COLUMBIA, S.C. – John Hoyer once again hoists the prestigious National Walleye Trail (NWT) Championship while also securing his first Progressive Angler of the Year title.

Hoyer caught the event's largest bag weighing 39-pounds 12-ounces on day two of the tournament en route to bringing a whopping total of 93 pounds 6 ounces to the scales over three days of intense competition, giving him the victory by a 3 pound margin. For his efforts, Hoyer earned $202,790 in cash and prizes including a 2023 Nitro ZV20 powered by a 225 Mercury Pro XS for winning the Championship, and a 2023 Ranger 620 Pro powered by a 250 Mercury Pro XS for the Angler of the Year honors.

“Coming into this week, I knew it was going to be a shootout and a lot of people were on fish,” said Hoyer. “I knew I was going to have to put a lot of miles on the trolling motor to relocate the winning fish as well as fishing clean. Overall I am super blessed to find a few key areas the fish stayed in throughout the event and was able to capitalize on a couple kicker fish each day.”

Hoyer's winning strategy hinged on a mix of Berkley baits that played an integral role in his success throughout the tournament. He rotated through three presentations dictated by the mood of the fish and changing conditions - a 3.8 inch Fire Perch colored PowerBait The Champ Swimmer on a 1/2 ounce Fusion19 Swimbait Jighead and a 3.5 inch Firetiger colored Berkley Power Switch mainly, and a ¼ ounce jig with a nightcrawler when the fishing got tough.

“For the Champ Swimmer, I used a 7-foot medium-heavy Fenwick World Class Rod and Abu Garcia MGX 30 reel with 10-pound Berkley Fireline in Flame Green to a 15-pound Berkley 100% Fluorocarbon leader,” said Hoyer. “For the Power Switch, I used a medium-fast action Fenwick World Class rod, the same Abu Garcia MGX 30 reel and 10-pound Fireline flame green with a 12-pound leader. Finally, my bigger fish came on the nightcrawler rig with a medium-fast Fenwick World Class rod with a 10-pound fluorocarbon leader.”

John Hoyer's incredible performance at the 2023 National Walleye Trail Championship not only showcases his unparalleled talent but also highlights the exceptional quality and effectiveness of the Fenwick, Abu Garcia and Berkley Fishing products he chooses to endorse.

"On behalf of Fenwick, Berkley and Abu Garcia, we want to congratulate John for an incredible season fishing the NWT trail,” said Marc Kempter, VP of Marketing Communications. "John has been a great partner and advocate for our brands, and we are excited to see this success in his career.”

To learn more about Abu Garcia’s new Revo reel lineup, click here.
To learn more about Berkley baits and tackle, click here.