2014 NOWT Anglers of the Year Jamie Robinson (L) and Terry Bernath (R) with their win at the KRWT
The NOWT (Northern Ontario Walleye Trail) circuit is run by anglers for anglers and is designed to help anglers promote themselves as well as the sport of tournament angling in Northern Ontario.
With another Northern Ontario Walleye Trail season behind us, I felt it only fitting to do a recap on how this season turned out for all the anglers that fished on the trail and for the other anglers that maybe contemplating on fishing one of these events one day.
Mattagami First Nation offers anglers a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, so what better way to kick off the season than with the Mattagami First Nation 15th Annual Spring Walleye Tournament.
The tournament was held on June 7 and 8.
With 95 boats registering after a long winter, anglers were champing at the bit for their chance at winning the $8,000 first prize.
Day one, anglers woke up to a beautiful morning however day two seen a major weather change with a drop in temperature.
With a flip flop on the leader board from day one to day two, Lund Pro Craig Salmonson and Tory Garneau captured their fourth win at the Mattagami First Nation Annual Spring Walleye Tournament with a two day total of 29.58 pounds.
The second stop on the Trail saw anglers heading to the Dubreuilville Father’s Day Walleye Derby which was held on June 14 and 15.
The D.F.D.W.D. offered participants a chance to win $27,000 in cash, along with two Early Bird Draws valued at $3,000 each and a most improved position valued at $1,500.
They also had 3 cash prizes for the highest placing team who fished with an angler 16 years old or younger to encourage the kids to get off the couch and get away from the computer screen and on the lake fishing.
Two days of fishing saw the team of Louis and Derek Pelletier winning the tournament with a two day combined weight of 29.43 pounds of Walleyes.
The third stop on the Trail was the Geraldton Walleye Classic that was held on June 21 and 22 hosted by the Kenogamisis Fish and Game.
The waters of Kenogamisis Lake are productive and provide anglers with the challenge of a shallow water fishery.
A tradition in Geraldton is the boat parade down Main Street which is always a hit with both the anglers and the residents.
The Team of Roger Mayer and Jeff Rooney hoisted the coveted trophy over their heads with their two day total weight of 29.9 pounds for the win.
The fourth stop on the Trail saw anglers heading to the Kapuskasing River Walleye Tournament held on August 9 and 10.
Once again the Walleye action was hot along with the weather.
Day 2 saw 17th-place anglers Terry Bernath and Jamie Robinson come to the scales with a bag of 16.29 pounds of Walleyes giving them the win with a two day total of 28.36 pounds of Walleye.
The fifth stop of the Trail saw anglers heading back to Mattagami Lake for the Mattagami First Nation Fall Walleye Classic that was held on September 6 and 7.
After Day 1 the anglers were treated to a steak dinner which was part of their entry fee.
While barbecuing, the anglers talked about the weather change that was forecast for Day 2 and how the anglers would adjust to it.
Day 2 saw some anglers struggling to catch fish due to the weather change however the team of Yves Boissoneault and Christine Dallaire figured it out to win the tournament with a two-day total of 25.10 pounds of Walleyes.
The sixth and final stop saw anglers heading to the Sagamok Fall Walleye Classic hosted by Sagamok Anishnawbek in conjunction with the Northern Ontario Walleye Walleye Trail on September 27 and 28.
In true fashion, the Sagamok Walleye Classic organizers closed off the season with another great event.
Two days of fishing saw the team of Rock Lariviere and Marc Aubin capturing the first place win with a two day total of 29.79 pounds of Walleyes.
At the end of the tournament season, the award of Angler of the Year is presented.
This year saw anglers Terry Bernath and Jamie Robinson fishing five tournaments together capturing a 1st, 2nd, 3rd and had 2 5th place finishes.
This give them their fourth year in a row finishing at the top of the pack.
Since the NOWT is based on individual points, this year Angler of the Year Award went to Terry Bernath.
Since Terry and Jamie didn’t fish the Geraldton Walleye Classic together, Terry finished higher than Jamie in that tournament.
Since this gave Terry more points, he captured the Angler of the Year for the 2014 season.
I would like to a moment to thank all the host towns, communities, organizers, volunteers, and the NOWT Sponsors ( Princecraft, Streamside, Quality Food Hampers, Northstar Boat Insurance, Yuzhu Web Development, Hangbelly Lures and Salmo) for there support over the years and hosting great tournaments for the anglers in Northern Ontario to compete in.
Congratulation to Terry Bernath on capturing Angler Of The Year for 2014. Will it be you in 2015?
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