Joey Payeur
It was going to take exactly four pounds to win a fourth title.
Bill Godin and Ralph Galusha didn’t get much more than that—but they didn’t need to.
The Devlin duo became the first team in the history of the Emo Walleye Classic to repeat as champions after they captured their record-setting fourth tournament title Saturday at the Emo-La Vallee Arena.
Their Day 2 haul of 4.62 pounds—for a two-day total of 13.70—was just enough to unseat the 2004 championship tandem of Dale Hartlin and Dan Pollard from Emo, who settled for second (13.07).
The pair took home $5,000 for first place, along with another $550 in other prize earnings.
“It feels awesome,” grinned Godin.
“I actually went into the tourney with the best feeling ever because we caught plenty of big ones during pre-fishing,” he noted.
Godin and Galusha now have double the number of EWC titles of anyone else in the tourney’s 14-year history, previously winning in 2007 and 2010 before going back-to-back the past two years.
It was Godin who reeled in what turned out to be the decisive catch of the weekend—a 6.23-pounder that was the big fish of the tourney.
It helped the pair to a more than two-pound lead after Day 1 at 9.08.
Hartlin and Pollard had the heaviest weight of Day 2 at 7.29 pounds to jump from eighth spot after Day 1.
But they couldn’t hold off the kingpins of the 29-team field.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Pollard, who was gracious in defeat as he and Hartlin claimed $2,500 for second place.
They also won $350 more for surviving seven rounds in the “hot seat” on Saturday.
“We enjoyed it. It’s all for the kids, anyway,” Pollard added.
Les Morrison and Oliver Gibbons of Morson, who won the EWC in 2013, slipped from second on Day 1 to third (12.58).
Darwin Thompson of Fort Frances and his brother, Rick, from Emo, nabbed fourth place (11.17), while Rick Socholotuk and Mike Maxton of Fort Frances rounded out the top five (11.04).
Irwin Hughes of Devlin and his daughter, Amber, were sixth overall (10.79).
They also had the big fish of Day 2 (4.77).
