Next weekend, June 3 and 4, will see Mattagami First Nation Walleye Tournament kicking off the first tournament of the 2017 season on the Northern Ontario Walleye Trail (NOWT).
As the first tournament, many anglers will sights their sites at stealing Kapuskasing, Ont. Miguel Tailleur's 2016 Angler Of The Year title from him.
With 105 preregistered to date and a maximum of 130 boats allowed, the online registration cut off date is June 29.
Good news for anyone still interested in fishing the tournament is Mattagami First Nation Fishing will still be accepting new registrations in person until Friday, June 2 or until the field is full.
For further information, please visit the Mattagami First Nation Fishing Facebook page.
For anglers looking to treat themselves Friday evening, J&L Lakeview Retreat and Restaurant will be offering an all-you-can-eat pasta bar from 5 to 7 p.m. for $15 per person.
Saturday night, all anglers are treated to a free steak BBQ dinner held at the complex.
This BBQ always seems to be hit among anglers as it allows them to catch up with one another after the long winter while they BBQ their steak.
New for this year is the payout of the prizes.
The Mattagami First Nation Fishing Committee is constantly looking for ways to improve their tournament each year for the anglers, and this winter was no different.
After several meetings and discussions, the committee decided to change the big fish payouts to allow for the overall weight prize payout down to 25th spot.
This means more anglers will having a better chance at capturing a prize.
Mattagami First Nation Fishing Tournament Vice President and Treasurer Crys
Since it didn't go as planned last year, we are hoping it will work out better this year.
Mattagami First Nation will also be offering anglers a chance to order their Mattagami First Nation Fishing custom jersey or sweatshirt. They will, however, have a limited amount of hats for sale at the complex through the weekend.
This season, Mattagami First Nation Fishing has purchased a measure trough that will now become their official measuring trough which will be used to measure all walleye brought to weigh-in.
Anglers interested in purchasing one of the same measuring troughs can receive a 10 per cent discount here.
With other changes over the winter, Mattagami First Nation Fishing would like to remind all anglers to attend the Friday night official rules meeting.
Seeing that MNF Fishing is all about sportsmanship, they would like to send a friendly reminder out to all anglers to continue showing it to each other and to the volunteers at all the NOWT Event again for the 2017 season.
Whether you're an angler or hunter; a camp, lodge, resort owner; or just holding an outdoor event and would like some exposure, please feel free to email us at [email protected].
