walleye...

...on Lake Lac Vieux Desert...along the Michigan/Wisconsin border is the headwaters of the Wisconsin River.

The tribe is tackling the issue from multiple angles: fighting invasive species, reseeding wild rice, and now, it’s working with the Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest to try and improve the water levels on the lake for the manoomin.

The project is also meant to improve walleye populations in Lake Lac Vieux Desert by improving fish passages.

Shively says the walleye, or Ogaa, have not been naturally reproducing since the mid-2000s, the Tribe and lake association have been extensively stocking the lake.

5. Great Lakes grants to combat invasive species.

Wildlife Forever is proud to continue a partnership grant program with the USDA Forest Service focused on implementing community outreach to prevent Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) in the Great Lakes region. This collaboration is made possible through the generous support of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Through a simple grant request, organizations and agencies will gain access to a wide range of high- quality materials designed to increase awareness and understanding of AIS and promote effective prevention measures. Outreach materials include educational resources, such as brochures, posters, decals, and Clean Drain Dry products, available for viewing and purchase at CleanDrainDry.org.

6. MN: United Way derby raised over $18.5K.

We had an absolute blast fishing for a great cause!

7. SK: Hicks/Fidierchuk win Premier’s Walleye Cup on Tobin Lake.

8. Fishing the Midwest is hiring a sales specialist...

...to assist in selling sponsorship opportunities.

9. Walleye Nation Creations hasn't raised their prices...

...for 4 years in a row! ???? Which in today’s world is absolutely crazy. They make a ton of great stuff that has literally caught multiple state-record walleyes in the last year.

10. AR: PRADCO dedicates test tank to long-time employees.

Super cool!

11. MI: State is high on economic impact of fishing tourneys.

12. CO: Anti-milfoil herbicide will be used at Boulder Rez.

13. ME has new wakesurfing regs. ????

New law went into place on Aug 9 that...

...prohibits the operation of a motorboat engaged in a wakesurfing activity in less than 15' of water or within 300' of the shoreline.

14. NJ: CWR Dealer Training & Expo gets new venue for ‘25.

Will take place at the Golden Nugget Atlantic City Hotel, Casino & Marina on Feb 3-7, 2025.

“If you eat smallies the day they’re caught, it’s hard to distinguish them from walleyes.”

Tom Boley's 3 summertime walleye tips every angler should know.

Per usual, Tom’s entire 29:44 video is loaded with a bunch of juicy little nuggets, but here’s the time stamps to jump to a few of his main talking points if wanted...

Tip #1 (7:25): Using electronics to find fish. Not just FFS...all forms of electronics. Fish are more congregated in the spring and fall, but they're much more spread out in the middle of summer.

Tip #2 (13:30): He talks cycling thru multiple presentations because fish can be in so many different places, doing so many different things, and in different moods.

Tip #3 (20:28): Don’t get locked into fishing one specific type of structure.

Now here’s the full vid, which also has a bunch of fish catches mixed in:

This is either good or terrible news, depending just how crazy you are:

Doesn’t seem possible ???? but it is! We’re just 105 days away from Thanksgiving, which is on Nov 28 this year....

Of course there's still lots of great open-water fishing left [!!!] but I'm digging this chilly teaser just posted by our friends at Clam Outdoors:

Btw tomorrow is Clam Pro Day. Follow along on their social media throughout the day as they share a ton of new ice-fishing goodies that are being released soon.

Thanks so much for reading! ???? Have a great weekend!

National Professional Anglers Assoc.

MN-FISH

Target Walleye LLC

422 Laurel Street

P.O. BOX 541

Brainerd, MN 56401

 (218) 824 5026