Michigan Walleye Tour 2026 Season Preview
The Michigan Walleye Tour (MWT) provides a professional platform for competitive walleye anglers to showcase their skills across Michigan’s world-class waterways. From the Soo to the Lake Erie and many places in between, the MWT emphasizes sportsmanship, conservation, and the pursuit of the Midwest’s most iconic game fish.
The anticipation of springtime fishing is building more and more by the day! For competitive Great Lakes walleye anglers, many are putting in the preseason work for tournaments ahead. The Michigan Walleye Tour kicks off their 31st season April 11th-12th on the Detroit River. The schedule consists of four events, along with an additional championship for teams to qualify for. Anglers can assemble a team and register for their favorite body of water or fish all four with the end goal of competing in the championship. These events bring walleye enthusiasts from all across the Great Lakes region in the spirit of competition and fun in fishing.
The 2026 MWT Season Schedule will visit
Detroit River, April 11-12th, launching out of Lake Erie Metro Park.
Saginaw Bay, May 2nd-3rd, launching out of Linwood.
Lake Erie, June 12th-13th, launching out of Lorain, Ohio
Lake Huron, July 11th-12th, launching out of Alpena
For teams that qualify, the championship will be taking place August 7th-8th on beautiful Lake Charlevoix in northern Michigan. Further details to be released.
Heading into the season opener, we caught up with two competing anglers, Roy Miller and Evan Adler, and the MC, Lance Valentine, to get their take on the year ahead
Roy Miller:
Roy has been competitively fishing on the MWT for over a decade. He loves walleye fishing!
What event are you/your team looking forward to the most this season?
Detroit is always the one we look forward to the most. It’s always the hardest because of all the local anglers that sign up. It fills up the fast and has the most boats. But it usually has the most curveballs with the weather.
How would you describe your personal walleye fishing strengths/interests?
My personal walleye strengths and interests. My strengths are going to be trolling and attention to detail while doing so. Interests are always trying to figure something out that nobody else is doing. Trying to keep that edge or find something a little different.
L-R: Roy Miller, Rob Jones, and Jason Schlaack
What was a highlight of you/your team from last season?
Last season was pretty good. We made the top 40 championship and ended up taking third place in the championship out of Port Austin. Saginaw Bay has always been my weakness so to be able to take a plaque home from Saginaw Bay was a huge accomplishment, especially amongst the top 40 anglers in the series.
What is one thing you are planning on focusing on/doing differently this year?
This year we’re going to focus on sticking to our strengths. Especially with the schedule this year it’s a lot of really good, favorable stops for us. We will troll 1st and breakdown water more efficiently. We use forward-facing sonar to help with all aspects of our fishing, including trolling and being able to focus on good water versus dead water.
Do you have any other information about yourself or your thoughts you would like to share?
I have been walleye fishing for about 18 years. The last dozen or so I have fish on the Michigan Walleye Tour. It wasn’t till the last three years that we decided to fish the complete season and make a run at angler of the year.
I’m a father of four with two still in school. Have an angler who’s too old and fat to compete at Church league softball anymore so this is how I scratched my competitive itch. I truly enjoy fishing with my kids and dragging them to Sports shows so they can get the full experience of what I do. I’m blessed to be able to work with some of the finest companies in the fishing industry. Including offshore tackle company and many GSM Outdoor Brands.
Best of wishes to you and your team this season, Roy! Be sure to follow him on his Instagram and Facebook throughout the season.
Capt. Evan Adler:
With a history of marvelous marble-eyes, Capt. Evan is looking forward to the season, especially for the big water of Lake Huron out of Alpena for the fourth event.
What event are you/your team looking forward to the most this season?
The event that I am looking forward to the most would probably be Alpena.  Anytime I can go up and fish somewhere where I don’t get to fish as often is a plus. I get to cover new water and learn more about that specific area.
(Photo courtesy of K. Dom Photography)
How would you describe your personal walleye fishing strengths and interests?
“One of my personal walleye fishing strengths would be knowing how to read water. Whether this is due to a wind change, a water clarity change, a temperature change or the fact that we are not seeing or marking as many fish as we previously were during the pre-fishing days leading up to a tournament. Knowing these key factors will determine if we should fish a spot, how long we should give a spot or if we need to move and regroup on other locations.”
What was a highlight of you/your team from last season?
“Last season I would say our number one highlight would be from Sault Ste. Marie. My team and I spent a lot of time pre-fishing that area leading up to the tournament and we worked very hard to have a successful tournament. With the fish that we were pre-fishing, it seemed that we were likely going to do well as long as the fish cooperated and stayed in the spots where we found them. Being that we spent so much time and effort in the area trying to locate the best spots we could find and placing 7th overall, I would say that the team was proud of that accomplishment. Especially being that it was our first time ever fishing in that area.”
Capt. Evan will be fishing out of his Skeeter this season with teammates Austin Crum and Shane Loney.
What is one thing you are planning on focusing on/doing differently this year?
“One thing that I am going to be focusing more on this year will be trying to enjoy the process of tournament angling and not letting it get into my head. Sometimes there is worrying or anxiety with tournaments. I’m also going to focus on certain tactics more like casting instead of trolling just to force myself to learn new things and tactics that in the past was a weak spot and didn’t hold much confidence for me.”
Do you have any other information about yourself or your thoughts you would like to share?
“I started walleye fishing at a very young age, learning from my dad and uncles. Most of my Fishing took place on Lake St. Clair and the Saginaw Bay growing up. Now they may not have taken it to the level that I have , it is still a key factor on what made me obsessed and passionate about the outdoors as much as I am today. In 2019 I started a guide service focusing around Lake St. Clair, where I grew up. I have been guiding off and on full time/ part time while also jumping into the tournament side of things over the past few years.”
Outside of tournament fishing, Capt. Evan is a licensed fishing guide in the state of Michigan. He offers trips for bass, walleye, and sturgeon at Southeast Michigan Fishing Charters. To learn more and stay up to date, follow his pages on Instagram, Facebook, and his website, www.southeastmicharters.com.
From the man on the microphone, Capt. Lance Valentine
Capt. Lance interviewing Roy Miller and his team at a 2025 weigh-in
How would you describe the anticipation ahead for the season?
“The 2026 season of the Michigan Walleye Tour should be one of the biggest and best. Kicking off our 4th decade, the anticipation is high for great events and huge participation numbers. I know that early signup for teams that are fishing all 4 events is going well, with a lot of new teams already entered. It Should be an exciting year on the water and the stage!”
For stop #2 on Saginaw Bay, when was the last inner-bay event on the MWT? What kind of thoughts do anglers and the organization have going for this event?
“The inner bay used to be a guaranteed stop, but that has changed over the years. It’s been a while since we have had an inner bay tournament, even though the fishing is strong. Finding a host venue is always hard, and Linwood Beach Marina is the best, and probably the only spot that can host an event as large as the MWT and they are so busy with recreational anglers in the summer that hosting a tournament is tough. By moving the event to early May, we stay ahead of the busiest recreational fishing windows. I’m excited about being here as are most of the anglers I have talked to. A LOT of them learned to walleye fish in these waters, so coming back to tournament fish is like coming home. The toughest part will be figuring out where to fish. There are lots of spots holding good fish that time of year.”
Capt. Lance caught this 12.7lb walleye in May 2001 during a Lake Erie MWT event. It held the record of biggest fish weighed-in for over two decades.
For Stop #3, what can people expect for an Erie event in the middle of June? and why was Lorain, Ohio, chosen for the site?
“Erie has always been a key part of the schedule, and traditionally the events launch out of Michigan. Anglers launch from Michigan and almost always head 30-70 miles East into Ohio chasing bigger fish, so launching from Lorain adds a level of safety and lets anglers fish longer. Lorain is kind of the center of early summer fishing on Lake Erie as walleyes migrate from the Western basin to the Central and Eastern basins chasing bait and cooler waters. Lorain sets the anglers up to go east or west and get on good fish. *IF anglers get 2-3 days of pre-fishing and 2 days of tournament with good weather, I would not be surprised to see the winning weight around the 80 lb. mark!”
For the championship on Lake Charlevoix, a comment on what that lake is like would be very helpful.
“The 2026 Championship on Lake Charlevoix is going to be interesting. A new body of water that most of the anglers have never fished. A good resident population of walleyes live there and some fish are constantly migrating in and out of the lake from Lake Michigan. It shouldn’t fish much different than Burt and Mullet where the MWT guys have some experience and there are so many teams good at FFS. I'm expecting a decent bite and opening the eyes of local anglers to what kind of walleye fishery they have!”
(L-R): Capt. Lance Valentine, Shane Loney, Capt. Evan Adler, and Austin Crum.
Do you have any additional comments about something I have not considered for any of the events, including Detroit and Alpena?
“The traditional season opener in Detroit is always a crap shoot based on weather. When the ice lets go, how fast the water warms, how fast Erie warms, how dirty or clean the water gets- just so many factors on the river, teams need to be ready for anything. I think Detroit is the “best” fishery as far as numbers of big fish in the tournament boundaries, but it is the “hardest” to pattern as far as locations, movements, and presentations. Alpena has been a player in the MWT the past 5-6 seasons. Teams have run there from the Soo, from Port Austin at last year's Championship, from Oscoda and we have had some events based there. The MWT teams are learning that area, and when they know an area they can catch fish!! Big water events are based on weather so it’s always hard to predict, but Alpena should be a good event again and I know it is a favorite place for the MWT to visit!”
There is much to look forward to whether you are a fan, competitor, or walleye fishing enthusiast. The season is off to a strong note at full capacity with 150 teams registered that have the ambition to do well and catch a big fish when it matters. While it is safe to say that most anglers will be Jigging. there will be a dedicated few hand-lining, both time-tested proven tactics on the Detroit River. If you are interested in learning more or even putting a team together, visit MichiganWalleyeTour.Com.
Best of wishes in safety and success for everybody involved this season! It is going to be GREAT.
A special word of appreciation is shared for their input for this article including Roy Miller, Capt. Lance Valentine, Capt. Evan Adler, K. Dom Photography, and Tournament Director, Jeffery Willis
