Local team makes comeback to finish eighth

They kept on slipping.
Like being in quicksand, they fell lower and lower in the standings. From 21st after the first day, to 29th after the second.
Guy Johnston and Doug Wright, both of Fort Frances, couldn’t explain it. They had found the fish during their pre-fishing and now they had disappeared.
The fish that were once there were now gone. But Johnston and Wright were in decent shape in the standings. It’s just that they expected to be flexing a little more muscle come the final day.
“When we pre-fished and we found those big ones up there, we had a good feeling that we had a chance. But we didn’t want to say anything to jinx us,” said Johnston.
But after some deliberation and patience they brought in a 16.48 pound bag on the third day and jumped 21 spots and held the eighth spot more surely than a mother holding her newborn.
“I’ll be grinning from ear to ear,” said Johnston, when asked what emotion he will have when he picks up his team’s cheque for $3,600, with $1,250 of it being used for next year’s registration.
“I don’t know how else to put it. That we finished so high against that caliber of fisherman that are out there. It really feels great. And I’m just so happy right now,” said Johnston, who at 42, spoke like a 12-year-old who had just caught his first bass.
They never lost faith. And that was the key. Even when things looked grim, they looked forward with anticipation and patience.
“It’s been rather exhilarating. Personally I had a really off day with the fish yesterday (Friday), and we would’ve been going through the tent if I didn’t have such a bad day,” said Wright, who is not only Johnston’s partner of seven years but also his brother-in-law.
“Yesterday (Friday), he saved me. Today, the tables kind of turned. He was having an off morning and whenever one of us has those days, the other will pick up the slack,” added Wright.
The duo also found success in the FFCBC’s other fishing event in the Kid-Pro tournament. Alyssa Kupila, 11 and a resident of Devlin, brought in 12.49 pounds the Sunday before the FFCBC, with the assistance of Johnston and Wright, who both said that helping Kupila win the Kid-Pro and placing well in the FFCBC has made this year’s event the best highlight of their fishing careers.
“It’s amazing after fishing this tournament for seven years to end up in top 10,” said Wright. “It makes me feel good that we are actually the top local team, but other than that, it’s just another day on the lake.”
“We just go fishing,” said Johnston, who is a part-time guide. “We do our pre-fishing and try to do our homework. We try to pick up the fish that we can and when we go out we just fish and enjoy doing it. We just try not to let the pressure get to us and just try our best.”