Big Fishing Tournaments for 2017

You lie in bed with wide eyes and a busy brain in anticipation of what your day will be in front of you; some sleep was had, but not nearly enough. Your alarm clock sounds, allowing you to finally make your way out of bed. The excitement brings you to life, knowing that there's a chance at bragging rights and a prize purse—all for those fish you can’t stop thinking about! Your boat is quickly in-tow, loaded with all your trusted rods, reels, lures, and baits.

Tournament Day is here! The anticipation is one of my favourite parts of tournament fishing. Once you experience it for yourself, you'll truly understand.

The fishing season is here and tournament season has begun across Northeastern Ontario. There are events to suit all ages, styles, techniques, and stakes. Events range from pro-level events all the way to the casual weekend angler. This list is only a sample of what Northeastern Ontario and its many tournament series and clubs have to offer this season. If you've yet to partake in a tournament-style fishing event, take a look close to home and see what tournaments are on.

You never know, but you could get hooked!

The Manitoulin Expositor Salmon Classic

https://www.fishmanitoulin.com/

July 29, 2017 to August 27, 2017

An event that is rivalling many of the top Salmon Events across the province, the Manitoulin Expositor Salmon Classic is back for another year. Not only is this event held in one of the most beautiful places within our region, it has a spectacular fishery within and surrounding its shorelines. Manitoulin Island is the largest freshwater lake island in the world, and with that distinction come some very fishy waters!

This year, the tournament directors have decided to extend the tournament by an additional week, meaning another weekly big fish $1,000 payout and another week of BIG fish. If the thought of being able to compete in an event on these waters doesn’t have you excited, then the prize payout may motivate you that little bit further.

Heaviest Salmon	Heaviest Trout - $2,500	Child/Youth Big Fish - $500
1st - $12,000
2nd - $4,000	Daily  Big Fish - $100.00	Out Fish Dave Patterson - $500
3rd - $2,000		Weigh in a fish larger than Dave when he goes fishing and you get an entry into a draw for $500
4th - $1,000	Weekly Big Fish - $1000.00
5th - $500

Horwood Lake Lodge Annual kids Walleye Tournament

http://www.horwoodlakelodge.com/

August 11-13, 2017

Horwood Lake Lodge (located between Timmins and Chapleau near the town of Foleyet off of Highway 101) awaits your arrival. This unique two-day, live release event is sure to make your weekend getaway memorable for all the right reasons. This is an all-natural, grassroots-styled tournament in which the boats are restricted to a 30 HP maximum and the competitors are sure to have an absolute blast! Teams must have at least one child in the boat to participate.

Prizes will be paid out for the top 10 teams, with a maximum of 50 teams being registered. Be sure to check this event out today or book a trip to this fantastic fishery.

Northern Ontario Walleye Trail

http://www.nowt.ca/

The Northern Ontario Walleye Trail is one of Northern Ontario’s top fishing series and its events are held within our beautiful, walleye rich landscape. Many anglers seek out this series to compete against the best walleye anglers across the province. With each event spanning over a two-day period, it's as even a playing field as any.

The 2017 Dubreuilville Magpie event showcased this, with the winning team of Robinson/Bernath (pictured above) sitting in 66^th place heading into Sunday, and coming out victorious with a 20.65 lb bag of northern walleye! That is quite the feat, and this is often the draw for many anglers to enter these events.

Take a look at the remaining events on the schedule this year, and maybe you could be victorious on your favourite walleye fishery!

Mattagami Lake First Nation Walleye Tournament	Gogama	June 3-4, 2017
Dubreuilville Magpie Walleye Derby	Dubreuilville	June 10-11, 2017
Geraldton Walleye Classic	Geraldton	June 24-25, 2017
Kapuskasing River Walleye Tournament	Kapuskasing	August 12-13, 2017
Mattagami Fall Classic Walleye	Gogama	September 9-10, 2017
Sagamok Walleye Classic	Massey	September 22-23, 2017

Top 50 Pike

http://www.top50pike.ca/

The Top 50 Pike Series is a true northern staple that brings many tournament anglers from across the entire province in pursuit of big payouts and aggressive fish. This series is hands down the most sought-after tournament series in the region, and each event sees big fields and even bigger payouts. Northeastern Ontario is very well known for its healthy northern pike populations, which make for a very exciting day on the water. The events are held on abundant waters, where many times boats of all sizes and HP ratings can compete to put the winning bag of fish on board.

Take a look at the schedule and plan your upcoming season:

Honey Harbour	Honey Harbour, Georgian Bay	May 6, 2017
Parry Sound	Parry Sound	May 7, 2017
Gloucester Pool	Port Severn	May 13, 2017
West Arm	St. Charles	June 3, 2017
Nepewassi Lake	Markstay	June 10, 2017
Whitewater	Azilda	June 11, 2017
Cache Bay / The Museum	Sturgeon Falls	June 17, 2017
Nipissing	Lavigne	July 8, 2017
Nipissing Open	Sturgeon Falls	July 9, 2017
Callander Bay	Callander	August 12, 2017
The Classic	TBD	August 26, 2017

Bass

Bass tournaments are extremely popular across the continent, and are also starting to regain popularity within Northeastern Ontario. The Temiskaming Smallmouth Bass series has paved the way as the longest running series in our region, supported by local clubs in both Sudbury and North Bay—Nickel City Bass and North Bay Bassmasters.

Bass are a very unique species that are often not given the credit they deserve. Many anglers feel that their abundance and fierce attitudes make for easy pickings, but putting together a winning bag is often quite the daunting task. There are so many nuances and variables that come into play and affect these fish that a tournament bass angler must be able to adapt to the changing conditions and mood of the fish. If you put in a bit of time and listen to what each bite is telling you, a successful day can be had on the waters very close to your home.

Temiskaming Smallmouth Bass Series

http://www.temiskamingsmallmouthbass.com/

Lake Sesikinika	Sesekinika	May 27, 2017
Larder Lake	Larder Lake	May 28, 2017
Lake Temiskaming	Temiskaming	June 24, 2017
Bay Lake	Latchford	June 25, 2017
Lake Nipissing	Hunters Bay	July 29, 2017
Lake Nosbonsing	Astorville	July 30, 2017
Lake Temagami	Temagami	August 12, 2017
Cassels Lake	Temagami	August 13, 2017
Mattawa/Ottawa River	Mattawa	August 26, 2017
Trout Lake	North Bay	August 27, 2017
Lake Temiskaming	Temiskaming	September 16-17, 2017

Nickel City Bass

http://www.nickelcitybass.ca/

Ramsey Lake	Sudbury	May 13, 2017
Onaping Lake	Onaping	June 3, 2017
Pickerel River	French River	June 24, 2017
McGregor Bay	Manitoulin	July 8, 2017
Apsey Lake	Espanola	July 9, 2017
Agnew Lake	Webbwood	August 19, 2017
Penage Lake	Whitefish	August 20, 2017
Pickerel River - Classic	French River	September 9-10, 2017

North Bay Bassmasters

http://www.northbaybassmasters.com/

Lake Nosbonsing - Pike	Astorville	May 22, 2017
Lake Nipissing	Collins Bay	June 25, 2017
Trout Lake - Evening	North Bay	July 12, 2017
Talon Lake	Bonfield	July 16, 2017
Lake Nosbonsing	Astorville	August 20, 2017
Lake Nipissing - Classic	Hunter’s Bay	September 10, 2017

The opportunities available in the BIG Northeastern region have been presented to you. The rest is in your hands to compete for a wide variety of species on many of our world class bodies of water. Call up your fishing partner, select an event or club to join, and hit the water with hopes of coming out on top.

Tight lines and stay safe this tournament season!

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