Above, Tom Huynh and Gary Slagle calm, cool, and collected as the final two anglers to weigh in.
Marinette, WI – The 2025 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s National Walleye Tour, presented by Progressive brought together the nation’s top walleye anglers for a thrilling showdown on the Bay of Green Bay. Hear how they caught ‘em!
Tom Huynh leaned into a bottom-focused approach that proved critical in coaxing bites from finicky fish. Running Garmin electronics, Huynh pinpointed key areas and relied on Daiwa TDEYE rods paired with Daiwa Kage reels for precise control. His line setup featured 10 lb. Daiwa J-Braid X8 tied to an 8 lb. Daiwa Samurai fluorocarbon leader, offering the perfect balance of strength and stealth.
His bait arsenal included a 3/8 oz black tungsten jig, a round ball tungsten, and a 1/2 oz Smeltinator, all tipped with crawlers. The key? Forcing fish to pick the bait off the bottom—often the only way to trigger a bite. Huynh adjusted with the water conditions and found areas he was seeing live on his Garmin unit.
At the heart of Isaac Lakich’s strategy was his Garmin Livescope, mounted on the trolling motor for unmatched boat control and real-time fish tracking. This combo was crucial for targeting walleyes—both suspended and bottom-hugging—in 15–30 feet of water along wind-blown rock structures near deep breaks.
His Mercury 250 ProXS provided reliable speed between spots, while the Warrior 2090 Tiller handled Great Lakes conditions with ease. Lakich fished exclusively with custom jigs poured in his garage using Do-it Molds, proving that homemade tackle can succeed on the biggest stage.
His finesse setup featured a Mags Custom Rod 7’8″ ML and Shimano Vanford 3000, spooled with 20 lb. Sufix 832 braid and about fifteen feet of 10 lb. Sunline FC Sniper leader—a combo built for sensitivity and strength.
To ensure fish stayed healthy for weigh-in, he used TH Marine G-Juice, rounding out a setup that was as thoughtful as it was effective.
Jake Caughey brought a calculated and efficient approach to the 2025 National Walleye Tour Championship, relying on a finely tuned combination of gear and strategy to stay competitive in challenging conditions.
His rod of choice was a 7’2″ BITCO MLXF, paired with an Abu Garcia Zenon LTX 2500 spinning reel. This setup gave him the sensitivity and control needed for finesse presentations. He fished a 3/8 oz jig tipped with a nightcrawler, a classic yet effective bait for triggering bites from pressured fish.
For line, Caughey ran 10 lb Berkley FireLine as his main line, connected to an 8 lb Vanish fluorocarbon leader. This combination offered both strength and stealth—ideal for targeting wary walleye in clear water.
Caughey focused on deep rock structures and suspended fish, carefully timing his casts around bite windows and seeking out warmer water zones. Efficiency was key to his success. “Bites were not easy, but not wasting time casting at the wrong marks helped keep me efficient,” Caughey noted. “Fishing the right marks was a key factor because when I got bit, the fish usually was a keeper.”