Robert Blosser of Poynette, WI and NPAA #255, has had a handful of second place finishes in big tournaments over the years, but this weekend, he finally won his first big Pro/Am event when he brought in a tournament record breaking weight of 139.46 pounds at this weekend’s AIM Pro Walleye Series tournament on Green Bay, beating out 65 other Pro anglers. “You just have to work hard and it will happen”, said Robert. “You just have to believe”. Winning $30,000.00 for his hard work, when asked what he was going to do with the cash he said, “We’re going to have a big party tonight, and the rest will probably buy a lot of diapers”!
Taking second place is NPAA member #13, Jim Carroll, of Minot, SD who led the event on day two. His three day total was 134.01 pounds. Jim was awarded a cash prize of $12,125.00.
Third Place went to local pro, John Schneider, NPAA #952, of Shawano, WI who brought in a whopping three day limit of 128.23 pounds. His prize winnings totaled $9,625.00.
In fourth place after three days of competition is NPAA #93, Mike Gofron, of Antioch, IL. Mike caught a limit each day for a total weight of 127.86 pounds. For his efforts this weekend, he went home with a check for $7,625.00.
The rest of the best:
| 6th Place: | Keith Kavajecz, NPAA #81 |
| 7th Place: | Todd Riley, NPAA #19 |
| 8th Place: | Pat Neu, NPAA #77 |
| 10th Place: | Perry Good, NPAA #16 |
| 11th Place: | Ted Takasaki, NPAA #9 |
| 12th Place: | Ryan Jirik, NPAA #605 |
| 13th Place: | Mark Martin, NPAA #226 |
| 14th Place: | Jesse Buechel, NPAA #711 |
| 15th Place: | Dave Van Oss, NPAA #45 |
One of the NPAA’s focuses over the past few years has been to expose children to fishing through the youth clinics the NPAA holds at tournament events across the Upper Midwest. The NPAA “Kid’s Fishing Clinic” at the AIM Pro Series tournament in Green Bay was a good example of one of those events. The clinic was held on the AIM stage Saturday prior to the final weigh in with the Fox River and the lower Bay as a backdrop. The children attending received rod and reel combos, tackle gift packs and t-shirts that the kids got autographed by all the tournament pros. The NPAA Pros helping out at the event included; Marianne Huskey, NPAA #150, Jon Tennessen, NPAA #330, Brett King, NPAA #314 and Scott Duncan, NPAA #197. The NPAA uses funding received from Member and Supporting Partner contributions to purchase the gifts they give to the kid’s at these events. Any individuals or companies interested in contributing to these events should contact the NPAA at [email protected].
The NPAA is a non-profit organization focused on growing the sport of fishing and increasing the professionalism of its members. Its supporting partners include Northland Fishing Tackle, Navionics, Mercury Marine, Evinrude Outboards, Lund Boats, Ranger Boats, Off-Shore Tackle, Fin-Tech Tackle, Berkley, AIM Walleye Series, Masters Walleye Circuit, FLW Outdoors, Frabill, U.S. Forest Service, Liddle Marketing, FPS Financial Planning Services, Do-it Corp., Optima Batteries, John Butts Outdoors, Pasha Lake Cabins, Oahe Wings and Walleyes Guide Service, Outdoor First Media, Advanced Tex Screen Printing, Pro Staff Gear and Worldwide Marine Underwriters.By: Patrick Neu, NPAA Executive Director
