Angler of the YearThe Northern Ontario Walleye Trail closes out another great competitive angling season. From the first day launch of the Mattagami First Nations Walleye Tournament in June to the final award at the Sagamok Fall Classic in September, the 6 events of the season kept anglers on top of their game running down the top prizes.

Not only were the events themselves highly competitive, the points race for Angler of the Year was extremely tight all season. It seemed the top names were changing after each tournament. The final rankings would most certainly come down to the last tournament in Sagamok.

Angler of the Year standings are based on the following criteria:

  • Anglers are awarded points at each of the six events. The angler who gains the most points from their top three tournaments will be crowned NOWT angler of the year.
  • Points system is calculated as follows (1 – (team placing / size of field)) x 100 ex. the first place team of a 55 team event is as follows (1 – (1/55)) x 100 = 98.182 points. same example with 115 teams would be (1 – (1/115)) x 100 = 99.130 points.
  • 10 bonus points will be given to each team that launches at least 1 day. This means a team finishing last will get 10 points for their participation. Disqualification from tournament due to rule violation results in 0 points.
  • Only points gained in the anglers top three finishes among the six events will be used to determine the “Angler of the Year” points.
  • Should two or more anglers tie at the end of the year for “Angler of the Year” the rankings will be determined by their fourth best event. If this does not break the tie the fifth tournament rank will be used and so on using all seven events. If this does not break the tie the anglers will be deemed to be co-“Anglers of the Year” and evenly split any prize money.

After all the casts, hooksets, and calculations, the 2015 Angler of the Year – for the fifth consecutive year – is awarded to Jamie Robinson!

aoy2015

2015 NOWT Angler of the Year Jamie Robinson

We’ll let the 2015 Angler of the Year describe his success:

Another tournament season has just past and some how I was fortunate enough to win the Angler of the Year. This is now 5 straight seasons that our team of Terry Bernath and I were able to win the Angler of the Year title on the Northern Ontario Walleye Trail, simply unbelievable,

This was the closest AOY race ever and going into the Sagamok Fall Walleye Classic I believe at least 10 anglers had a shot at the title. We placed 7th this past weekend and that was just enough. Both Terry and I were so relieved when we caught the 5.8 pound walleye Sunday morning because then we knew we had a chance.

I would like to congratulate the other top finishers 2nd Denis Martin and Perry Caverson.4th Miguel Tailleur and 5th Shane Turcotte.

Now to thank all the people and companies that help make this possible first the family that helps in so many ways whether it is trapping bait helping prefish, packing or tournament partner thanks Carol-Anne Robinson, Lindsay Robinson and Brett Robinson. Then Mirrocraft Boats, Yakima Bait Company, Minn Kota, Humminbird, Cannon, Evinrude, Northern Lights Ford, Fin-tech, Simms, Buck’s Marina and Clam all their products came through day after day on the water..

See you all on the water next season tournament friends.

We wish to congratulate all anglers in their performances this season and look forward to an even more competitive season for 2016.  We also thank all anglers for their support and participation in all the tournaments!

All events organizers and their volunteers deserve the utmost gratitude for their endless dedication and hard work.  The efforts to keep the country’s best walleye tournament circuit are appreciated.  On behalf of all anglers, we thank you!

See the final 2015 Angler of the Year Results.