Rookies Payne Hunter and Shawn Brown took the 2022 Emo Walleye Classic title with 33.18 lb. This was Brown’s first ever tournament, and Hunter’s first “big” tournament — he’d fished a few derbies before.
They used a small Lund, a 25-horse motor, and a cooler for a livewell.
“It just proves you don’t need a big boat to catch fish,” said Brown. “You’ve just got to know where they are.”
Hunter said the fish were in 12-13 feet of water, and that he and Brown fished the same spot both days.
“We probably caught 20 fish today,” said Hunter. “We crushed it.”
Anglers are allowed four fish per day — two over 18 inches, and two between 12-18 inches. Hunter and Brown had 12.45 lb. on day one, and 20.73 lb. on the second and final day.
“Fishing was great today,” said Hunter. “I was glad everybody had fish.”
Despite the high water, anglers didn’t seem to have any trouble reeling in fish. Most boats had filled their bag both days, and no team came up empty either day.
Angler Mike Maxton said the water levels helped him and his son Javyn.
“High water was good for us,” he said. “It positioned the fish where we needed them to be to catch them.”
He said the fish were mainly in creek beds and current breaks. Mike has experience in this tournament, and has fished it with Javyn once before as well.
TJ Barker proved he was a better angler than his dad Jon this weekend, reeling in most of the pair’s big fish and helping them finish 7th out of 31. TJ also won the Walleye Classic’s Rookie Award.
And although Edward Cabral and Jamie Blattner didn’t get Cabral’s wish of a top-10 finish, they redeemed themselves with 21.37 lb., far exceeding their 2017 two-day total of 5.95 lb.
They also won the Day Two Hidden Weight award.
For full tournament results, look to your left.
2022 Emo Walleye Classic Final Standings
Place Team Day 1 Day 2 Final
| Place | Team | Day 1 | Day 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Payne Hunter and Shawn Brown | 12.24 | 20.73 | 33.18 |
| 2 | Doug McBride and Steve Ballan | 13.35 | 19.14 | 32.24 |
| 3 | Bill Godin and Greg Swire | 16.26 | 11.74 | 28.00 |
| 4 | Dan Pollard and Josh Pollard | 15.03 | 12.65 | 27.68 |
| 5 | Jim Steele and Jessica Steele | 12.72 | 14.40 | 27.12 |
| 6 | Les Morrison and Oliver Gibbons | 16.05 | 10.45 | 26.50 |
| 7 | Jon Barker and TJ Barker | 14.22 | 11.82 | 26.04 |
| 8 | Aaron Bisson and Tony Bisson | 12.90 | 12.29 | 25.19 |
| 9 | Dale Hartlin and Curtis Hartlin | 9.01 | 15.14 | 24.15 |
| 10 | Jaxon Calder and Steven Halverson | 11.51 | 12.62 | 24.13 |
| 11 | Riley Caul and Brandon Marr | 12.22 | 11.29 | 23.51 |
| 12 | Dennis Smith and Terry Allan | 11.25 | 12.08 | 23.43 |
| 13 | Greg Hartlin and Tyler Cousineau Day | 10.11 | 13.01 | 23.12 |
| 14 | Ted Heyens and Kelvin Caul Day | 9.96 | 13.04 | 23.00 |
| 15 | Terry Wilson and John Spuzak | 9.01 | 13.02 | 22.03 |
| 16 | Mike Maxton and Javyn Maxton | 8.98 | 13.03 | 22.01 |
| 17 | Ed Carlson and Jason McQuaker | 10.39 | 11.41 | 21.80 |
| 18 | Jamie Blattner and Edward Cabral | 11.35 | 10.02 | 21.37 |
| 19 | Mike Redford and Tony Flatt | 9.49 | 11.81 | 21.30 |
| 20 | Keith Wilson and Brian Wayash Sr. | 12.56 | 8.71 | 21.27 |
| 21 | Hannah Fritsch-Mills and Patrick Mills | 11.69 | 9.56 | 21.25 |
| 22 | Todd Grennier and Kalin Grennier | 9.03 | 12.02 | 21.05 |
| 23 | Irwin Hughes and Amber Hughes | 11.02 | 9.77 | 20.79 |
| 24 | Grant Swire and Leroy Wilson | 9.96 | 10.44 | 20.40 |
| 25 | Carter Robinson and Ryan Redford | 10.07 | 9.13 | 19.20 |
| 26 | Travis Wood and Erin Wood | 10.65 | 8.51 | 19.16 |
| 27 | Frank Grunewald and Frank McWhinnie | 12.24 | 5.84 | 18.08 |
| 28 | Travis Rob and Mike Gagnon | 9.44 | 8.40 | 17.84 |
| 29 | Rylan McQuaker and Joleigh Hayes | 9.66 | 8.18 | 17.84 |
| 30 | Darwin Thompson and Jesse Thompson | 7.41 | 9.31 | 16.72 |
| 31 | Maverick Smith and Jaiden Van Dulmen | 5.31 | 8.13 | 13.44 |
