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Travel Alberta, All Rights Reserved Written by: Travel Alberta
Alberta's fishing tournaments pit angler against angler in a quest for the biggest shimmering walleye and a slice of the $60,600 (Cdn) in prize money.
Surrounded by vast stretches of boreal forest and big sky is the Golden Walleye Classic, the top tournament in the province. It's a showdown of the best anglers in North America at Lesser Slave Lake in Alberta's Big Lake Country.
For the Golden Walleye tournament, most people first visit Edmonton, the international gateway city to the North, and then it's only 250 kms (156 miles) or about a three hours' drive to Faust, staging ground for the Classic.
The tournament first became famous 16 years ago when anglers competed for an unheard-of prize payout of $20,000 for first place.
Today, the number of competitors has been reduced to 100 boats and the prize has been upped to $25,000. An entrance fee of $600 must be paid by each two-man team, and entrants must also possess applicable fishing licenses. The Golden Walleye Classic is part of the Northern Alberta Walleye Trail, a series of three tournaments in separate lakes throughout June.
Score Big With Walleyes
The series opens at Moose Lake's Vezeau Beach early in the month, followed by the Classic. While walleye is the only fish that scores, it's a fish with a reputation for size and numbers in this region.
"It's not uncommon to go out and catch 200 walleye in one day," says Tony Gellings, owner and operator of the local guiding outfit Adventure Alberta. "Eight to 10 pounds is pretty spectacular and I see between a half dozen to 20 fish that size in a summer. The five-to-seven-pound range is more common, but it's still a nice fighting fish."
While walleye populations are bountiful, the fish can prove difficult to find and that's likely why it was chosen for the tournaments, says Bob Chapman, a buyer for The Fishin' Hole and president of the Northern Alberta Walleye Trail.
"They can be elusive," he says. "You can end up going too fast or too slow, too deep or too shallow."
But even an inexperienced angler is almost sure to reap some shimmering walleye, thanks to its big populations and some sage advice from friendly locals.
"The people are amazing up here," says Tanya Samizadeh, interim executive director for Big Lake Country Tourism. "Everyone is friendly. They'll tell you the best places to fish where you're surrounded by lush, green boreal forest, white sand beaches, beautiful sunsets and sunrises, amazing wildlife and waterways brimming with fish."
While the tournaments are strictly catch and release and barb-less hooks are compulsory, Alberta's regulations allow non-competing anglers to keep three walleye or perch per person, as long as they're over minimum size.
Tournaments Attract U.S. and Ontario Anglers
It is that combination of big fish, big quantities and regulations that allow anglers to eat some of what they catch, coupled with large cash prizes, that's attracting fishermen and women from as far away as the United States and Ontario.
The trail's final tournament wraps up at Pinehurst Lake in the end of June when the warm summer sun makes for long days and short nights.
In addition to the grand prizes at individual tournaments, there's also a payout from the Northern Alberta Walleye Trail for series winners.
Once the tournament is over, anglers can fish for some of the other species that thrive in the lakes. These include northern pike, perch and burbot – a fish that's gaining popularity because of its taste.
"People used to throw them away because they're ugly, but now they're beginning to discover that they taste good, so people are starting to take them home and cook them," says Alberta Adventure's Tony Gellings, adding that anglers may keep 10 burbot per person.
Southern Trail Lures Angling Competitors
While the Northern Alberta Walleye Trail has spectacular scenery and relative isolation, the Southern Alberta Walleye Trail lures competitors with big purses. The tournament's first event at 40-mile reservoir is limited to 75 boats and has a guaranteed first-place prize of $10,000. The other three tournaments, Chin Reservoir, Travers Reservoir and Milk River Ridge Reservoir all have guaranteed minimum purses of $5,000.
The tournaments all take place in man-made reservoirs in deep coulees.
The clean water means the walleye populations have increased substantially, says Doug Kopp, chair of the Southern Alberta Walleye Trail.
"We're just a bunch of guys, none of us professional, so everyone's willing to share and show the best areas," says Kopp. "And the size of the fish in the U.S. tournaments are nowhere near the size of the keeper fish here in Alberta."
Last year six teams from the United States competed in the SAWT, attracted by the fishing, money and the people, adds Kopp.
For those that want to pass on the pleasure of fishing to their children, Alberta's Angler Young Angler tournament might be the recipe for success. The tournament is one of only six across Canada and is made up of teams of three. Two members must be 17 years old or younger and there's one adult. The AYA in Alberta consists of two tournaments, both of which offer substantial prizes in several categories like the $8,000 motor, boat and trailer package awarded last year.
Anglers Attracted to Big Fish
"The attraction is about the size of the fish," says Greg Beauchamp, owner of Alberta Marine, an AYA tournament sponsor. "The biggest fish last year was an 11-pound walleye. Last year the guys from the U.S. said they'd come back with all their buddies because of the size and quantity of the fish and they get to keep a couple over minimum size.
"The camaraderie and the sportsmanship is wonderful," he adds. "I expected worse people, but it was a lot fun."
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Copyright © 2006 Travel Alberta, All Rights Reserved
Travel Alberta is the destination marketing organization for the Province of Alberta. Guided by the Strategic Tourism Marketing Council, Travel Alberta is the steward for the effective delivery of tourism marketing programs. For information about our organization, please visit our Travel Alberta industry web site at http://industry.travelalberta.com
