Dave Slater of Pickford shows off the walleye that won this year’s Walleye Jamboree on Munuscong Bay. The fish measures 29 inches long and weighs in at 9.8 pounds. As Dave Slater lifted the winning walleye up through the ice of Munuscong Bay, his heart rose along with it. With one look, the Pickford resident knew he had an excellent chance at winning the Walleye Jamboree, hosted by the Soo Area Sportsmen’s Club.

Mr. Slater caught the fish, measuring 29 inches and weighing in at 9.8 pounds, on the final day of the four-day tournament. He brought it in at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, January 29, just hours before the noon deadline.

Knowing that winners have a way of being reeled in on the final day, Mr. Slater let out a satisfied whoop, only to spend the next couple of hours agonizing over whether someone else would upstage his lastminute catch.

“Waiting until noon was a long time,” he said. “It was the longest hour of my life.”

Above: With heavy snowflakes floating down, the crowd remains riveted on Tom Ball, who is announcing a wide variety of awards and prizes at the conclusion of the Walleye Jamboree Sunday, January 29. Until he caught this fish, the highest Mr. Slater had finished in the Walleye Jamboree was sixth place. Fishing in the jamboree, though, has never been about where he placed, he said.

“I’ve been fishing this tournament since I was old enough to fish. I always look forward to it,” Mr. Slater said, “no matter what happens.”

His success followed a pattern observed by others: Fish stymied anglers for the first few days of the tournament, but began to bite in the waning moments of the final day.

Cody Campbell of Pickford was another angler who caught his fish close to the end. His was pulled up only an hour before the deadline. His father and grandfather had just begun to pack up when Cody got his bite. It was a perch that didn’t quite make the leaderboard, but earned him bragging rights nonetheless.

At right: Unable to catch any fish during a four-day stretch that stymied most anglers, the Ledy family is still going home with quite a haul. The trio of (from left) Jade Ledy, Jorja Ledy, and their mother, Kim Ledy, collectively won a smoker, a tacklebox, and a fishing hat. Not pictured are Thad Ledy and Camden Ledy. “He was the only one [at our shanty] to catch a fish during the tournament,” said father Scott Rutledge.

The corners of Cody’s mouth crept up in a grin when asked how he felt about catching more fish than his father, grandfather, and a family friend.

“Am I pumped?” he responded. “Yeah, a little bit.”

Even when few fish are hooked, anglers rarely go home from the Walleye Jamboree empty-handed. Every young participant who signed up for the tournament received a prize, said organizers Tom and Carley Ball.

Cody Campbell is all smiles after winning a telescoping ice scoop at the Walleye Jamboree awards ceremony. Young Cody was also the only one at his fishing hole who caught a fish. He reeled it in just an hour prior to the tournament’s end. Mr. Ball spent nearly two hours doling out ice scoops, hats, fishing poles, tackle boxes, cash, and an ice auger (which went to Chris Schmitigal of Pickford). The crowd, which gathered in a semicircle around him, enjoyed his showmanship as he announced the winners and were quick to voice their own comments and congratulations.

Kim Ledy of Pickford was another one of the big winners. Her name was drawn to receive a smoker. She and her husband, Thad, along with children Jorja, Jade, and Camden, had not caught any fish to complement this prize, but bonding time as a family was just as important.

“We tried awful hard for four days, but no fish,” Mrs. Ledy said. “We had a lot of fun as a family while we were out there, though.”

For some, getting out on the ice is a reward in itself.

“I could tell they were itching to get on the ice,” Susan Edington said of her husband, John, and four sons, Derek, Nicholas, George, and Jacob. “They were definitely ready to fish.”

While Mrs. Edington doesn’t take to the ice herself, she is sure to park her camp chair in the same spot next to the impromptu awards podium each year.

“It’s great to see all the community support. The local businesses really step up,” she said, “and it’s great to see the kids come out and fish.”

Tailoring the tournament to the family, and youth in particular, is a goal that is paramount to the tournament, Mr. Ball said.

The jamboree drew 450 registrants, 98 of them children. Participants traveled from as far as the middle of Pennsylvania to take part. Mr. Ball estimated the numbers might be slightly higher, owing to some anglers who do not register.

The weather for the first two days of the competition was bright and sunny with calm winds. The temperatures steadily dropped every day. Saturday and Sunday were increasingly cold and windy. The final portion of the awards ceremony appeared to be conducted from within a snow globe, with white flakes falling from the sky.

When the last prize was announced, many of the tournament’s participants lingered to thank Mr. and Mrs. Ball.

The Soo Area Sportsmen’s Club traditionally hosts a Last Chance Walleye Fishing Derby after this one. The dates for this are Friday, March 9, and Saturday, March 10.

Walleye Jamboree Results

Adult Walleye Division
1st place: Dave Slater of Pickford
caught a fish weighing 9.8 lb.
2nd place: Jordan Allison of Jersey
Shore, Pennsylvania, caught a fish
weighing 8.45 lb.
3rd place: Buddy Weber of Sault
Ste. Marie caught a fish weighing
7.15 lb.
4th place: Roger Bunker of Indian
River caught a fish weighing 7.15 lb.
5th place: Harold Bailey of Sault
Ste. Marie caught a fish weighing 6.3
lb
6th place: John Kerr of Romeo
caught a fish weighing 6.1 lb

7th place: Ken Wilke of Goetzville
caught a fish weighing 5.65 lb.
8th place: Mick Godzik of Goetzville caught a fish weighing 5.50 lb.
9th place: Chuck Norton of Sault
Ste. Marie caught a fish weighing
5.50 lb.
10th place: Jin Seldon of L’Anse
caught a fish weighing 5.45 lb.
11th place: Jay Leach of Pickford
caught a fish weighing 5.45 lb.
12th place: Paul Warner of Rudyard caught a fish weighing 5.15 lb.
13th place: Mike Shember of
Unionville caught a fish weighing
4.90 lb.
14th place: Paul Rambo of Sault
Ste. Marie caught a fish weighing
4.70 lb.
15th place: Duane Bawks of Pickford caught a fish weighing 4.50 lb.

Youth Walleye Division
1st place: Garrett Erner of Rudyard
caught a fish weighing 4.0 lb.
2nd place: Isaac Brown of Pickford
caught a fish weighing 3.70 lb.
3rd place: Taren Erner of Rudyard
caught a fish weighing 2.90 lb.
4th place: Griffin Brown of Stevenson caught a fish weighing 2.70 lb.

5th place: Hunter Milligan of Rudyard caught a fish weighing 2.635 lb.

Youth Pike Division
1st place: Taren Erner of Rudyard
caught a fish weighing 6.75 lb.
2nd place: Lance Cryderman of
Pickford caught a fish weighing 3.70
lb.

Youth Perch Division
1st place: Trenton Huyck of Pickford, Matt Hough of Rudyard, and
Mitch Michalski of Sault Ste. Marie
all caught fish weighing .80 lb.
4th place: Ethen Miller of Rudyard
caught a fish weighing .75 lb.
5th place: Tanner Norton of Sault
Ste. Marie caught a fish weighing .70
lb.
Master Angler
(most walleye caught)
Adult: Ken Wilkie of Goetzville
reeled in six walleyes.
Youth: Garrett Erner of Rudyard
reeled in five walleyes.

Target Weight
Adult: Chelsey O’ Connor of Pickford reeled in a fish that was 1.75 lb.
Youth: Taylor Babcock of Rudyard reeled in a fish that was exactly
1.80 lb.

Prescription Oxygen Challenge
(first fish that outweighs Ron
Gordon’s best catch)
Walleye: Hunter Milligan of Rudyard was the first to beat Mr. Gordon.
Perch: Kaden Laudy of Sault Ste.
Marie was the first to beat Mr. Gordon. Pike: Lance Cryderman of Pickford was the first to beat Mr. Gordon

Ledy’s Hawg
(Largest catch of the day)
Thursday, Jan, 26: Buddy Weber
of Sault Ste. Marie caught the largest
fish at 7.15 lb.
Friday, Jan. 27: Roger Bunker of
Indian River caught the largest fish
at 7.15 lb.
Saturday, Jan. 28: Jordan Allison
of Jersey Shore, PA, caught the
largest fish at 8.45 lb.
Sunday, Jan. 29: Dave Slater of
Pickford caught the largest fish at
9.80 lb.

Women’s Whopper
Jackie Auger of Kinross caught a
fish weighing 3.55 lb.

Biggest Losh
Kaden Laundy of Rudyard, 5 lb.