Sagamok plays host to over 180 anglers at Walleye Classic
By Leslie Knibbs
SAGAMOK ANISHNAWBEK—On the weekend of September 28-30, Sagamok Anishnawbek hosted its sixth annual Sagamok Fall Walleye Classic (SFWC) attracting over 80 teams of 160 anglers to fish the hotspots in the Spanish River for prize Walleye.
Over 80 boats took to the water on Saturday morning after an hour’s delay because of fog. Once the fog lifted, the sound of about 80 fishing boats racing to their favourite spots could be heard all the way to nearby towns.
Prior to the official start on Saturday morning, all competitors were welcomed with a sumptuous dinner at the Millenium Centre in downtown Sagamok. Prizes donated by sponsors sat on tables lining the perimeter of the large room. Teams from across the province enjoyed the comradery and shared many tales on the Friday evening.
Laura Owl started organizing the annual event months earlier with a dedicated team of volunteers.
“The event takes months and months of coordination and requires a good committed team of volunteers. We are proud to host and look forward to seeing the 160 plus anglers every year,” she said.
The event has grown in leaps and bounds since its first year. According to Owl, the Classic “is seeing tremendous growth in our social media activity.”
The SFWC Facebook page was and is a flurry of activity. The day following this year’s Classic, preregistration was going at full speed with over half of the available entries booked. The 2019 SFWC will see a formal committee formed to take the reins steering this event according to Owl and take the event to even greater heights.
The competition was keen this year with expert and novice anglers trying their skill at fishing for the big ones. With over $36K in cash prizes and table prizes, the event draws people from near and far. In the end, the top prize of $10K went to the team of Luc Ouimette and Steve Gravel from Kapuskasing and Blind River respectively. A total of $19K in additional prize money was shared amongst nine other teams of 18 anglers with larger cash awards going to those with the highest position on the weight roster. All prizes were awarded on Sunday evening at a dinner and awards ceremony at the Millenium Centre.
Key organizer Laura Owl extends a thank you to all volunteers and sponsors.
“Thank you to our sponsors and volunteers for their contributions. The SFWC wouldn’t be possible without either and we are grateful to have both our sponsors and volunteers return year after year.”
Based on this year’s registrations, Owl anticipates a quick sell out for the 2019 event.
“I highly recommend that anyone interested register early,” she said.