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Tournament Recap · Lake Erie Walleye
How the Sunset Bay Shootout Lake Erie Walleye Tournament Was Won
Zero pre-fishing, a brand-new boat, a 15-year-old who wouldn't take no for an answer, and a 15-mile gamble to the Canadian line. Here's how the 2023 Sunset Bay Shootout was won with a 35.27-pound box of Lake Erie walleye, and the exact lead core trolling program and baits that got it done.
Last updated: October 2026 · By: FishUSA Staff
Winning the 2023 Sunset Bay Shootout is the biggest accomplishment of my fishing career. The other top-ten finishes, and even the wins, all pale in comparison. Over the span of my thirty-some-odd years chasing walleyes on Lake Erie, I have frequently been asked what it takes to be successful. My most common response is time on the water, confidence in the program you are running, and attention to detail. In the case of this one particular July weekend, those three pieces of advice and two other factors were key: the unrelenting enthusiasm of a 15-year-old, and a little bit of luck!
To Fish Or Not To Fish...
Recently, my work schedule has tended to dictate my fishing schedule, and this year was no exception. I purchased a new boat in May and was so busy that, for the first time ever, I had it mostly rigged by the dealer. The last key piece was rod holders: I picked up my new Muddycreek Tubes and Trees the Saturday before the tournament. I fished the boat for the first time on Sunday afternoon. Everything worked as expected, and we caught fish.
Monday morning on the drive to work, I was chatting with my 15-year-old son, Wyatt, and broke it to him that I was unsure about fishing the tournament the following weekend because we were going to have zero time to pre-fish. Wyatt didn't say much, but I could see the disappointment on his face. Tuesday at lunch, Wyatt said, "Dad, we gotta fish, you haven't missed a year yet….." That was all the convincing it took!
I recruited Wyatt's turkey-hunting buddy, Will Baker, as our third teammate. I spent the remainder of the week fishing vicariously through friends who were either retired or using vacation time. By Thursday evening, I had sorted through enough information that I felt we had a decent starting point for Big Fish Friday.
A Very Important Big Fish Friday
The three of us headed out Friday morning and set up on a school of fish that, judging by the boat traffic, was no big secret. The program we started with was six lead core lines and two dipsy divers. In an attempt to be successful quickly Friday morning, I broke one of my own cardinal rules: I was trying to adapt somebody else's program to my style of fishing.
We did catch fish at that first spot, but nothing that was going to win any money. At 11 a.m., I decided we needed to find something better, so we ran west in the same depth of water, hoping the fish we needed had just moved a bit. Blank screen when we set down. We ran a bit further; not much better.
I had heard a second-hand report of some good fish out on the Canadian line, a 15-mile run from our location, so we went for broke. When we came down off plane, the screen lit up: nice walleye marks diving on deep bait. SMELT! The perfect combination. I looked around and there wasn't a boat within 2 miles. PERFECT!
By now it was 12:30, we had 2 hours left to fish, and we needed to cover some water. I decided to speed the boat up to 2.2–2.4 mph on the GPS. We had 3 rods set and had a fish on, then another. For the next hour and a half we caught over 20 walleyes, and the majority were over 5 pounds…… We'd found our spot for tournament day.
Key Takeaway: Fish Your Own Program
Copying another boat's spread on a crowded school produced fish, but not winning fish. Moving to unpressured water, finding walleye on deep smelt, and speeding up to 2.2–2.4 mph is what found the tournament-winning school. For more on dialing in speed, see our guide to walleye trolling speed control.
Tournament Day
Saturday morning, the forecast called for favorable lake conditions, and after surviving the 164-boat shotgun start we were racing to our spot. The lake was getting rougher by the minute, and the wind direction was 90 degrees off from what it had been the day before. I had to recalculate our starting point to get us as long a troll as possible over our best waypoints without getting blown across the Canadian line, which would have gotten us disqualified.
Upon arriving at our starting point, the screen looked okay. We had plenty of bait, but not as many fish, or as big. I didn't let on to my team that I was a bit rattled; I told myself to keep calm and we would find them…… I pace a lot when the fishing is tough, and I just about wore a hole in that boat floor.
At 9:30, we finally got bit: a 16" walleye, not what we were looking for. We reset that rod, and a couple of minutes later the outside board surged back. That was a decent fish, 8.1 pounds on the boat scale. That fish totally changed the mood on the boat and was the sign that we had found yesterday's school. The action was non-stop for 45 minutes. When the last 4 fish on that pass were under 20 inches, it was time to run back.
We made 4 short passes on that line, and on each pass we boated one or two very respectable fish. At about 1:30, we set up on our last pass. About 20 other boats had found our spot by then, which was frustrating. Looking off to the west, the sky was pretty dark. Then I heard thunder, and 5 minutes later I saw the lightning and heard more thunder. Time to go, boys!
A Weigh-In I Won't Soon Forget
We made it into the harbor ahead of the worst of the storm, but we were still soaked. With 160-some tournament boats plus all the weekend boaters in the harbor seeking shelter, I had a full-time job captaining the vessel, so I left it to my teammates to select our six biggest fish.
Wyatt told me he thought we had 35 pounds or so….. Not a bad box given the countless 4- and 5-pounders out there right now. Wyatt is a glass-half-full kind of kid, so I figured realistically we had 32 to 33 pounds. Turns out Wyatt was right, and the boat scale was wrong. We ended up with an 8.48-pound big fish, good enough for a second-place big fish tie, and our box was 35.27 pounds overall, beating the second-place team by half a pound!
Tackle Used
Here's the exact gear behind the winning box: the lure and hook modification, the lead core program, and the reels and planer boards that pulled it.
| Board Position | Lead Core | Depth Role |
|---|---|---|
| Outside board | 5 colors (18 lb) | Shallowest |
| Middle board | 6 colors (18 lb) | Middle of the fish zone |
| Inside board | 7 colors (18 lb) | Deepest |
The Bait That Got It Done
The Bomber Long A 15 absolutely got it done for us. The FishUSA exclusive colors Motion Sickness, Gold Purple Tiger, and Walleye Magic were the biggest producers. The stock color Pearl-Green Back-Orange Belly also put some fish in the boat.
I pull the front treble and split ring off the lure and replace the rear treble with a #4 Gamakatsu 2X Strong Treble Hook. This modification improves the action of the lure and increases the percentage of fish landed. For more proven options, see our picks for the best walleye trolling crankbaits.
Trolling Crankbait Bomber 15A Long A Shallow Diver Motion Sickness | Gold Purple Tiger | Walleye Magic
Shop Bomber Long A
Line
The program I ran during the tournament was five, six, and seven colors of lead core on each side of the boat. One side was FishUSA Stealthcore (18 lb) and the other side was Sufix 832 (18 lb). The outside planer board was the shallowest at five colors, the middle was six, and the inside was the deepest with seven colors. This program gives me the ability to cover the entire portion of the water column that was holding fish. For leader, I ran 20 lb Seaguar STS on tournament day.
New to lead core? Our breakdown of lead core and dipsy diver tactics for deep Lake Erie walleye covers how many colors to run and when.
Fluorocarbon Leader Seaguar STS Salmon Fluorocarbon Leader Material 20 lb Used | Abrasion Resistant | Low Visibility
Shop Seaguar STS LeaderReels
There are two very important qualities to look for in a trolling reel: durability and a high-speed retrieve. The Daiwa Saltist has both of these qualities, and the 30 size is perfect for the shorter lead core presentations I used in this event.
Line Counter Trolling Reel Daiwa Saltist Levelwind Line Counter Reel 30 Size Used | Durable | High-Speed Retrieve
Shop Daiwa SaltistPlaner Boards
The lead core was presented using Church Tackle's TX-22 planer board. I find this board the most versatile: it runs very well at a variety of speeds and handles heavy lead core line extremely well. If you're just getting started with boards, read our walleye planer boards 101 guide.
Planer Board Church Tackle TX-22 Special Planer Board Handles Lead Core | Wide Speed Range | Versatile
Shop Church Tackle TX-22FAQs About the Sunset Bay Shootout Win
The winning team weighed a six-fish limit of 35.27 pounds of Lake Erie walleye, beating second place by about half a pound. Their biggest walleye weighed 8.48 pounds, good for a tie for second-place big fish.
The Bomber Long A 15 caught the winning fish. The FishUSA exclusive colors Motion Sickness, Gold Purple Tiger, and Walleye Magic were the top producers, and the stock Pearl-Green Back-Orange Belly color also caught fish.
Remove the front treble hook and its split ring, then replace the rear treble with a size 4 Gamakatsu 2X Strong Treble Hook. Running a single rear treble improves the lure's action and increases the percentage of hooked walleye that make it to the net.
The winning program used five, six, and seven colors of 18 lb lead core on each side of the boat. The outside planer board ran five colors (the shallowest), the middle board ran six, and the inside board ran seven colors (the deepest), covering the full band of water holding fish.
During pre-fishing for the 2023 Sunset Bay Shootout, speeding up to 2.2 to 2.4 mph on the GPS triggered over 20 walleye in about 90 minutes, most of them over 5 pounds, on fish that were feeding on deep schools of smelt.
The Church Tackle TX-22 Special Planer Board was used to win the 2023 Sunset Bay Shootout. It runs well across a wide range of speeds and handles the weight and drag of lead core line extremely well.
Look for durability and a high-speed retrieve. The Daiwa Saltist Levelwind Line Counter reel in the 30 size has both and holds plenty of line for shorter lead core presentations of five to seven colors.
Final Thoughts
This win came down to the same things I always tell people: time on the water, confidence in your own program, and attention to detail, plus a 15-year-old who wouldn't let his dad skip a year and a little bit of luck with the weather. Running our own lead core spread, making the long run to unpressured fish on smelt, and trusting the Bomber Long A in FishUSA's exclusive colors is what put 35.27 pounds on the scale.
Thank you all for reading! This is a win I will never forget and am extremely thankful for!