For all 30 years of Bassin’ for Bucks, Barb Salvador has helped keep the tournament running and welcomed anglers back to Sioux Narrows.
After this year’s tournament, which ran from Sept. 11 to 13, Salvador is stepping back from her longtime role as a director. In an interview with Kenora Miner & News, Salvador said she won’t be leaving entirely. She will continue to offer advice and help to the new leadership team as needed.
Salvador has been involved since Bassin’ for Bucks began in 1996 and has served as a director for most of that time. It all began when her husband, an avid fisherman, suggested she lend a hand.
“He says, ‘Why don’t you help?’” Salvador recalled. “So there I am.”
Local anglers Mel Giesbrecht and Chris Bell started the tournament using a format built around what they themselves wanted to see as competitors. Its early years looked considerably different from the tournament that now attracts 120 teams.
“Our first year we had 36 teams, and we did everything in the parking lot,” Salvador said.
In that first year, the three-day tournament was held at the government dock, where a flatbed truck served as the stage.
“The next year we had 60-plus teams, and the third year we had 100,” she said.
The field remained capped at 100 until about seven years ago, when organizers increased it to 120 because of demand. Salvador said the tournament has continued to draw a waiting list of between 15 and 20 teams each year.
Behind the scenes, her work has included preparing paperwork, tracking the boats, organizing T-shirts and setup, bringing volunteers together, and working with sponsors.
The part she values most, however, is the relationships formed over three decades.
Salvador said the most rewarding part has been watching young anglers grow up and eventually return with children of their own. “Some of them were 12, 14 when they started the tournament. Now they’re fathers and bringing their kids to fish.”
She described the people she has met through the tournament as being like her own children and looks forward to the hugs she receives from anglers each morning and afternoon.
“It’s a great family network,” she said.
Salvador also credits the tournament’s volunteers with helping create that atmosphere. About 70 are on the volunteer list this year, including summer residents who remain in Sioux Narrows for an extra week after Labour Day to help.
“One of our biggest compliments from the anglers is our volunteers, how nice they are and how helpful,” she said. “For a small community, I think that’s great.”
Jeff Polakoff, a member of the tournament’s leadership team, said Salvador’s personality has helped distinguish Bassin’ for Bucks from other fishing tournaments.
“A lot of them will say it’s because of her personality,” Polakoff said of the anglers. “She brings a very welcoming approach to the tournament. They just love coming in and visiting with her, visiting with each other.”
While the competition is serious, Polakoff said Salvador has helped maintain the relaxed, friendly atmosphere the tournament is known for.
Her years of experience will remain important as an eight-member leadership team takes on more of the work.
“It’s taken eight of us to try and keep up with Barb,” Polakoff said.
Salvador said age was part of her decision to step back, along with a desire to make sure others learn how the tournament operates. Bringing more people into leadership has already produced new ideas, she said, while allowing responsibilities once handled largely by one person to be divided among several people.
“It would be nice for others to know how the tournament is run,” Salvador said. “They bring some good ideas as well. It’s just time for maybe new blood.”
She said she feels good about the transition and believes sharing the workload will benefit the tournament. At the same time, she hopes the qualities anglers have long appreciated will be preserved.
“I’m not going to try to micromanage, but I’m going to suggest, you know, this has worked,” she said. “Our fishermen have really liked how our tournament’s been run.”
Polakoff said Salvador’s experience will remain valuable to the new leadership team.
“She has kind of learned by experience what works and what doesn’t work with the anglers, as well as the volunteers,” he said. “You can’t overstate how important that knowledge is when you’re looking to coordinate an event like this.”
Seeing Bassin’ for Bucks reach its 30th year is itself a source of pride for Salvador. The tournament has faced hurdles, including a venue change that forced organizers to overhaul how it operated, but she said it continued without missing a beat.
One thing that would make her final year as a director even more special, she said, would be seeing her husband and son win the tournament.
Although she is stepping back from some of her responsibilities, Salvador expects to remain a familiar presence at Bassin’ for Bucks.
“I’ll still be pretty involved, so I don’t think I’ll really miss anything yet,” she said. “I think if I totally step away, I’d miss it. I’d have to go away that weekend.”
