Ken Johnston
The Emo Walleye Classic has two big changes in store this year.
“We would like to attract more anglers from the Rainy River-Baudette area,” explained EWC co-chair Lincoln Dunn.
To do that, the committee has decided to expand the western boundary for the competition.
In the previous 11 years, anglers could not fish any further west than the Pinewood River. Now they’ll be allowed to fish all the way to the mouth of the Rainy River.
The move stems from feedback from past participants on how to improve the tournament.
While 42 teams competed last May, Dunn said the tournament can handle up to 65 and would like to see the field max out this year.
“We have also changed the entry fee this year,” he added. “It will go down from $600 to $500 per boat.
“That, plus the expanded fishing area, hopefully will attract more teams.”
Since the EWC features a 100 percent payout, if the number of teams drops, the prize purse will, too.
But Dunn is confident the number of entries will reach the max, which will more than compensate for a lower entry fee coming in.
If they get 65 teams, the top team will win $7,800 while second place will take home $3,600.
They pay out the top 16 teams, with the total prize purse being $32,500.
The three-day EWC will be held May 23-25 this year. The first day involves a boat parade, with Friday and Saturday being the actual fishing competition.
Besides the fishing, the bulk of the other festivities will be centralized at the Emo arena. There will be a casino night, a car show, and a live band, along with many other activities.
Dunn said anyone wishing to register to compete in EWC can do so at www.EmoWalleye.com
About 35 teams have registered so far, with that number growing weekly.
“We are looking forward to the tournament this year and will again be live-streaming it on the Internet for those who can’t make it to the arena,” noted Dunn.
