2024 Champions Tour Championship Recap: Matt Holweg Hammers Out 2nd Place at Champions Tour Championship
It’s every angler’s dream to have the chance to win a brand-new boat. Even better, to do so without having to pay an entry fee. For the top 32 Champions Tour anglers this season, that dream became reality as they took to Lake Minnewaska in Starbuck, Minnesota, on Tuesday morning for eight hours of fishing that could change their lives forever.
On the line was not only a brand-new Skeeter Boats ZX200 but also the coveted Angler of the Year trophy which signifies consistency at its highest level across the entire tour season. Champions Tour veteran and new Champions Tour owner Dane Vocelka led the field out with a 9-point lead over Kyle Schutta in Angler of the Year race, Tommy Parker was a close third.
Lake Minnewaska is known for its quantity and quality of fish both largemouth and smallmouth and with anglers able to choose which side of the lake they started on a lot of strategy was at play knowing they would have to switch sides after the lunch break.
Northland Tackle Pro, Matt Holweg came out to start the day catching 33 bass in the first 90 minutes, putting him in second place with 54 lb 13 oz, behind Kyle Schutta. At the mid-day break, Matt finished with 52 bass for 85 lb and held him in second place.
For a moment, Holweg took the lead during the second half of the day, but Kyle Schutta surged back into the lead and held on to it. Matt finished the 2024 Champions Tour Championship in 2nd place with 78 bass for a total weight of 123 lb 13 oz.
During the first half of the day, Matt fished some of the deep, thick coontail patches that Lake Minnewaska is known for. In the afternoon session, Matt transitioned to fishing a faster break line that had more sparse vegetation on it. Holweg did his damage by flipping a 1 oz Texas-rigged craw tube and then cleaned up on the schools of Minnewaska bass with the Northland Fishing Tackle Elite Series Weedless Nedster with a variety of Ned style plastic baits.
It was a great season for all members of the Northland Fishing Tackle Pro Team that fished the 2024 Champions Tour. In the year end angler of the year standings Dane Vocelka finished in 2nd place, Noah Schultz in 11th place, Matt Holweg in 14th place, Aaron Teal in 15th place, Joel Willert in 29th place and Tyler Bahr in 30th place.
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