It turned into a tight two-way battle, but the interesting thing about fishing tournaments is, the participants don’t know how close it is, until the very end.
The 2016 version of the Estevan Wildlife Federation’s (EWF) Walleye Classic was played out under near ideal conditions with sunny skies, moderate temperatures with light breezes and a full complement of competitors who took to the waters at Boundary Dam reservoir Saturday morning.
EWF president and spokesman Mike Halirewich, said the entry list has always been cut at 50 boats and their two-person teams. This year, as in previous contests, there has been a waiting list and a few disappointed anglers who weren’t able to get involved in the fun.
“It takes a lot of volunteers to make this thing go and if we had more entries, there could be delays at the docks and maybe some confusion that wouldn’t be so great. So 50 boats is a good number and we know we can handle them efficiently,” said Doug Hayward, a long-time volunteer.
“It gets better, more efficient every year. Everyone knows their job,” added Halirewich who had the honour of handing out the plaques as well as a $1,200 cheque to the winning team of Brad and Darren Frater from Kipling who landed an even 20 pounds of walleye within the six-fish limit.
Coming in a very close second was the team of Travis and Brad Graham from Roche Percee with their catch of 91.68 pounds which netted them $900 in tournament winnings. They also claimed the biggest fish title, with a 4.78 pound specimen that gave them another $500 in prize money.
The biggest fish category also turned out to be a close decision with the Graham walleye weighing in just .04 pounds heavier than the second place entry landed by the Frater brothers. Since the classic is a catch and release tournament, those two large fish were eased back into the water after being recorded in the official weigh-in trailer located right next to the boat launches.
Sheldon and Chase McNabb of Estevan claimed third place in the tournament with a total catch of 19.10 pounds and a prize of $600. They were followed by Sandy and Trevor Fisher of Brandon with a catch of 17.56 pounds; Tim and James Geni of Wilcox with 17.26 pounds and Carl and Colby Humphreys of Regina with 16.12 pounds of fish in fourth, fifth and sixth place, earning $400, $300 and $200 respectively.
There were also prizes for hidden weight and other raffles.
The fishers enjoyed some free hotdogs, courtesy of the EWF in the clubhouse following the tournament where the awards were handed out.
Halirewich said the Estevan tournament, staged on the first weekend after the official opening of the fishing season, has gained in popularity over the years, attracting fishers from neighbouring provinces and American states and this year was no exception.
It was noted that near the end of the tournament only one fish had died. If a fish does not survive the catch, weigh-in and release process, that team’s weigh-in total is deducted.
All boats and fishers are checked prior to hitting the water to ensure all safety gear is intact, licenses are in place and legal bait is being used.
‘It’s a fun tournament, they like the prizes, but the best part is getting together,” said Halirewich.
“I think we caught about 40 or 50 fish out there today, just looking for the right ones,” said one unidentified fisher as he helped move his catch from the live well into a water-filled basket that was to be taken to the weigh-in station.
It was just that kind of good fishing day at Boundary and the tournament results proved that point.
