Mike Hanson is from Ottawa River, Illinois. Mike is a full-time fishing guide in northern Illinois and is also a successful tournament fisherman with accolades in the MWC and World Walleye Championship. 

When Mike isn’t fishing, he is spending time with his family which includes his wife and three daughters, one son, and four grandchildren. Mike loves to cook and there’s nothing like good food made at home. Mike’s family is his biggest fan. 

Mike’s favorite body of water is the Illinois River where he guides for both walleyes and saugers throughout the year. Some of his favorite and most successful techniques that can be used on the Illinois River are things like jigging, pulling threeways, and pulling lead core. Mike states the Illinois River is very unique in comparison to other walleye fisheries since the river is always working, meaning that it is diverse and there are phenomenal open water opportunities in the colder months.

Mike is excited about the upcoming PWS season and notes the talent of the entire field of anglers and how tough it will be during each tournament. He talks about how important it is to have confidence in what you are doing as a competitor to do well. A unique aspect of H2H for Mike is that even if you are down during any match, any angler always has a chance and your confidence has to always be there no matter what because things can change so quickly in this format.