Twenty-eight teams went in but it was Brayden Spence, teamed up with Keith and Terry Wilson, who emerged as champion of the annual KidPro tournament held yesterday in conjunction with the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship.
The team recorded a 13.1-pound total—led by a 4.81-pound lunker—to top the second-place team by a pound-and-a-half.
Spence, 11, admitted the win had him “kind of shocked . . . more happy.”
He said he knew the team had a good total but was expecting to come in second.
Instead, the runner-up was Conner Watson, fishing with Darryl Galusha and Rick Ward. His 11.46-pound total just eked out the 11.43 pounds posted by third-place Brody McPherson, who teamed up with Bill Godin and Norm Lindsay.
Jonah Brow, fishing with Dennis and Glenn Smith, snagged the big fish of the day—an even five-pounder—that left him in ninth place overall.
Participating pros often say they look forward to the KidPro tournament as much as fishing in the FFCBC itself, including brothers Keith and Terry Wilson.
The pair have fished the tournament as a team for three years and come out for the KidPro for all three.
“They learn a lot from the anglers,” said Terry Wilson, who added the KidPro tournament is definitely a highlight of the week.
“I enjoy going out with the kids,” he remarked.
Keith Wilson added he takes children fishing often in Atikokan, so fishing the KidPro here isn’t too much of a stretch. “We go out there just to have fun,” he stressed.
The winning team admitted on stage afterwards that their day wasn’t all smiles and sunshine. They ran into some motor troubles early on and had to stop twice for some quick repairs—not that young Spence was daunted.
“He said, ‘You guys fix that, I’ll catch the fish,’” Keith recalled.
And the youngster did the pros well—landing two of the team’s biggest bass during the breakdowns.
The KidPro tournament, which ran for the 10th year yesterday, pairs teams of anglers from the FFCBC with local youth as a way to grow the sport and reach out to children in and around Fort Frances.
Youths only can participate once, and are required to attend a class to learn about angling and fishing safety beforehand.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
