The first week of the Midwest Walleye Challenge is just about complete, and the leaderboard already has two fish over 25 inches holding down the top spots!
The Day County Walleye Slayers are off to a hot start courtesy of Ari Sichmeller and Maddy Stassi. Ari currently holds the top spot for longest walleye at 27.24 inches. Maddy holds third place at 24.02 inches. In total, the Day County Walleye Slayers holds three of the top five places for biggest walleye.
Collin Gades of the Spink County Slammers sits in second for longest walleye at 25.51 inches. Two other “overs”, or fish greater than 20 inches, round out the Top Five. Michael Ocobock of Meade County Reel Eazy commands fourth at 22.99 inches and Chris Gaber of the Day County Walleye Slayers holds fifth at 20.51 inches.
Longest Fish:
- Ari Sichmeller 27.24 inches (Day County Walleye Slayers)
- Collin Gades 25.51 inches (Spink County Slammers)
- Maddy Stassi 24.02 inches (Day County Walleye Slayers)
- Michael Ocobock 22.99 inches (Meade County Reel Eazy)
- Chris Faber 20.51 inches (Day County Walleye Slayers)
In the total walleye category, Seth Graves and Hank Asher are currently tied for first place at 15 fish each. Ari Sichmeller holds down 3rd place with 13 fish, Nick Harrington has 12 fish, and Willow Voegtlen and Maddy Stassi are tied for 5th place with 11 fish.
Total Fish:
- Seth Graves 15 fish
- Hank Asher 15 fish (Sully County The Sully Squad)
- Ari Sichmeller 13 fish (Day County Walleye Slayers)
- Nick Harrington 12 fish (Stanley County Team Lip Ripper Fishing)
- Willow Voegtlen 11 fish (Stanley County Team Lip Ripper Fishing)
- Maddy Stassi 11 fish (Day County Walleye Slayers)
On the county points level, Day County Walleye Slayers holds a commanding lead with 133 points. Ari Sichmeller, Maddy Stassi, Chris Faber, Karstyn Schlechter, and Justin Zirbel are all key points earners for the team.
Team Lip Ripper Fishing sits in second place with 83 points. Nick Harrington, Willow Voegtlen, and Jett Kirschenmann are the key points earners. Jett currently holds down 8th place for longest walleye with a 17.99 inch fish and 9th place for most walleye with 7 fish. As a team, all three points earning anglers sit in the Top Ten for both categories.
County Points:
- Day County Walleye Slayers 133 points
- Stanley County Team Lip Ripper Fishing 83 points
- Meade County Reel Eazy 55 points
- Butte County Eye-ballers 49 points
- Sully County The Sully Squad 42 inches
- Spink County Slammers 36 points
- Hamlin County Happy Hookers 8 points
There is still plenty of time to join the event and start logging fish! In total, 129 anglers are participating across South Dakota. All of the information is shared with South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) fisheries biologists to better manage fisheries, but all secret spots stay secret! Information is only shared with GFP at a waterbody level, and no information aside from number of fish and fish size is shared with fellow anglers. Stay tuned for more updates throughout the competition!
See the Midwest Walleye Challenge in Action
Nick Harrington and Willow Voegtlen of Team Lip Ripper Fishing showcased a day on the water participating in the event in our video of the week!
(Leaderboard update current as of 9:45 p.m. April 6, 2026. Complete leaderboard is available through the myCatch app)
