Anglers looking to hook big bucks

Two major fishing tournaments in the district this weekend are ready to fatten the bank accounts of area anglers.
The Rainy River Walleye Tournament will see 81 teams vying for the $15,000 first prize—the biggest field ever in the tournament’s five-year history.
“We had our maximum of 80 teams, but we made an exception,” said RRWT chair Glen Armstrong. “One man competed last year, but couldn’t finish the tournament because of emergency medical problems.
“His partner ended up finishing in the top 10.
“So we decided as a committee, since this man’s partner has now teamed up with somebody else, that we would let the man re-enter with a different partner at the last minute,” Armstrong added.
“I wouldn’t expect anybody will have a real big problem with the decision.”
Weigh-ins will take place Saturday at 3:45 p.m. and Sunday at 2:45 p.m.
Armstrong lauded the efforts of the tournament volunteers, the sponsors, and the community itself to help bring the RRWT together.
Now if only the weather co-operates.
“I just hope the wind stays away,” said Armstrong. “I know lots of people who don’t mind fishing in the rain. But if that wind comes up, it makes it really cool, and it’s going to be tough conditions out there.”
Meanwhile, the second-annual Dale LaBelle’s Rainy Lake Bass Classic will hit the water at LaBelle’s Birch Point Camp north of Devlin, with a $5,000 top prize awaiting the best of the 70-team field—up 10 teams from last year.
Weigh-ins will take place at 4 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.
(Fort Frances Daily Bulletin)