Berkley Professional Austin Tomasek began off the 2026 Nationwide Walleye Tour sturdy, with a giant win on the opener on Lake Erie. Coming in with a two-day whole of 86 kilos, 9 ounces of walleye, incomes a money prize of $15,000, a brand new Ranger 620FS PRO powered by a 250 XL Professional XS FourStroke Mercury, and a $500 Garmin contingency bonus. Primarily based out of Monroe, Michigan, top-of-the-line walleye fisheries within the nation, Tomasek is thought for his consistency and talent to remain on quality-sized fish. Holding to his monitor document, he began Day One with a stable bag of 44 kilos, 10 ounces. Then confirmed that Day one wasn’t a fluke by bringing in a 41-pound, 15-ounce bag on Day Two. Tomasek’s 86-pound, 9-ounce two-day whole left him with a lead of over 10lbs to second place. Although making that lead wasn’t simple and required Tomasek to suppose on the fly each days of the match.
“I knew this occasion was going to be about making good choices and following the fish. I figured to win, I’d should be the man who may find large prespawn fish,” Tomasek mentioned. “In apply, I discovered teams of walleye in soiled water areas, and the larger fish had been establishing the place I simply had to stick with them as circumstances modified.”
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Day One required Tomasek to regulate his authentic plan, which he had shaped throughout apply. Whereas he had caught 42 to 46 kilos of walleye a day throughout apply, in a single day adjustments in circumstances pressured him to relocate. After discovering the dirtier water and prespawn walleyes once more, he managed to capitalize on them in simply a few hours, catching his complete bag. Then, for Day Two, he returned to the identical space however discovered that refined adjustments within the water readability had moved the fish once more. However with him rapidly adjusting and transferring once more, he managed to search out the fish once more a few quarter-mile away from the place they’d been on Day One.
For fishing the Nationwide Walleye Tour Opener, Tomasek relied closely on the brand new Berkley Lab Collection Minnow in Wakasagi, paired with a 3/4-ounce tungsten jig. For his rod & reel combo, he fished a 7-foot, 4-inch medium-heavy, moderate-fast Fenwick World Class Walleye spinning rod with an Abu Garcia Revo Rocket spinning reel, spooled with 10-pound Berkley X9 Braid tied to a 15-pound Berkley GinClear fluorocarbon chief. Whereas he used the Lab Collection Minnow closely within the match, he didn’t have sufficient of them to make use of for apply days.
“I had a restricted provide of the Berkley Lab Collection Minnows and wished to save lots of the choose few I did have for the occasion,” Tomasek mentioned.. “So throughout apply, I used different baits to save lots of that particular form and Wakasagi shade for match days. It made a noticeable distinction in focusing on greater fish, and I’m glad I held onto these packs till it mattered most.”
