There are just over two weeks left in the Midwest Walleye Challenge in South Dakota, so as we prepare for the final push let’s take a look at where things stand currently in the event!
“You may have noticed there haven’t been any updates from me for about two weeks,” said Nick Harrington, Owner of Lip Ripper Fishing. “Well, I’m happy to report I had a fantastic extended vacation in Hawaii; this also means I’m a bit behind on the fishing front!”
Despite the two-week lull, the top three for total walleye remain unchanged between Michael Ocobock, Jeremy Heideman, and Harrington.
“Michael and Jeremy’s bite have them in the top two places pretty comfortably,” explained Harrington. “I’m doing my best to keep putting fish on the board, but I think for me it’s time to focus on the big walleye front where I’m really lacking.”
Indeed, the leaderboard for big walleye has greatly expanded. Craig Case has taken over the top spot with a 29.3 inch fish, Stephen Hettick has second with a 29 incher, Herbert Leuthe in third with a 28 incher, Silas Simonson has fourth at 27.2 inches, and fifth place is held by Tom Wanttie with his 27 incher.
“I knew there was going to be some major changes to the top of the leaderboard, and sure enough when I checked back in once I got back I saw some really quality fish submitted,” stated Harrington. “It’s going to take a true trophy to win it, but we know that’s what makes South Dakota fishing special!”
Overall, 50 anglers have submitted at least one fish. This means that fisheries managers in South Dakota will have valuable data regarding angler harvest as a result of this event. There are a total of 103 registered anglers across the state.
“These last couple weeks I’m going to turn my attention to my best big fish spots,” forecasted Harrington. “Hopefully I can get a big bite, but most of all I’m just happy to be getting back on to the water after a nice vacation!”
This also means that fishing reports, YouTube videos, and other articles will be back as well as we head into the peak of summer! Good luck, have fun, and we hope you follow along!
