09/02/2026
LEWT DB Marine GOTL Recap —
Geneva, Ohio
The Lake Erie Walleye Trail made its annual stop on the shores of beautiful Lake Erie in Geneva, Ohio, for the historic DB Marine GOTL event. This event has been a staple of the Geneva fishing community for years, with the Lake Erie Walleye Trail hosting DB Marine’s event for the past seven seasons.
On paper, the weather looked nearly perfect. The wind apps showed light and variable winds, and from the shoreline, Lake Erie appeared almost flat. Anglers who ventured offshore, however, experienced something completely different. An offshore wind built increasingly rough conditions, with anglers fishing the deeper water reporting treacherous 2- to 6-foot waves well offshore. Looking at the lake from Geneva, you would have never known what many of the teams were battling miles from shore.
The weekend started Friday with Big Fish Friday before Saturday’s LEWT GOTL and Open events.
Big Fish Friday — August 28
Curt Krajniak took home the Big Fish Friday pre-fishing side pot with a 9.07-pound giant, setting the tone for what everyone could expect when game day arrived Saturday.
Austin Troeter weighed early and grabbed the lead with an impressive 8.73-pound walleye. Fishing solo and using forward-facing sonar, Troeter was able to locate and catch a fish that held the top spot for much of the weigh-in. He could only watch as the remaining anglers came to the scales, and his fish held until Krajniak finally arrived with the eventual winner. Either way, that is a great way to make some money while pre-fishing.
Nick Oleksy and Ed Oleksy also gave everyone a glimpse of what was coming Saturday when they brought a 7.76-pound walleye to the scales for third place. That fish was a sign that the Oleksys were around the caliber of fish needed to average roughly seven pounds per fish on game day. That is exactly what they did Saturday.
Big Fish Friday Top 3
Curt Krajniak — 9.07 lbs
Austin Troeter — 8.73 lbs
Nick Oleksy & Ed Oleksy — 7.76 lbs
LEWT GOTL — August 29
1st — Nick Oleksy & Ed Oleksy — 36.04 lbs
Back on top of the leaderboard were Nick Oleksy and Ed Oleksy, putting together an outstanding five-fish limit weighing 36.04 pounds.
Nick Oleksy has established himself as one of the anglers setting the standard with forward-facing sonar on the Lake Erie Walleye Trail. Along with Nicholas Zart, these anglers have worked to master the craft and have consistently found themselves near the top of the Team of the Year standings.
Oleksy’s season has been an incredible display of consistency, dropping only four points through the regular season with two first-place finishes and two second-place finishes. In a tournament trail where one bad day can dramatically change a season, that level of consistency is remarkable.
The Oleksys also backed up Friday’s 7.76-pound fish with an 8.87-pound big fish Saturday as part of their winning 36.04-pound bag.
2nd — Robert Zajkowski & Travis Zajkowski — 30.36 lbs. Robert Zajkowski and Travis Zajkowski returned to the top of the leaderboard with a strong 30.36-pound limit.
The team from up north has been in and out of the top finishes while working through the transition between forward-facing sonar techniques and trolling. These guys are always dangerous, and being roughly seven hours from home makes competing in Geneva a serious commitment.
Their continued commitment to the Lake Erie Walleye Trail and willingness to travel to compete against some of the best walleye anglers on Lake Erie says a lot about the Zajkowskis’ determination and skill.
3rd — Brett Gilbertson & Charlie Klaus — 29.46 lbs
Brett Gilbertson and Charlie Klaus continued an outstanding season together with 29.46 pounds.
Gilbertson has even fished solo at times this season in an effort to preserve team points rather than use a substitute, but Saturday required a true team effort. Trolling motor problems could have easily ended their day.
Instead, Klaus captained the boat and used the outboard to maneuver and position the team while Gilbertson worked from the bow, making casts at the biggest fish they could locate.
That is teamwork at its finest — adapting, sacrificing and solving the problems the day gives you instead of making excuses.
4th — Nicholas Zart & William Dudas Jr. — 29.44 lbs
Nicholas Zart and William Dudas Jr. finished fourth with 29.44 pounds, missing the third-place position by just 0.02 pounds.
Zart has become another name synonymous with forward-facing sonar success on the LEWT. His ability to locate individual fish and consistently turn those opportunities into tournament finishes has kept his team firmly in the Team of the Year conversation.
5th — Mike Miller & Bryan Fisher — 29.39 lbs
You hear the names Mike Miller and Bryan Fisher regularly on the Lake Erie Walleye Trail, and much of their success comes down to game plan, commitment and refusing to quit.
This time, Miller credited Fisher’s positive attitude and determination for turning their tournament around.
Midway through the day, the team had only one fish in the livewell, weighing roughly six pounds. Fisher finally got the rally started with a quality walleye, and suddenly the fire was lit. Over the final two hours, they put four more fish in the bag and climbed all the way to fifth place with 29.39 pounds.
They were casting jig-and-crawler presentations using forward-facing sonar while also utilizing Summit Shuttles off the back of the boat. Fisher mentioned that it was probably their shortest run of the season, finding their fish right out front of Geneva in approximately 40 to 50 feet of water.
Never quit.
6th — Joe Gibson & Christina Henry — 29.36 lbs
Joe Gibson and Christina Henry made one of the biggest runs of the event, traveling more than 40 miles to reach their fishing destination and then making the long trip back to Geneva.
The gamble paid off.
Fishing well offshore, Gibson and Henry targeted deep walleyes with heavy jigs and crawlers and brought 29.36 pounds back to the scales for sixth place.
7th — Ryan Foster & Amber Foster — 29.32 lbs
Ryan Foster and Amber Foster are another northern team that consistently makes the trip to compete on the Lake Erie Walleye Trail.
It sounds like Amber put Ryan on her back early, catching most of their quality fish before Ryan answered in a big way — sticking an absolute Lake Erie giant weighing 10.34 pounds.
That fish took Big Fish honors for the entire LEWT event and helped solidify a 29.32-pound bag and another check.
The Summit Fishing Equipment team again put its tools to work, utilizing forward-facing sonar from the bow along with a Summit Shuttle at the stern to stay with the fish and continue searching for active targets throughout the water column.
8th — James Riefke & John Halasz — 28.96 lbs
James Riefke and John Halasz joined the casting action and finished the regular season with another check, weighing 28.96 pounds.
The team worked crawler presentations and focused on avoiding the smaller fish and sheephead in deeper water while searching for the better-quality walleyes needed to compete.
Great work, guys.
9th — Shane Wassam & Shawn Wassam — 28.02 lbs
Finally, we saw some offshore trolling from Shane Wassam and Shawn Wassam, who put 28.02 pounds on the scales.
The duo used 300-foot wire presentations with shallow-diving crankbaits to generate their bigger bites. They complemented the long wire leads with Dipsy Divers on their inside rods.
The efficiency of being able to move Dipsy Divers up and down and quickly change depths can be extremely valuable as fish move throughout the day. Shane and Shawn have now strung together a couple of strong finishes over the last two events.
10th — Gary Kisel & Alex Kisel — 27.37 lbs
Gary Kisel and Alex Kisel find themselves back inside the Top 10 yet again with 27.37 pounds.
As the LEWT moves east into deeper water and conditions begin favoring trolling, the Kisels become an increasingly dangerous team. Gary and Alex have successfully made the transition between casting and trolling, and their previous success on the troll speaks for itself.
There is no doubt this is a tough team to beat when the trolling bite gets hot. Keep an eye on them when the field arrives in Fairport Harbor for the two-day LEWT Championship on October 9 and 10.
LEWT GOTL Top 10
Nick Oleksy & Ed Oleksy — 36.04 lbs
Robert Zajkowski & Travis Zajkowski — 30.36 lbs
Brett Gilbertson & Charlie Klaus — 29.46 lbs
Nicholas Zart & William Dudas Jr. — 29.44 lbs
Mike Miller & Bryan Fisher — 29.39 lbs
Joe Gibson & Christina Henry — 29.36 lbs
Ryan Foster & Amber Foster — 29.32 lbs
James Riefke & John Halasz — 28.96 lbs
Shane Wassam & Shawn Wassam — 28.02 lbs
Gary Kisel & Alex Kisel — 27.37 lbs
LEWT Big Fish: Ryan Foster & Amber Foster — 10.34 lbs
GOTL Open Champions — Team Trumbull County
The Open Division belonged to Team Trumbull County, led by Captain Marty Detweiler, who took home the victory with 27.89 pounds.
Team Trumbull County found its fish north of Conneaut, casting crawler harnesses while also dragging baits along the bottom on a dead stick.
Casting for Lake Erie walleyes can be a challenging game, but these guys have it dialed in. This was only their second tournament of the season, and they have now cashed a check in both — this time taking home the championship.
Great work, Team Trumbull County.
GOTL Open Top 5
Marty Detweiler / Team Trumbull County — 27.89 lbs
Jeremy Gerger / Team 4J’s — 26.60 lbs
Jake Detweiler / Team Chipmunk — 26.13 lbs
Bill Burkholder / Team Mespo — 25.52 lbs
Jesse James / Reel Blessed — 25.18 lbs
Open Big Fish: Jeremy Gerger / Team 4J’s — 8.18 lbs
Thank You
Another DB Marine GOTL weekend is in the books, and events like this do not happen without the companies and people who continue to support tournament walleye fishing on Lake Erie.
A special thank you to Vic’s Sports Center, Ranger Boats, DB Marine, Quality Mark, Lake Erie Walleye Trail, Blaster Products, Walleye Fall Brawl, Cisco Fishing Systems, Summit Fishing Equipment, Off Shore Tackle, Berkley, and Pure Fishing for their continued contributions and support.
A special thank you also goes to Ryan Yonkers and the Pure Fishing crew for bringing the Berkley van to Geneva for both Big Fish Friday and Saturday’s GOTL event. Their presence and support added another great element to an already special weekend.
Thank you to every angler who made the trip, every sponsor who supports the trail, and everyone behind the scenes who continues to make the DB Marine GOTL one of the events we look forward to every season.
We hope to see everyone at the 2026 LEWT Championship in Fairport Harbor, October 9–10.
The Lake Erie Walleye Trail will be back October 9-10, 2026 for the two-day Championship event. This exciting finale is open to anyone — all anglers are welcome to enter and fish both days. The event will cap off the season and crown the 2026 LEWT Champions.
With back-to-back tournament days, big payouts, and championship glory on the line, this will be the can’t-miss walleye event of the year.
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