Emo Walleye Classic ready to roll

Maybe this year, Mother Nature will give them all a little bit more of a break.
A little less river water and debris in the playing field would be more than okay with anglers and organizers involved in the fifth-annual Emo Walleye Classic, which is slated to cast off from the riverfront there May 26-27.
Just two days prior to last year’s tournament, 2.2 inches of rain fell over a 48-hour period here, bringing the Rainy River up more than three metres above normal.
And as if that wasn’t bad enough, the rapidly-rising water also brought debris and muddy water with it.
As a result, only 254 walleye were caught during the two-day competition, compared with 400 in 2004. Some 15 teams were skunked on Day One and 29 more on Day Two.
Overall, 11 duos—including Todd Baker and Greg Stahn, who won back-to-back titles in 2003-04—weighed in no fish during the tournament.
Steve Ballan and Doug McBride managed to overcome the challenging environment and reeled in tournament records for biggest fish and biggest catch with a 10-pound walleye, as well as the biggest two-day total of 25.82 pounds.
“She can make you a hero one day and a zero the next,” EWC co-chair and tournament participant Ed Carlson had said last year after he was skunked on Day Two.
But his outlook is a bit brighter this year.
“The river is up a bit but everything looks really good, and I think it will be a wonderful tournament,” Carlson predicted late last week.
“I think we are going to see some really good catches this year.”
Meanwhile, EWC organizers are planning at least one new techno-gadget they’re hoping will be a big hit with spectators waiting in the Emo arena for the weigh-ins each day: a live feed from the front lines.
“The tech guys have been working on getting live footage into the big screen in the arena from the river front, and I think it will be a great [addition] to the tournament,” noted Carlson, who gave kudos to the architect of the plan, Lincoln Dunn.
“Lincoln is always thinking about stuff like that—I chock it up to his creativity,” Carlson lauded.
Dunn is the EWC stage and technical co-ordinator, and also teamed up with Carlson as co-chair.
“Part of [the reason behind] the live feed idea was due to the ultimate geek question, ‘It would be cool to be able to do that, but can we actually do that,’” Dunn chuckled during a brief interview from his office at the Fort Frances Times, where he works in the Electronic Publishing department.
“Once we said, ‘Can we do it,’ well—then the challenge was made and we had to do it,” he noted.
“And I really always wondered what it’s like at the waterfront [when the boats come in],” added Dunn. “In all the five years that I’ve been with the EWC board, I’ve never seen the boats being pulled out of the water because I’ve always been up in the arena sitting and working at a computer.
“That’s the way it is for a lot of people who stay up at the arena and wait for the weigh-ins.”
Although Dunn warned the live feed system was still in its “beta stage” and probably would have some kinks that would need working out, he was confident the concept would spice things up.
“It will add a little more tension and a little more drama to the day,” he remarked.
Dunn credited Al McIvor, EWC technology co-ordinator, and former Emo resident Tyler Gamsby, who returns from Toronto each year to lend his technical support to the tournament, as crucial to the success of the live feed program.
In addition, computer buff Paul Loney of Emo also had his hand in the mix.
“Paul is absolutely invaluable and quite likely if it were not for him, we wouldn’t be doing this,” said Dunn.
Carlson also noted some changes to the rules for this year’s tournament.
For instance, anglers will be encouraged to produce proof of a valid fishing licence prior to Day One, and will be required to check in with spotters to have their return times officially recorded.
Carlson admitted that even after five years, the tournament still has some wrinkles to iron out.
“We’re trying to work out every possible fluke, but every year there is something else. We’re always trying to take away one more thing that might come back and bite us,” he chuckled.
“Take-off time [for anglers] was in place in the rules but return time was not physically in our rules. Now it is,” he stressed.
Tournament anglers will be apprised of rule changes tomorrow night (May 25) during the “Reading of the Rules” meeting slated for 7:30 p.m. at the Emo/La Vallee Community Centre.