If you’re in the mood for some fishing action this weekend, or are on the lookout for some family-friendly activities, head out to Emo for the 25th annual Emo Walleye Classic taking place from Thursday, May 22 through to Saturday, May 24, 2025.
The tournament fun kicks off on Thursday with Gibson’s Grub and the Legion bar both opening in the late afternoon. Gibson’s Grub will start serving at 4:00 p.m. at the Emo/LaVallee Arena, with the Legion bar opening shortly after at 5:00 p.m. Don’t take too long enjoying delicious food, though, as the annual Boat Parade of participating anglers takes off from in from of the Emo Hospital at 6:00 p.m. While that wraps up activities for the public, anglers will have their traditional Reading of the Rules meeting at the arena from 7:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.
Fishing action gets underway early on Friday, May 23, 2025 as the first flight of anglers departs from the Front Street Boat Launch at 8:00 a.m., followed by the second flight of anglers at 8:30 a.m. While your favourite team is working to land the biggest walleye they can, head back to the Emo/LaVallee arena for 3:00 p.m. as a host of activities gets underway. Gibson’s Grub will re-open for the day at that time, alongside The Pink Parasol Tea Trailer and the Talk on the Street food truck. It’s also the time to take a look at the penny tables at the arena, while the Legion bar opens shortly after at 3:30 p.m.
Once you’ve had your fill of delicious food and tasty drinks, there’s still time to grab a slice of pie as the Devlin United Church Women hold their traditional Pie and Coffee sale at the arena. Once you’re full up of pie, Day One weigh-ins get underway at 4:30 p.m. with the first flight of anglers returning to see how their luck and skills hold out after the first day of fishing. The second flight of anglers return for 5:00 p.m. on Friday, so everyone will be able to see where the teams stack up as they head into Saturday’s fishing action. Before that, though, be sure to hang around the arena until 7:00 p.m. as that’s when registration opens for Trivia Night, sure to be a hit for friends and family. Trivia gets underway at 7:30 p.m. and closes out day one of the Emo Walleye Classic.
Get ready for a warm, if not particularly sunny day (so says Environment Canada), as Day Two of the tournament kicks off with the first flight of anglers once again departing at 8:00 p.m., followed a half hour later by flight two. Gibson’s Grubs will be open earlier at noon on Saturday to help you enjoy the weekend, with the children’s cornhole games taking place from 12:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. at the arena. The penny tables re-open for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, and the Devlin United Church Women will be back with pie and coffee beginning at 2:00 p.m.
If you’re looking to wet your whistle and fill your stomach before weigh-ins on Saturday, the Legion bar opens at 2:00 p.m., and will remain open until 1:00 a.m., and both The Pink Parasol Tea Trailer and Talk on the Street Eatery open back up at 2:00 p.m. at the arena. You won’t have long to wait though, as the final day of fishing weigh-ins is scheduled to start with the first flight of anglers returning at 3:30 p.m., the second flight at 4:00 p.m., and the weigh-ins proper getting underway at 4:00 p.m., lining up the best teams for the final championship presentation later that evening.
Before the winners are announced, fishing fans can help support a good cause by buying a ticket to the Cornerstone Christian School fundraiser dinner of roast beef and all the fixings. Tickets will be available in advance for $25 at JF Electronics or by contacting the school at 807-482-3838. They will also be available on Saturday night during weigh-ins.
Once the meal wraps up it will be time to crown the newest Emo Walleye Classic Champions, with the presentation scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m., the same time as the penny table winners will also be pulled. Once prizes are out and a new championship team has been crowned, there’s still time to register for the adult’s cornhole tournament, which opens for registration at 7:00 p.m. and gets underway at 7:30 p.m., bringing another fun and fish-filled Emo Walleye Classic to a close.
