Pro-Angler Robert Crow & Co-Angler Tom Potts Take Day-1 Lead with 21-02 on Lake Sharpe

Pro Leininger and Co-Angler Nelson sit in Second

Pro Topper and Co-Angler Doughty land in 3rd

Day-1 Final Story Presented by Garmin

Pierre, SD (April 24th, 2025) – Day One of the 2025 Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s National Walleye Tour presented by Progressive proved to be cold and wet for the anglers competing on Lake Sharpe in Pierre, SD. However those conditions did not slow down  Washington angler Robert Crow and his Co-Angler Tom Potts who brought in a massive five-fish limit weighing 21-02 to take a commanding lead of over seven pounds.

Crow, a tournament Pro-Angler with a long history of tournament fishing reported that his practice was slow, but the seasoned pro knew he had some areas that held quality fish, and after putting it all together on Day-1, he walked across the NWT stage with the largest bag of the day which lead to his large lead.

“Today was just one of those magical days,” said Crow. “I was hoping for 8 pounds and praying for 12. I covered a lot of water but left myself enough time to really work in my best areas. Catching two overs with one weighing 9 and one weighing 7, I mean what more could you hope for”.

He went on reporting he was confident about tomorrow and was hoping he may not have to run around as much and giving himself the best chance possible to come in with another big limit to secure the win.

“I am fishing my style, and I feel good about it, but these anglers are the best there is in walleye fishing and as you can see by the weights for the majority of the field, Lake Sharpe is fishing tough.”
Pro Nate Leininger and his Co-Angler Jared Nelson are in second after weighing in a  13-08 limit   They also took advantage of a couple quality bites that took his limit a long way up the leaderboard.

“We made a run down river this morning to a place where I thought I could catch some quality fish, low-and-behold my first cast was a 4-pounder”, reported the Minnesota NWT Pro-Angler. “We were able to boat another fish that was a quality bite, filled our limit, and then came back closer to launch early. We left around noon.”

Nate went on to say that although he is making the long run, holding down the second place spot gives him the confidence to go back and fish it for all the spot is worth. He believes the fish are there, but he fished conservative today.

Rounding Out the Top 3 is Pro-Angler Randy Topper with 12-08 which included one solid walleye over the 20” inch mark.

“It was cold and wet today, but my Co-Angler [Shane Doughty] started catching fishing pretty much first thing this morning, which gave us the confidence to keep our head down and get to business,” said the Minnesota Pro-Angler.

Randy and his co-angler went on to say they caught around twenty-five keepers throughout the day but were very careful about what they kept in the livewell, in the end they made good decisions.

“I am catching them all looking at them on [Garmin] Livescope. Nothing special and hopefully tomorrow I can explain a little more in what I am doing.”

Rest of the Top-10:

4.)       JUSTIN COLE                      MADISON, SD                      10-15

5.)       STYLES BROWN                WHITE, SD                          10-09

6.)       TYSON KELLER                  PIERRE, SD                         10-01

7.)       DUANE HJELM                    PIERRE, SD                         9-11

8.)       JOE BRICKO                        WOODBURY, MN                9-04

8.)       JOSH FREESEMAN           ARLINGTON, SD                 9-04

10.)     DUSTIN T MINKE                WALKER, MN                       9-03

Full Day-1 Pro-Angler Results can be found here.

Day-1 leading Co-Angler is Tom Potts from Hartington, NE with 21-02

Top-10 Co-Anglers after Day-1 on Lake Sharpe:

1.)       TOM POTTS                         HARTINGTON, NE              21-02

2.)       JARED NELSON                 MONROE, SD                      13-08

3.)       SHANE DOUGHTY             MEADVILLE, PA                 12-08

4.)       PRESTON YINDRA            MISHICOT, WI                     10-15

5.)       ALEX ETTER                       OSAKS, MN                          10-09

6.)       DENNIS NELSON               DEVILS LAKE, ND              10-01

7.)       TOM LEVOS                         LEONARD, ND                     9-11

8.)       LARRY GANGL                   MANDAN, ND                       9-04

8.)       NATE SMART                      ESTEVAN, AB                      9-04

10.)     DAMON GOHLKE               NESHKORO, WI                  9-03

Full Day-1 Co-Angler results can be found here.

Fans wishing to catch the Day-2 NWT action from Lake Sharpe in Pierre, SD are encouraged to come to the final day weigh-in tomorrow at Steamboat Park. The weigh-in will start each day at 3:15pm and is free for the whole family and open to the public. Fans and anglers will have the chance to meet the pros, get autographs, see big fish, and even capture a photo at the NWT media wall. Immediately following weigh-in, there will be a FREE kid’s fishing clinic where fishing rods, shirts, and other sponsor gear will be available to the kids in attendance.

 2025 National Walleye Tour Schedule:

●       April 24-25             Pierre, SD                  Lake Sharpe

●       May 22-23              La Crosse, WI            Mississippi River

●       July 10-11             Alpena, MI                 Lake Huron

●       August 7-8             Dunkirk, NY               Lake Erie

●       September 3-5      Marinette, WI             Bay of Green Bay

For more information on the National Walleye Tour, including the 2025 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.

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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 www.nationalwalleyetour.com to catch up on all the action.