2023 Winners Joe and Joseph Robl!

Left to right – Mercury National Walleye Tournament winners Joe and Joseph Robl are congratulated by Michelle Dauchy, Mercury vice president of customer experience

FOND DU LAC, Wis. — Mercury Marine, a division of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), congratulates Joe and Joseph Robl, both of Oshkosh, Wis., as the winners of the 45th annual Mercury National Walleye Tournament on Lake Winnebago June 10-11.

The event brought nearly 600 anglers to compete for a prize package that includes a LUND 1875 Impact XS multi‑species fishing boat equipped with a Mercury 150hp Pro XS outboard, a 9.9hp ProKicker and a MotorGuide trolling motor; a complementing set of accessories; and $5,000 cash. In the two days of fishing, the father and son team hauled in 10 walleyes weighing a total of 29 pounds.

Joe Robl credited the team’s win to cooler temperatures, along with some wind and rain on Sunday. “It’s awesome – I’ve been trying to win this one for quite a while, probably 35 years,” he said. “When it gets nasty, I love fishing.”

“We are so appreciative of our Mercury owners who participate each year, and all of the new anglers we welcomed for the first time,” said Michelle Kilburn, Mercury senior manager of competitive angling.

2022 Mercury National Walleye Tournament Champions Brad Vetter and Jon Boedeker

Brad Vetter and Jon Boedeker, topped the field of 282 boats on Winnebago out of Lakeside Park in Fond Du Lac kicking off the 2022 Mercury Marine National Walleye Tournament sponsored by Lund Boats.  Pre tournament predictions were that it would take 15 pounds a day to win. Those predictions came close.

Day 1 saw Edward Chimel and Dave Geboy from Muskego and Fond Du Lac, WI take the lead with 15-13, and the eventual winners Vetter and Boedeker had 13-14 on day 1.

Then Vetter and Boedeker sealed the deal on day 2 with 15-13 for a total of 29-04 to win $5000 AND a new Mercury Powered Lund Boat along with the titles of 2022 Champions!