Professional walleye angler, Dylan Nussbaum, is experiencing a dream season at the highest level of competition on the Cabela’s National Walleye Tour. This is evidenced by his most recent second-place finish at the Lake Francis Case pro event in South Dakota.
What’s more, the young angler from St. Marys, Pennsylvania, currently sits third in the highly competitive Cabela’s NWT Angler of the Year race.
Nussbaum, however, is no stranger to success at this level. At 20 years of age, he was the youngest angler to win a coveted Cabela’s NWT Championship in 2018. KastKing rods and reels have been with Nussbaum since the 2019 season and have proven to be an integral part of his success over the past five seasons on tour.
Nussbaum explains the relationship forged with KastKing, stating, “This is my 5th year with KastKing, and I couldn’t be more pleased to be around such a group of super positive people with an attitude of ‘how can we make it better’ in every product they make. They really stress quality in every rod and reel they produce, and I’d also add that pursuit of quality is their biggest attribute. I’m putting their gear to use at the highest levels of competition, and they continue to prove themselves over and over again”.
Nussbaum relies on a variety of tactics for his success on the NWT, using a combination of spinning, baitcasting, and trolling rods and reels. For his most recent 2nd place finish in South Dakota, he had a two-tiered approach to both shallow and deep water walleyes. “I used a #9 Rapala Jigging Rap in water over 25 feet deep”, he explains, “and fished it on a 6’8” medium fast action KastKing Wideye Walleye Rod with a 2000 size KastKing Sharky III reel. The Sharky III is just a workhorse reel that I use for a lot of different techniques”.
For the fish in less than 25 feet of water, Nussbaum deployed a 3/8 oz. VMC Neon Moon Eye Jig with a 4” Z-Man Scented Jerk ShadZ.For the shallower approach, he used the same 6’8” KastKing Wideye Walleye rod but paired it with the KastKing Zephyr Spinning reel. As he notes, “The Zephyr just has a super smooth drag, and I really needed that for those big walleye in shallower water.”
The next event on Nussbaum’s schedule is the NWT Championship, slated for September 6-8, 2023, at Devil’s Lake, North Dakota. You can bet that Nussbaum will be in the thick of that event in his KastKing wrapped boat and assorted KastKing rods and reels to meet whatever challenge the fish present him that week.
Nussbaum concludes, “I’m just really thankful to be a part of the KastKing team. I’ve known (company president) Al Noraker for some time, and he’s such a great guy. It’s just a pleasure to be associated with such great people and quality products”.
About KastKing:
Founded in 2013, KastKing had a vision of producing quality products designed by anglers for anglers and delivered directly to the consumer at affordable prices. True to that vision, KastKing products are developed through feedback from the fishing community and go straight to the manufacturing floor. This inverse of the traditional manufacturer-to-consumer formula introduces cutting-edge features into new products that anglers want and need. The brand has gained popularity among anglers by offering affordable innovation through in-house engineering, which allows KastKing to provide never before seen technology at truly remarkable prices. Ten years later, KastKing products have been sold to consumers in more than 150 countries and regions across the globe through a variety of supply chains. Originally, KastKing’s products were only available online, but consumers can now find their favorite products in a growing number of retail locations. For more information about KastKing and KastKing products, please visit our website at kastking.com or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.
