Alexandria brothers beat out past champs to win KC Walleye Classic

Alexandria brothers Ben and Andrew Hittle won the 26th Knights of Columbus Walleye Classic on Lake Bemidji and Lake Irving, finishing first among 100 two-person teams with a combined 24.88 pounds of walleyes and a top catch of 8.17 pounds. The win followed their earlier success at the Minnesota Fishing Challenge in Brainerd, making it their second podium in as many tournaments this season. The siblings, who grew up fishing with their father in Alexandria, credited a late-afternoon Plan B after an early start with empty hands as they moved to shallower 4- to 7-foot water where bites emerged using shiners and Berkley Lab Series plastics on jigs.