Longlac, Ont. hosts new walleye fishing tournament next summer
The Longlac Walleye Masters will take place on July, 27 to 29
Spring and summer are two of the busiest seasons for tournament anglers, especially here in northwestern Ontario. With a event taking place every weekend starting from May right through to the fall, fishers must plan out their schedules in the winter months to ensure they don't miss out on some world class tournaments.
This year for the last weekend in July, fishing fanatics can add another tournament to the already long list.
Situated on a big, under-fished body of water called Long Lake, residents in Longlac, Ont. will be hosting their first ever Longlac Walleye Masters.
"In the past there has been a few organizations that have put some on, [but] nothing to this scale," organizer Alan Ouellet explained, "Longlac has been known for a long time for successful fishing in the area."
The two-day, two-angler live release walleye tournament will take place on July, 27 to the 29 on the "main part of Long Lake, which will give [anglers] about 52-miles of water," Ouellet described.
He said a maximum of 125 boats will be allowed to enter the tournament at a fee of $325 per boat, and the top 10 fishers with the biggest and heaviest walleye will be able to take home a cash prize of up to $10,000.
Although this is the first professional scale tournament in Longlac, Ouellet said the goal is to "emulate the Geraldton Walleye Classic," which is why a five-member organizing committee have already started the preparations for the tournament.
"It's going to take a large number of volunteers...[and] we are starting a year in advance, to make sure we have all our I's dotted and our T's crossed," Ouellet said.
Anyone interested in registering or learning more about the tournament can do so through the Longlac Walleye Masters website.
"We're very excited about the event and we are hoping it will bring a big draw to the area," Ouellet expressed, and "being locals, we know what the lake has to offer, it's just a matter of having anglers with the experience to bring that forward."