Pro Angler Duane Hjelm Wins Progressive Angler of the Year & Pro Angler Tom Huynh Wins Championship
Marinette, WI (Sept. 6, 2025) – Today marked the final day of the 2025 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s National Walleye Tour, presented by Progressive. Duane Hjelm capped off a stellar season by winning the coveted Progressive Angler of the Year award. Meanwhile, Tom Huynh closed out both his week and year by winning the NWT Championship—for the second consecutive season.
“With how consistent these guys are, how tough it is to come out on top, you literally cannot stumble a single day,” said Hjelm. “I’ve had a lot of time the last couple of days to think about how I got to this point, and there are two fish I really want to talk about. One was in La Crosse on Day 2—I hooked a fish, and it came up and rolled behind the back of the boat, and I lost it. Then I came back about an hour later and caught it again. Without that fish, and the 9-pounder on Lake Erie, I don’t think I’d be sitting where I am right now.”
When asked about competing against Austin Tomasek and Kevin McQuoid, Hjelm said, “I lost a lot of sleep. I knew both of those guys would catch ’em.” The 2025 Progressive Angler of the Year also expressed deep appreciation for his sponsors, friends, and family for their support throughout the season.
“I’m super blessed to have done this two years in a row—to win the National Walleye Tour Championship,” said Tom Huynh of Wolverton, Minnesota. “Today, I went out there, and for the first two hours, I convinced myself I was going to zero. I fished one spot all day long on Day 1, and I went back there today—and I didn’t mark a single fish on the whole stretch.”
Huynh noticed a significant drop in water temperature and decided to follow his own advice. “I’ve learned—and told a lot of you guys who follow me—that if your water temperature dips on the Great Lakes, you can’t stay.” He then headed in the opposite direction, where the water temperature began to rise. Before long, he had filled his tournament limit and secured the narrow victory.
Huynh wrapped up his interview by thanking his family and everyone who supports him. He even offered to share some tips on how he caught his winning fish!
