Day-1 of the 2024 NWT Championship Goes to Nitro/Mercury Pro-Angler Keith Kavajecz

The Nitro/ Mercury Pro angler walked across the NWT stage with a 5-fish Michigan limit and his legendary smile. Keith is a veteran angler on tour and known by a lot of anglers as one of the “god fathers” to walleye fishing. He leads the field after the first day of competition on Lake Huron.

“You know today everything just fell into place and the right fish decided to bite”, said the Bass Pro Shops Pro-Angler. “My practice was not all that great, like most of the other anglers out here this week, but a little tip from my traveling partner Jim Carrol pointed me in the right direction and the magic came at the right time.”

Keith reported catching his fish in moderate depts on Lake Huron and caught multiple keepers throughout the day, and culled a few times before heading back to weigh-in.

“You never know what could happen tomorrow, but I feel like I left a few swimming, so I am really happy to be in this position and look forward to launching my Nitro boat again in the morning and making this the best championship event I can.”

Keith has a 5 ounce lead over second place going into Day-2.

Second Place goes to Ranger Pro-Angler Thomas Slawatycki

New York native Thomas Slawatycki was also another NWT Pro-Angler that brought in a 5-fish limit. When the dust settled his five Lake Huron walleye weighed 19-10. Thomas made the 2024 NWT Championship after finishing 38^th in Progressive Angler of the Year points.

“This has been the best event I have had all year,” said the Ranger/ Mercury Pro-Angler. “Unlike a lot of anglers, I had a really decent practice and I am dialed in fishing deep and slow, just like how I like to catch em.”

Thomas was another top angler that repeated leaving biting fish and culling several times throughout the day before heading back into weigh-in at AuSable Harbor of Refuge in Oscoda, MI.

“I’m not a young guy out here, so to have this opportunity and to be in this position at an event like this just means so much. Tomorrow my plan is to go put five more in the livewell and hope to make the cut”.

If Thomas is able to keep the momentum, he would set himself up to accomplish his first Top-5 finish of the season.

Third Place goes to Nitro/ Mercury Pro-Angler Brian Bjorkman

North Dakota NWT veteran Pro-Angler Brian Bjorkman ended Day-1 of the 2024 NWT Championship in third place with a total of 19-00.

The Ranger/ Mercury Pro-Angler qualified for the 2024 NWT Championship after finishing 22^nd in AOY points and was a threat all year on tour during the regular season.

“Man I gotta catch my breath to think about what happened today,” joked the Get BioFuel Pro-Angler. “They are there, and the bite is getting better and better each day since I found the juice in practice. I don’t want to jinx myself, but this is the most confident I have felt in a long time”.

Brian reported have an area that is presenting biting fish both up shallow and out in deeper water, the key is just to keep moving and stay in rotation to the biting window.

“The only key to what I am doing, is I am looking at them on forward-facing sonar. Without that, it would be darn near impossible to catch them the way I am.”

Brian goes into the second day less than a point out of the lead.

Rest of the Top-10:

4.) Evan Rosemore     North Branch, MN     18-15

5.) Jake Caughey        Fargo, ND                 18-13

6.) Max Wilson            Campbellsport, WI    18-10

7.) Craig Sleeman       Victor, NY                 18-07

8.) Kent Andersen       Amery, WI                18-05

9.) Justin Schneider    Malone, WI               18-02

10.) Dylan Nussbaum  St. Mary’s, PA          17-06

Full Day-1 results can be found here.

Day-1 leading Co-Angler is Ryan Moe with 19-15

Full Co-Angler results can be found here.

Here is a look at how the Top-5 in Progressive Angler of the Year finished:

1.)  Hunter Nitti               13^th      16-03

2.)  Dylan Nussbaum      10^th      17-06

3.)  Tom Huynh              14^th        16-00

4.)  Eric McQuoid            39^th       0-00

5.)  Will Pappenfus         11^th       16-07