Daniel Woodke in Second and Eric McQuoid in Third
Day-1 NWT Story is presented by Garmin
Oconto, WI. (June 20, 2024) — Day One of the 2024 Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s National Walleye Tour (NWT) presented by Progressive tournament #3 out of the Bay of Green Bay in Oconto, WI belongs to Kevin McQuoid.
At take-off on day one anglers were met with a brisk, cool early summer breeze and overcast conditions for the first day of competition. Many anglers were committed to making long runs to the ‘Big Bay’ and by doing so are limiting their overall fishing time but in pro level events that is often what it takes to win. Although Kevin had a very tough practice, he was able to find one little area that after scanning in practice with his Garmin LiveScope, he felt could give him the three-fish limited needed during the tournament. What happened in the end, is the fish he caught secured him the lead for Day-1 at the Bay of Green Bay in Oconto, WI and has the rest of the field chasing him tomorrow.
“I was able to network with my son [Eric] during practice and he really was the one that found the sweet spot we are sharing this week,” said the Minnesota Pro-Angler. When talking about his son also ending Day-1 in the Top-3 of the leaderboard, Kevin found himself a little emotional. “The NWT and this sport is all about family. For us to both have incredibly good days on the water just truly means a lot.”
Kevin believes he is in the right area and believes Day-2 could be just successful as his day 1 was after weighing in 26-09 for his three fish catch.
“If I can come in tomorrow with around the same bag, I think we can pull this off and take home the trophy.”
Local Pro-Angler Daniel Woodke Finishes Day-1 in Second
Ranger/ Mercury angler Daniel Woodke from Gillett, WI ends Day 1 less than a pound out of the lead after weighing in a limit worth 25-14. After weighing-in early at the Oconto Breakwater Park & Harbor, Daniel reported that his only fish catches of the day were the fish he weighed-in.
“The no-cull rule is tricky up here, but today couldn’t have worked out better catching the right fish I needed to weigh-in,” said the Ranger/ Mercury angler. “I have a lot of history on this body of water, but fishing against this group of anglers changes a few things mentally.”
The Wisconsin angler said that he also feels like he left biting fish and feels good about his chances tomorrow.
“Tomorrow is all about having fun, because today I already feel like I accomplished a lot. But to be in contention to win truly means so much, and being an NWT champion is something anglers dream about.”
Third Place belongs to Garmin/ AFTCO Pro-Angler Eric McQuoid
When the dust settled, the second half of the McQuoid father-and-son duo, Eric McQuoid finished Day-1 at the Bay of Green Bay with a limit worth 23-14 and is in third place.
Eric is no stranger to finding himself at the top of the NWT leaderboard, thanks to him winning the 2021 NWT Championship. Now he finds himself in a place where he could walk away with a regular season victory….if he can edge out his dad.
“Man today is something we have always talked about,” said the AFTCO/ Garmin Pro-Angler. “I ran a few areas in practice and found a place where I knew I could catch quality fish, and we also are not bunched up on each other. I want to see my dad win one of these, but I also am extremely competitive by nature, so tomorrow is going to be very special for the both of us. I know mom will be nervous and excited either way.”
The Rest of the Top-Ten After Day 1 on the Mississippi River
4.) DRAKE HERD ALEXANDRIA, MN 23-12
5.) CHRIS ALLRED GENESEE, MI 20-09
6.) HUNTER NITTI ROSEMOUNT, MN 20-06
7.) JACOB ELL BISMARCK, ND 20-04
8.) MATT SCHIEFELBEIN STURGEON BAY, WI 17-15
9.) ANDREW HUGO LINWOOD, MI 17-03
10.) JOHN KOPCOK MAIDSTONE, ON 15-15
Day 1 Pro-Angler results can be found here.
Day-1 leading Co-Angler is Scott Peterson, from Ramsey, MN, with 26-09
Full Co-Angler results from Day 1 are here.
Day-2 LIVE weigh-in coverage will start at 1:30pm CST through this link: https://outdoorteamworks.com/live/
Immediately following weigh-in the National Professional Angler’s Association will be hosting a Kid’s Fishing Clinic! The first 200 kids at the event will receive either a fishing rod or t-shirt.
Additional information on the events, contingency prizes, and more exciting announcements will be shared soon. For more information on updated angler qualifications, please visit www.nationalwalleyetour.com.
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