The 2024 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s National Walleye Tour presented by Progressive Championship is coming to Oscoda, MI on Lake Huron next week, September 4th – 6th. The Top-41 Pro-Anglers from 2024 Progressive Angler of the Year points will be competing for over $300,000 in cash and prizes in the no entry-fee event to crown a new NWT Champion. The Top-41 Co-anglers will be competing for a top prize of $6,500 in the event. In addition, the 2024 NWT Progressive Angler of the Year race will be decided, where the winner will walk away with a 2024 Nitro ZV21 powered by a Mercury 300 XL Verado motor.
Lake Huron is the third largest lake in the Great Lake system and is comprised of 23,007 square miles on the eastern shores of Michigan. It is known for its quality Smallmouth Bass and Walleye fishing because of its high population of Alewives, Yellow Perch, and Golby. In addition to the exceptional walleye fishing and a premiere location for this year’s championship event, crowning the best of the best in Walleye fishing.
Ranger/ Mercury Pro-Angler Hunter Nitti is looking to get the job done at Lake Huron and capture the 2024 Progressive Angler of the Year. The Minnesota pro is coming off his worst finish of the 2024 season on Lake Sakakawea where he was the first angler out of the money, finishing 26th.
“The Sak almost got me…,” said Nitti. “I knew somewhere in the year I would slip a little bit, every year every angler does it, so I hope that last one in North Dakota was mine and I can get back to focusing in on my game and the title in Michigan.”
Hunter’s last trip to a Great Lake, Lake Erie back in April, resulted in a second-place finish behind 2023 Progressive Angler of the Year John Hoyer. He has maintained the lead ever since the second event in Red Wing, MN on the Mississippi River. Although Lake Sakakawea didn’t end with Hunter standing in the check line, it didn’t ruin his chances at maintaining the lead in points.
“I am just keeping focused in what has gotten me here today, and that is sticking to my electronics game and fishing for quality bites, not necessarily quantity,” said the Rapala Pro-Angler. “I’m not going to sit here and say I’m not nervous, this would mean everything to my family and my career. I am still one of the younger anglers out here, so to put myself in the same sentence as guys like Hjelm and Hoyer you can’t compare that to anything else. Those guys are the best of the best.”
Going into the 2024 NWT Championship next week, Hunter Nitti has 765 points and has a 7 point lead over second place Pro-Angler Dylan Nussbaum.
Nitro Boats/Mercury Pro-Angler Dylan Nussbaum is no stranger to winning at the NWT level. As a veteran angler on tour, Dylan is looked at as one of the most consistent anglers on the water, consistently catching them around the country.
The Pennsylvania angler is coming off a second-place finish at Lake Sakakawea during the last event, which also allowed him to move into the second-place spot in Progressive Angler of the Year points race. Dylan is widely regarded as one of the most versatile anglers among the NWT pros. He’s usually dialed into the electronics game however he also excels using live bait and fishing for deeper suspended fish.
“This year has been pretty special for me no doubt,” said the Rapala Pro-Staff angler. “I’ve won out here on the NWT before but never have I captured a championship title or been close to an Angler of the Year title, so to have this kind of shot would be pretty amazing.”
Last year, John Hoyer swept the 2023 championship winning both the event and the 2023 Progressive Angler of the Year title, taking home more than $200,000 in cash and prizes on Devil’s Lake. Dylan sees this as an opportunity anyone can achieve and thinks it’s just as accomplishable this year.
“Seeing what John did last year is appealing to me. And to think I have a chance to do the same thing he did in a few weeks is humbling but is pushing me to want to fish harder than ever also.”
In total going into Lake Huron, Dylan has earned 758 points in 2024.
2024 Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s National Walleye Tour presented by Progressive Championship Qualifiers
Pro-Anglers
1. HUNTER NITTI
2. DYLAN NUSSBAUM
3. TOM HUYNH
4. ERIC MCQUOID
5. WILL PAPPENFUS
6. JOHN HOYER
7. DUANE HJELM
8. MAX WILSON
9. KENT ANDERSEN
10. MIKE DEFIBAUGH
11. KEVIN MCQUOID
12. AUSTIN TOMASEK
13. DRAKE HERD
14. DUSTIN T MINKE
15. KEITH KAVAJECZ
16. JAKE CAUGHEY
17. JUSTIN SCHNEIDER
18. DANIEL HARPER
19. JACOB ELL
20. COREY HEISER
21. JAKE LAPINE
22. BRIAN BJORKMAN
23. NICK SCHERTZ
24. JOHN KOPCOK
25. CHASE PARSONS
26. BENJAMIN TEETS
27. EVAN ROSEMORE
28. MARK COURTS
29. RYAN DEMPSEY
30. BILL SHIMOTA
31. JASON PRZEKURAT
32. CRAIG SLEEMAN
33. DEAN ARNOLDUSSEN
34. MATHEW LEBEN
35. JIM CARROLL
36. CHRIS BERGLUND
37. MCKEEVER DAHLBERG
38. THOMAS SLAWATYCKI
39. TOM KEMOS
40. DUSTIN KJELDEN
41. MIKE ZELL
Co-Anglers
1. RANDY VIKE
2. JOE ARTIM
3. KEITH SLIFKA
4. SAM BENGTSON
5. MARK BEGOTKA
6. CHUCK HARMSTON
7. SCOTT PETERSON
8. RYAN SWENSON
9. MIKE DALLMAN
10. STEVEN ROSEMORE
11. TAYLOR TROGSTAD
12. NICHOLAS DRAEGER
13. COLTON DARROW
14. KEEGAN EINERSON
15. DONALD KLYM
16. CHRIS LANNBRECHT
17. STEVE BODINGER
18. PAUL STOKES
19. WILLIAM BOLDEN
20. GREG FISCHER
21. JEFF SASS
22. DREW SCHUTZ
23. THOMAS BLANCHARD
24. CALVIN ROSE
25. ED CALLAWAY
26. BRYCE RAMTHUN
27. RALPH JANZER JR
28. GREG BALLERING
29. JEREMY BENGTSON
30. JOHN WESSEL
31. JIM WOOD
32. JOEL NICKEL
33. BRANDON MURPHY
34. DAMON GOHLKE
35. ALLEN HANSON
36. JEFF CORTEZ
37. CASEY MCGILL
38. JAMES HARDESTY
39. JOHN HERD
40. GREG SANDER
41. RYAN MOE
2024 NWT Championship Take-off (7am CST) Each Day:
Au Sable Harbor of Refuge
AuSable Charter TWP, MI 48750
2024 NWT Championship Weigh-In (3pm CST) Each day:
Au Sable Harbor of Refuge
AuSable Charter TWP, MI 48750
The National Walleye Tour consists of four regular-season events and a no-entry-fee championship. Each regular season event is a two-day tournament and delivers over a 100 percent payback. Pro-Anglers compete against other Pro-Anglers, and Co-Anglers compete against other co-anglers.
For more information on the National Walleye Tour, including the 2024 tournament schedule, fact sheets, photos, and official tournament results from past events, visit nationalwalleyetour.com. Subscribing to the NWT e-newsletter is the best way to receive up-to-date information, registration announcements, sponsor incentives, and Outdoor TeamWorks news.
About National Walleye Tour
National Walleye Tour (NWT) is part of the Outdoor Team Works family of fishing tournaments. The OTW brand offers a wide range of fishing events from professional tournaments to grassroots fishing derbies. All events are supported by some of the top companies in the nation and include on-site activation and activities, as well as extensive media support. For live updates and information, follow NWT on Facebook and Instagram or visit www.nationalwalleyetour.com to catch up on all the action.
