Top pros share thoughts on the upcoming event and season
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (May 17, 2024) – The second stop of The Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s National Walleye Tour presented by Progressive is coming to Red Wing, MN next week, May 23rd – 24th.. The field of 117 Pro- and Co-Anglers will be competing for over $250,000 in cash and prizes on the Mississippi River where the winning Pro-Angler will walk away with $15,000 cash plus a 2024 Nitro ZV20 powered by a 225-hp Mercury Marine motor. The winning Co-Angler will take home a check worth $7,500.
After the Lake Erie event last month, Ranger Boats & Mercury Marine Pro-Angler John Hoyer claimed the first NWT champion of the 2024 season with a total weight of 69.13. That finish also puts him in the lead of the 2024 Progressive Angler of the Year race going into the second stop of the season.
Taking a look at the Mississippi River for next week’s tournament, here is what a few NWT Pro-Anglers had to say about the event.
Ranger/ Mercury Pro-Angler Dusty Minke is Ready to Compete in this Home State
Dusty Minke, a native of Minnesota, ended the 2023 NWT season with a ton of momentum, earning a Top-10 finish at the NWT Championship on Devil’s Lake. After the first event, Dusty is already carrying that same momentum into this season after a 34th place finish at Lake Erie.
“The NWT coming to Minnesota this season is huge, and I’ve been looking forward to this event since the season was announced last year,” said the Aftco Pro-Angler.
“I’m looking forward to getting back to the River, I spent a lot of time over the years on these waters. The place just fits my style and is a beautiful place to fish.”
Reports are that recent rains have raised the water levels on the Mississippi River, creating perfect conditions for next week’s event.
“This is a place where everything is going to be working. Anglers that like to troll can troll, anglers wanting to fish bait will be able to fish bait, even anglers wanting to target fish with LiveScope will be able to find that opportunity also.”
Bass Pro Shops/ Nitro Pro-Angler Jesse Glines Says a River Tournament Could be a “Shake-Up”
South Dakota Pro-Angler Jesse Glines thinks a river tournament could ‘shake-up’ things for this season.
“I’ve had experience on the Mississippi River, but I have never fished Pool 3 & 4,” said the Bass Pro Shops/ Nitro Boats angler.
Glines also concurs that the recent rains, and bringing the water levels up, will factor for a lot of anglers, and believes it could create a lot of positive opportunities for anglers next week. Higher water could allow for more access to backwater areas of the river.
“There are going to be several different patterns that anglers will focus on. I feel like anglers will be wanting to make a long run so that they can focus on trolling. But there will be a number of anglers wanting to stay in the main channels and target fish using forward-facing sonar.”
Mississippi River Take-off (7am CST) Each Day:
Treasure Island Resort & Casino-Paradise Cove
5743 Sturgeon Lake Road
Welch, MN 55089
Mississippi River Weigh-In (3pm CST) Each day:
Treasure Island Resort & Casino-Paradise Cove
5743 Sturgeon Lake Road
Welch, MN 55089
The National Walleye Tour consists of four regular-season events and a no-entry-fee championship. Each regular season event is a two-day tournament and delivers over a 100 percent payback. Pro-Anglers compete against other Pro-Anglers, and Co-Anglers compete against other co-anglers.
For more information on rules and tournament payouts, visit https://www.nationalwalleyetour.com/
2024 National Walleye Tour Schedule:
- April 18-19 – Port Clinton, OH | Lake Erie
- May 23-24 – Red Wing, MN | Mississippi River
- June 20-21 – Oconto, WI | Bay of Green Bay
- August 1-2 – Garrison, ND | Lake Sakakawea
- September 4-6 – Oscoda, MI | Lake Huron
For more information on the National Walleye Tour, including the 2024 tournament schedule, fact sheets, photos, and official tournament results from past events, visit nationalwalleyetour.com. Subscribing to the NWT e-newsletter is the best way to receive up-to-date information, registration announcements, sponsor incentives, and Outdoor TeamWorks news.
About National Walleye Tour
National Walleye Tour (NWT) is part of the Outdoor Team Works family of fishing tournaments. The OTW brand offers a wide range of fishing events from professional tournaments to grassroots fishing derbies. All events are supported by some of the top companies in the nation and include on-site activation and activities, as well as extensive media support. For live updates and information, follow NWT on Facebook and Instagram or visit https://outdoorteamworks.com/ to catch up on all the action.
2024 Proud Sponsors
Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, Progressive, Nitro Boats, Ranger Boats, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Aftco, Garmin, Power-Pole, TH Marine, Sunline, Gamakatsu, TrollMaster, Panther Marine, Gemini G2