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AIM® Heads to Oconto on Green Bay for its First-Ever Pro Team Challenge, July 20-22, 2012


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New format - 3 Anglers with 6 lines - should be fun!

http://www.aimfishing.com/View-Article/4...July-20-22-2012

AIM announced today they will be heading to Oconto on Green Bay for its first-ever Pro Team Challenge. The walleye-rich waters of Green Bay off Oconto, Wis., will be the site of the AIM Pro Walleye Series™ Pro Team Challenge when its angler armada heads there July 20-22.

In 2010, the last time AIM pros visited the bay, they broke just about every AIM record including largest fish, biggest basket, as well as total weight. Those records attest to the number and quality of fish that will be waiting off picturesque Oconto with a population of 4,700, located midway between the city of Green Bay and Marinette, WI. Pro teams will be competing using the Pro Team Challenge format where each team consists of a pro and a chosen team member invited by that pro. The pro team is randomly paired with a different co-anger each day of the tournament. This unique format will put three anglers in each boat and allow the use of up to six rods. Tournament entry fees are $1,200 for each pro team and $300 for each co-angler. Pro teams are competing for one hundred percent of all pro team entries, however that percentage could rise. Actual payout schedule will be released in the near future.

“AIM chose Oconto because of its excellent walleye fishery that is well known across the Midwest,” said Joe Baron, AIM Pro Walleye Series CEO. “Green Bay’s walleye migrate north throughout the summer and when AIM arrives, the population of migrating walleye in Oconto should be at its peak. This should be an exciting tournament not only in number and weight of fish caught, but also the new Pro Team Challenge format.” Baron added. AIM is well known for its Catch-Record-Release format which allows the teams to weigh their seven largest fish. Anglers aren’t limited by the no cull regulations of Green Bay since all fish are returned to the water after being photographed and recorded.

"I'm very excited about the AIM Pro Team Challenge. This will be the first time I've had the opportunity to compete against some of the very talented team anglers from across the country,” said AIM pro Chase Parsons of nearby Brillion, WI, “I'll treat this event exactly as I would a Pro/Co where I cover all of the expenses alone, however now I'll have a "hand-picked" partner and a co-angler in the boat as well,” Parsons said. “Having a third person in the boat will allow us to run more lines,” he added. “Some of the best Pro/Co and Team anglers in the country, competing head to head, on one of the best walleye fisheries in the world...all in one tournament. Can it get any better?"

Mercury Pro Team angler Cameron Lewis of West Bend, WI, is one of the AIM rookies expected to be in the hunt on the tour this year. “I am super excited for this new unique team event, with the top talent from around the country in walleye fishing coming to one of my favorite fishing towns around. My team partner and I are so pumped for this event. Catch-Record-Release is awesome, because all those big Green Bay walleyes we catch will go back for another day. Additionally, co-anglers will get twice the experience by having two pro-caliber anglers in the boat. Got to love that....,” Lewis added.

AIM Pro Robert Blosser, of Poynette, WI, echoed those thoughts, as did another AIM young gun, Joe Okada, of Fitchburg, WI. “Oconto in July is as good as it gets on Green Bay. The bite will be on fire and everything will be close, within five to 10 miles of town. Having the majority of fishing right there will make for interesting planning and giant weights,” said Blosser, who placed second in AIM’s first visit to the bay in 2009 and won it all in 2010. While both those tournaments were headquartered in Green Bay, Blosser said that most pros fishing them headed north to the Oconto area, and he’s looking forward to try for a repeat win.

Green Bay’s walleye fishery is a story of an amazing comeback. A reversal of years of commercial over-harvest has resulted in a stunning turnaround. Many anglers feel it may hold the next Wisconsin state record. Alewives and plentiful perch have become the forage base to grow the bay walleyes big and hungry. The natural reefs around the Oconto area make perfect mid-summer walleye haunts.

The town of Oconto will be ready for AIM as well, said tournament director and Oconto City Councilman Richard Doeren. Headquarters will be Oconto’s Breakwater Park, where the daily virtual weigh-ins will take place. “We’re going to make this a festive occasion the entire three days,” Doeren said. Expect a parade of the pros and their boats downtown, drawings for a chance to fish in a “mini-tournament” with a pro for some lucky anglers, plus events tailor-made for kids to introduce them to fishing. “We want to make this tournament a family fishing affair to get everyone involved.”

Please visit AIM at www.aimfishing.com for further information on AIM and their marketing partners.

Anglers Insight Marketing, LLC™ (AIM) is a unique tournament organization which is owned by stockholders, the majority of which are Professional walleye anglers. AIM Professionals are among the All Stars of professional fishing, with cumulative HUNDREDS of years of tournament experience, including countless tournament victories, series championships, and Angler of the Year titles. This insight and knowledge is now being employed to provide the finest tournament experience for the participants, and the maximum exposure for the host tournament sites and corporate partners.

AIM Marketing Partners:

Bay Mills Resort & Casinos, Lund Boat Company, Mercury Marine/MotorGuide, Yamaha Marine, Crestliner Boats, JJ Keller Fishing Team, The Reel Shot, Navionics, John Butts Outdoors, Oahe Wings & Walleyes, Luck E Strike Lures, Worldwide Marine Insurance, Pier of d’Nort piers, Come By Chance Resort, Reef Runner Lures, The Judge Tournament Ruler, Rite in the Rain Paper, G2 Angling, M419 Guide Service.

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Brianf.
      I'm not there, so I can't tell exactly what's going on but it looks like a large area of open water developed in the last day with all of the heavy snow on the east side of wake em up Narrows. These two photos are from my Ring Camera facing north towards Niles Point.  You can see what happened with all of snow that fell in the last three days, though the open water could have been wind driven. Hard to say. .  
    • SkunkedAgain
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    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   Thanks to some cold spring weather, ice fishing continues strong for those still ice fishing.  The bite remains very good.  Most resorts have pulled their fish houses off for the year, however, some still have fish houses out and others are allowing ATV and side by sides.  Check social media or call ahead to your favorite resort for specifics. Reports this week for walleyes and saugers remain excellent.   A nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, and an occasional crappie, tullibee or sturgeon being reported by anglers. Jigging one line and using a live minnow on the second line is the way to go.  Green, glow red, pink and gold were good colors this week.     Monster pike are on a tear!  Good number of pike, some reaching over 45 inches long, being caught using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring in 8 - 14' of water.   As always, work through a resort or outfitter for ice road conditions.  Safety first always. Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st, the walleye / sauger season goes through April 14th and the pike season never ends. On the Rainy River...  The river is opened up along the Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, the Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp.  This past week, much of the open water skimmed over with the single digit overnight temps.   Areas of the river have popped open again and with temps getting warmer, things are shaping up for the last stretch through the rest of the spring season, which continues through April 14th.   Very good numbers of walleyes are in the river.  Reports this week, even with fewer anglers, have been good.  When temps warm up and the sun shines, things will fire up again.   Jigs with brightly colored plastics or jigs with a frozen emerald shiner have been the desired bait on the river.  Don't overlook slow trolling crankbaits upstream as well.   Good reports of sturgeon being caught on the river as well.  Sturgeon put the feed bag on in the spring.  The bite has been very good.  Most are using a sturgeon rig with a circle hook loaded with crawlers or crawlers / frozen emerald shiners. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle.  Walleyes, saugers, and a number of various species in the mix again this week.  The bite is still very good with good numbers of fish.  The one two punch of jigging one line and deadsticking the second line is working well.   Check with Angle resorts on transport options from Young's Bay.  Call ahead for ice road guidelines.  
    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
      A friend who has a cabin between Alex and Fergus said the lake he's on refroze. He texted me a pic from March 12th when it was open and one from 23rd when it wasn't. 🤯
    • SkunkedAgain
      I don't think that there has been any ice melt in the past few weeks on Vermilion. Things looked like a record and then Mother Nature swept in again.   I'll give my revised guess of April 21st
    • leech~~
      As I get older it's really not just about sending bullets down range.  Some of it's just the workmanship of the gun and the wow factor. The other two guns I have really wanted which I'll never have now because of their price, is a 8mm Jap Nambu and 9mm German Luger.   Just thought they always looked cool!  
    • jim curlee
      I had a guy hit me with a lightly used 1969 BAR, he wanted $1650 with an older Leupold scope. More than I think they are worth, I made an offer, he declined end of story.   You know if you look at the old brochures, a grade II BAR sold for $250 in the late 60s, $1650 would be a good return on your investment.    Why would anybody want a 50 year old gun, they are heavy, have wood stocks, and blued metal.  I guess mainly to keep their gun safes glued to the floor. lol   You can probably buy a stainless rifle that you never have to clean, with a synthetic stock you never have to refinish, is as light as a feather, and for half as much money, perfect.   I'm too old for a youth gun, although I've shrunk enough that it would probably fit. lol   No Ruger 10/44s.   Jim      
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