With the ninth-annual Rainy River Walleye Tournament just over two weeks away, tournament directors are busy beavers finalizing last-minute details and getting all the facilities into place.
Tournament chair Wes Blight said this year’s RRWT will be bigger and better than ever. And with the field expanded to 87 teams, there still are a number of hopefuls on the waiting list for this increasingly-popular event.
The big tent is scheduled to go up this Saturday (Sept. 8) at 10 a.m. at Hannam Park on the Rainy River waterfront. Volunteers are encouraged to come out and lend a hand, with “Raising the Roof” a spectacular sight in its own right.
Scheduled this year for Sept. 20-22, the RRWT kicks off with a boat parade on the Thursday afternoon, followed by the anglers’ supper and rules review.
Paul Morrison of Fort Frances will be taking on the challenge of Master of Ceremonies following the untimely death of former emcee Lionel Robert this past December.
Then on the Friday morning, the first angler flight is off at 8:45 a.m., with weigh-ins at 4:45 p.m. During the day, large fish may be weighed in at any time.
The Saturday flights leave an hour earlier at 7:45 a.m., with the final weigh-ins beginning at 2:45 p.m.
Throughout the weekend, the big tent will be the hub of all activity with mini trade shows, bingos, dances, music, a kids’ fishing tournament, penny tables, and beer garden.
The Rainy River Playschool Inc. again is hosting the RRWT raffle featuring cash prizes as well as a fully-equipped fisherman’s dream: a Princecraft boat and motor from Nestor Falls Marine.
Food service and confections will be available throughout the day Friday and Saturday from different vendors, with hot suppers both evenings hosted by the Evangelical Covenant Church and the Rainy River Legion.
A special RRWT edition of the Rainy River Record (being published on Tuesday, Sept. 11) will carry a full program of events and list of anglers.
If you can’t make it down to the RRWT, be sure to tune in to B•93 (Fort Frances) or KQ 92 (Warroad) for live coverage.
The RRWT results also can be accessed at www.rrwalleye.com
Fort Frances Times
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