In May 2018 the Northern Ontario Walleye Trail announced a Championship Tournament to be held in 2019.  The event would be sponsored by Princecraft, Mercury Marine Canada, and J&B Cycle & Marine Co. Ltd. (Timmins, ON) with a fishing boat package valued at over $50,000.  Since then the sponsor list has grown and the prize list even more lucrative for the the top finishers – including a motor upgrade and additional $6000 electronics package from Garmin (Echomap Ultra 122SV and 102SV) to accompany the boat prize.  Prizes from Krazy Krazy, Traegar, and Smooth Moves would round out prizes for the top 5 finishers.

Tournaments have seen record registrations and sell-outs as teams fished their way through NOWT sanctioned events earning the points needed to secure their spot in the Championship Tournament. Only 25 teams would eligible for the championship prize pool.

The host for the 2019 Championship was the Geraldton Walleye Classic on Kenogamisis Lake in Geraldton, ON this past weekend (June 22-23). In addition to the championship prizes, the regular GWC prize pool was also up for grabs by both the qualifying and non-qualifying teams.  It would prove to be a lucrative weekend for the championship qualifiers!

Tournament headquarters was setup at MacLeod Provincial Park. The familiar GWC stage was flanked by generous sponsor prizes with the Princecraft Hudson 190 DLX rigged with a Mercury 150 FourStroke Pro XS, and Garmin electronics standing out.  Competitors and fans alike gazed at the spread, wondering who would take home these great prizes.

2019 GWC stage and prizes

Tournament stage and prizes.

Events started on Thursday evening with a meet and greet, pasta dinner, team photos, and angler interviews. On Friday evening, anglers showed their appreciation for the community’s support with a parade down Main Street with their boats in tow.  Treats and sponsor swag was handed out to the fans lined up on the streets. After the rules meeting, competitors, organizers, and volunteers turned in for the night in anticipation for the next 2 days of excitement.

Both tournament days presented consistent weather – cool morning, warming up to highs in the mid 20’s by the afternoon. Winds were low to moderate and fairly consistent on each day.  Each morning, 130 boats lined up, waiting for the 7:30 am blast off.

All anglers checked in before the 4:00 pm horn signaled the end of the first day of fishing. Anglers brought their day’s catch to the stage for the weigh-in as fans and anglers watched the scale.  

Day 1 leaders (weight in lbs, qualifier):

  1. Sebastien Lizotte & Jeff Vipond (12.30, Q)
  2. Mike Jarem & John Magee (11.80)
  3. Nick Huckson & Jason Doyon (10.54, Q)
  4. Ernie Ukrainec & Ted Pelletier (10.18)
  5. Jeff Fogolin & Rod Thibault (10.14)

Sunday proved to be a bit more challenging for larger walleyes.  Only 2 teams managed to weigh in over 10 pounds – 11.36 and 10.23.  The weigh in at the end of the day was filled with suspense and anticipation. Who would weigh in enough to take home the top cash GWC prize of $10,000 and/or the top championship qualifier prize of a brand new Princecraft, Mercury, Garmin boat package?

Day 2 leaders (weight in lbs, qualifier):

  1. Terry Bernath & Trevor Bernath (11.36, Q)
  2. Daniel Hein & Didier Germain (10.23, Q)
  3. Jeremy Kancir & Dave Cote (9.47)
  4. Jamie Robinson & Brett Robinson (9.44, Q)
  5. Michael Copetti & Kevan Stranges (8.79)

The tournament leading team would sit in the hot seat until they they were bumped out by a larger weight.  The familiar, championship qualifying team of Daniel Hein and Didier Germain sat in the leaders chair with their weekend weight of 19.76 pounds.  Competitors, organizers, volunteers, and fans held their breaths as the last bag was put onto the scale.  The digital readout displayed 8.06 pounds, a mid top 10 weight for the day.  But, combined with their day 1 bag, a qualifying team from Hearst and Timmins would bump them from their seats and take it all!

2019 NOWT Championship and GWC Champions

2019 GWC, NOWT Championship winners with boat package prize.

2019 GWC and NOWT Championship winners Sebastien Lizotte and Jeff Vipond,both in black. Also in photo (L-R) Cory Nephin NOWT President, Rob Racine J&B Cycle and Marine, Shane Turcotte NOWT VP

The winners of the Geraldton Walleye Classic and the first NOWT Championship Tournament are Sebastien Lizotte and Jeff Vipond. Together, they took home the GWC cash prize of $10,000, the Princecraft Hudson 190 DLX, Mercury 150 FourStroke Pro XS, Princecraft Trailer, and the Garmin Echomap Ultra marine electronics package!  Congratulations!

Watch the weigh in!

The top 10 GWC finishers are:

  1. Sebastien Lizotte & Jeff Vipond
  2. Daniel Hein & Didier Germain
  3. Mike Jarem & John Magee
  4. Nick Huckson & Jason Doyon
  5. Terry Bernath & Trevor Bernath
  6. Wayne Smith & Kyle Monkman
  7. Jeff Fogolin & Rod Thibault
  8. Ernie Ukrainec & Ted Pelletier
  9. Michael Copetti & Kevan Stranges
  10. Jeremy Kancir & Dave Cote

The Top 5 NOWT Championship finishers are (prize – sponsor)

  1. Sebastien Lizotte & Jeff Vipond (Boat, motor, trailer, electronics package – Princecraft, Mercury, Garmin)
  2. Daniel Hein & Didier Germain (65″ Samsung/Yamaha home theatre package, Krazy Krazy)
  3. Nick Huckson & Jason Doyon (58″ Samsung/Bose package, Krazy Krazy)
  4. Terry Bernath & Trevor Bernath (Suspension boat seats, Smooth Moves)
  5. Jamie Robinson & Brett Robinson (Traeger Grill kit, Traeger)

For complete results, see our Results page.

For photos and commentaries, be sure to like the GWC Facebook Page and the NOWT Facebook Page.

Congratulations again to the organizers, volunteers, sponsors, Geraldton, and anglers.