Joey Payeur
Usually when an event reaches a high-water mark, it’s a sign of success.
Fishing tournaments are, by nature, an exception to that rule.
Still, Emo Walleye Classic chairman Ed Carlson isn’t stressing out about the above-average height of the water this spring on the Rainy River near Emo, where the eighth-annual tournament will take place this Thursday-Saturday.
“Looking at the water levels, they are very high, right up over the berm,” noted Carlson. “We’re not going to use the normal boat launch unless there’s a drastic change before the weekend.
“But we have another launch to the west we can use. We’ve used it in the past and it’s worked well.
“The town employees will have it all figured out.
“The water being up that high can be a good thing, too,” Carlson added. “As it is, the water is very clean and so the debris which is usually floating in the river has already washed away.
“That’s certainly the hazard for the boaters,” he said. “I know someone who, one year, was competing in the tourney and had to be in the front of the boat pushing stuff out of the way with his paddle almost the whole time.
“It wasn’t very fun.”
The expected field of 60 teams from Canada and the U.S. will be gunning for their share of $40,000 in prize money, with roughly $11,000 going to the winning duo.
And if any of the walleye warriors are concerned the elevated water levels, a result of the run-off from the melting of our record-breaking snowfall this past winter, Carlson assures all those involved they have nothing to worry about.
“The fish will be there,” he promised. “It may change where they are hanging out. They might look for different spots than normal.
“It might even be better [with the high water levels],” he added. “The fish will be good and healthy, and the water will be nice and cool. It should be a very successful tournament.
“This is a good time of year to fish for walleye.”
Carlson will wear a trio of hats at this year’s EWC. As if he won’t be busy enough with his chairman’s role, he will be competing in the tournament along with partner Ron Skyberg, as well as also be on call at the tournament in his regular job as a paramedic with the Rainy River District Emergency Medical Services.
Because of that final responsibility, emphasizing the importance of safety on the part of the anglers is at the top of Carlson’s priority list.
“It’s always a good idea to have a kill switch [attached] to the engine and to make sure to have a life jacket on,” he stressed. “The tournament rules state you will be penalized if you don’t have either of those things.”
While the weather this spring has hardly been co-operative in regards to outdoor pursuits, Carlson has his fingers crossed for sunny skies come tournament time.
“We’re hoping for temperatures to be around 20 degrees Celsius, which would be great for the tournament,” he remarked.
“But who knows? It could be snowing, too.
“Either way, we’re looking forward to a great weekend,” Carlson said. “It should be a full field or close, which is pretty good considering times are tougher these days [economically].”
