One of the closest finishes ever in the Atikokan Bass Classic last Saturday was overturned after a transcription error was discovered.
On Saturday, Mike Badiuk and Ian Waterer, both past champions, brought in the biggest bag of the tournament, 23.28 lbs. That was what was recorded on the printout from the scale, verified by the weighmaster and signed off on by Badiuk and Waterer.
Unfortunately, it was entered into the scoring system as 23.78 lbs, which gave the pair the top two-day weight by one-tenth of a pound over Trevor Zimak and Travis Schallock, the day one leaders and the last pair to weigh in. Badiuk and Waterer were feted as the winners under the big tent on Saturday afternoon.
However, “under the 2026 Tournament Rules, weights called by the weighmaster are deemed accurate, and once a weight has been printed and verified by the weighmaster, it becomes the team’s official weight,” said the ABC committee in a press release Monday afternoon.
Once the weight record was corrected, Zimak and Schellock were declared the official winners. The committee apologized to both pairs for the error and extended first-place cash prizes of $9,800 to each of them.
“We understand that correcting the record cannot undo the disappointment caused. We are committed to learning from this situation, strengthening our procedures, and maintaining the integrity and trust of the Atikokan Bass Classic.”
“The board is reviewing how this error occurred, including the process used to transfer official weigh-in information into the computerized scoring system and verify final standings. Additional safeguards and cross-checking procedures will be considered before future results are declared final.”
Zimak has fished the Classic seventeen times. This was his sixth win—he won five times when paired with Glenn Leroux (2009, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2018)—and has finished in the Top 10 sixteen times.
This was Trevor Schallock`s ninth Classic, and he’s made the Top 10 eight times. He won in 2016 fishing with Dany Michel, one of five times they were together here.
It was the fourth time Waterer and Badiuk have teamed up, and they’ve finished in the Top 5 each time, including a win in 2023. When Waterer couldn’t make it last year, Badiuk teamed with Kyle Turgeon, and they finished second.
To mark the 40th anniversary of the Classic, the organizers increased prizes across the board by 40 per cent, and added a number of additional prizes, including $500 for those finishing 21st to 40th, and four extra hidden weight prizes of $400 each.
Otherwise, the event came off without a hitch. The rain on Saturday—up to 25 mm—left the contestants wet and cool (the day’s high was only 18C), but didn’t dampen the enthusiasm under the Big Tent.
Alacia Henderson’s efforts to create a KidsZone were greatly appreciated.
“We’re going to get some shelter for them next year,” said committee chair Kristi McQuay. “The parents and the kids just loved it. Alacia does such a good job on these things…”
The move of the Artisans’ Market to the big tent went over well both for the artisans and shoppers. There was more room to move around, and being out of the elements made it easier for everyone.
There was one spot open for the 2027 Bass Classic, and that was snapped up first thing Monday by one of the four who spent the night in The Gathering Place parking lot. Eight pairs are on the waitlist.
