Danny Hein and Didier Germain win Dubreuilville.

2010 Princecraft Northern Ontario Professional Walleye Trail (NOPWT) had it second tournament of the year in Dubreuilville on the Magpie River. 74 teams participated in the tournament this year which was down from last year due in part to the low water level conditions. However the low water conditions did not affect the tournament success. Organizers changed locations for the main tent and prepared a new boat launch. This allowed anglers access to the south end of the river without many issues. Another change this year was the amount of Walleyes over 18.1 inches went from 4 to 2 a day. The total fish for the day was still 4 walleyes. Many thought this would affect the weight totals this year. Well it didn’t as more big fish were caught this year. Looking at the challenges that faced the Dubreuilville Tournament Organizers this year, they adapted well and put together another solid tournament stop on the NOPWT for 2010.

Day 1 saw some really big fish and weights for a 4 fish limit. With the wind out of the south, it made for favourable conditions for catching Walleye. In total, there were 19 fish over 5 lbs that were caught. This includes 9 fish that were 7+ lbs. The biggest fish of the day went to François Gagnon / Jean-Paul Gagnon at 9.82 lbs. Daniel Heinz/Didier Germain led the pack after day 1 with a total weight of 17.80 lbs for 4 fish. Rounding out the top 5 were Denis Landry / Eric Landry 16.60, Richard Bjorem / Harry Sackrider 16.22, Jeffrey Smith / Robert Brown 15.42, and Trevor Bernath / Travis Gendron 15.32. 13 teams had double digit weights after Day 1 and were within striking distance. With the amount of big fish in this system, any team could post a big number and gain spots on the leader board.

Day 2 saw a change in weather with a North wind blowing and a cold front moving in. Anglers were fearful the fishing would be tougher under these conditions. Only 7 teams put together double digit weights on day 2. The biggest fish of the day belonged to Steve Tremblay / Félix Bernard at 8.18 lbs. A total of 16 fish topped the scale over 5 lbs. The top weight of the day belonged to Richard Bjorem / Harry Sackrider with 18 lbs total. Rounding out the top 5 for Day 2 were Daniel Heinz/Didier Germain 16.06 lbs, Steve Tremblay / Félix Bernard 15.62 lbs, Denis Landry / Eric Landry 12.86 lbs and Marquis Paré / Gérald Lévesque 12.30 lbs.

With another solid 2nd day to back up their first day, Heinz and Germain won their second consecutive tournament on the NOPWT for 2010. They also won the last stop of the year in Timmins in 2009. This makes 3 in row going back to last year. They have now locked up the AIM international Walleye Championship invite as individuals should they decide to go. The only comment these guys had was thanking their sponsors. They were not sharing any information.

Next stop on the Trail is Geraldton Walleye Classic. Heinz and Germain will not be attending so a new winner for 2010 will emerge. Should be another great Tournament going forward. I think it is important to note how important the volunteers are for these events. Without volunteers none of these tournaments would exist.