I hope everyone is as excited as I am to get out on the water and add a competitive edge to your weekend. Whether you are a seasoned tournament angler or thinking about getting started, there are all different kinds of events available to you. I’d like to share my top 5 tournaments along with some of the local clubs and series in Northeastern Ontario. There are many opportunities to be had, so why not test your skills against other anglers like yourself?
This body of water may surprise some people with it being in the heart of the City of Greater Sudbury, and sustaining a very healthy fishery. The lake has a high volume of fishing and recreational boating along with various events taking place. Science North, Bell Park, and Moonlight Beach are all great places to visit while in town.
The Ramsey Lake Tournament has become one of my favorite events for the last two seasons. The event usually marks the start of a very busy and exciting bass tournament fishing season! This year’s event will be held on May 14th. I know the fish will be hungry and a great group of anglers will be there for you to compete against!
The club is affiliated with B.A.S.S., which is the leading name in professional tournament fishing. Winning the Bassmaster Classic for Anglers is comparable to winning the Stanley Cup for hockey players. The North Bay club can provide that opportunity through an Ontario Qualifier with all the other clubs in Ontario. The club also puts time in with the community and will be completing a fundraising event this year with all proceeds going towards Scouts Canada.
I am really looking forward to their event on Cache Bay, Lake Nipissing, as this is one of the only events in the area where mainly largemouth bass are weighed in. These fish are an absolute blast to target and aren’t as readily accessible as their cousins, the smallmouth bass. Techniques are totally different, and tossing frogs over the weeds or flipping and pitching jigs all day can be tiring but that one BIG bite can make the day worth it. Let’s hope I get the five key bites needed that day!
Lake Nipissing is notorious for having five-fish daily tournament bags that weigh in at over 20lb. Some bass are even weighing over 5 lbs! These are trophy-sized fish no matter where you are in the province. This is why anglers from all over Ontario have been asking for this kind of tournament and know its potential for BIG Bass! I can’t wait for this event to get here and will have fun all summer long exploring what seems like endless fishing possibilities.
The event is for a great cause and $735,000.00 has been raised for kids' charities in the last 30 years. Over the last two years alone, an average of $55,000.00 has been raised over the weekend. I can only imagine the fun I will have and what the total donation amount will be!
The Classic is a two-day tournament with over $35,000.00 in cash and prizes. Big changes can happen on the leader board at any time as there are some serious fish to be caught in this river system! The event is held September 24and 25 out of Massey, Ontario.
