Unexpected win for district duo

Standing on-stage at the final weigh-in of the fifth-annual Emo Walleye Classic, Todd Grennier and Eric Lessman didn’t think their total was going to be enough.
As the basket containing their day’s catch was brought on-stage, Grennier and Lessman greeted fellow anglers and tournament leaders Jody Shypit and Gary Noga.
Shypit and Noga had just assumed the lead with a combined two-day total weight of 16.08 pounds.
Their impressive haul was helped by the biggest walleye—a 6.30-pound monster—any of the 60 teams would reel in over the course of the two-day event.
The tension mounted as the large crowd packed inside the Emo arena quieted in anticipation of Grennier and Lessman’s total. It was going to be close.
“Happy with third,” Lessman remembered thinking to himself as he stood on-stage in the moments leading up to the announcement.
“I was happy being up there just knowing we were in the top of the field,” Grennier added.
Time seemed to stand still as weighmaster Grant Meyers waited for the fish to settle down long enough for him to get an accurate reading.
And when the four fish lining the bottom of the basket did finally settle, Meyers turned to emcee Lionel Robert and announced the weight: 8.60 pounds.
That gave Grennier and Lessman a two-day combined weight of 16.12 pounds—eclipsing the mark set by Shypit and Noga by a mere 0.04 pounds.
As the crowd erupted in cheers, Grennier and Lessman stood shocked.
“We thought Jody and Noga had us beat until when we were shaking their hands and they looked at me and we’re like, ‘No, you guys actually have a better weight,’” Lessman recalled.
Huge grins etched on both their faces, Grennier and Lessman took their spot next to Robert as the tournament leaders with only two teams remaining to be weighed.
As it turned out, neither of those last two teams—Trevor Croswell/Bryan Hughes as well as Day One leaders Dave Oldakowski/Sean Westman—reeled in enough to overtake Grennier and Lessman.
And just like that the two local anglers—Grennier from Emo and Lessman from Devlin—were the champions.
Streamers shot out from both sides of the stage, and Queen’s classic anthem, “We Are the Champions” belted out of the speakers, as Grennier and Lessman hoisted the trophy in front of the raucous crowd.
The newest EWC champs still were having trouble finding the words to express how they were feeling as they came offstage.
“It feels great,” Lessman said. “That’s the only way you can really say this one.”
“It keeps feeling better, actually,” Grennier added. “It’s starting to sink in a little more now that I realize what we’ve done.”
Lessman said the win was as unexpected as it was special. Neither angler had been terribly optimistic leading up to the final weigh-in after what had been a difficult day on the river.
“We had the first spot picked out where we figured we could get our four quick ones and start looking for better fish, and that spot ended up giving us one fish,” Lessman noted.
“We had to do a lot of work in the afternoon.”
“We never quite expected to win,” Grennier said of the team’s hopes heading into the final weigh-in. “Our highest expectations were just to do well.”
In addition to the celebrity that comes with winning the EWC, Grennier and Lessman took home the first-place prize of $11,000. They also won an additional $600 as the tournament’s top Yamaha performers.
Both anglers said the money was not their main focus, however.
“I haven’t even really thought about the money, it’s just a bonus,” Grennier remarked. “I mean, it’s just the feeling. I probably won’t think about it [the money] for a while.”
“I haven’t really had time to think about it yet,” echoed Lessman.
But he then paused and said with a smile, “That’s a lot of money. It’s pretty cool.”
The win was the best result for Grennier and Lessman in any tournament they previously had fished in. It also was an improvement on their sixth-place finish at the EWC last year.
Grennier said his main focus now was just to enjoy every minute of the experience.
“We went to the [top 10 finishers] last year and I wasn’t really sure what to expect,” he admitted.
“I don’t know if I fully enjoyed myself and I thought, ‘If I ever get the chance to do it again, I’m going to have a lot more fun,’ and sure enough it happened this year.”
Judging by the smiles etched across both anglers’ faces, it’s safe to assume they loved every minute of it.
While Grennier and Lessman were the tournament’s top money earners, two other teams in the Top 10 took home winnings in excess of $5,000.
Shypit and Noga pocketed $6,000 for being the runners-up. They also won two $600 prizes for Day 2 big fish and Day 2 big catch—the latter referring to the heaviest basket on the second day of the tournament.
And they won $250 for the hidden weight competition (given to the team that catches a fish equal or nearest in weight to an amount determined prior to the tournament).
Oldakowski and Westman, meanwhile, took home $4,000 for their third-place finish. They also won two $600 prizes for having the big fish and big catch on Day 1.