Kincheloe leads walleye derby. Sault close second

The first annual Sault segment of the Kiwanis Invitational Walleye Tournament got off to a smooth start on Saturday.

The boats slid onto the calm water of the St. Marys River at about 7 a.m.

Team 21, consisting of Johnny Synett and Harold Glauch of Kincheloe, Michigan, brought in both the biggest fish of the day and the largest team total of fish.

Their big catch was a beautiful 7.94-pound walleye and their overall Saturday total was a very respectable 26.89 pounds of walleye.

The close runners-up are Jason Doyon and Rob Laframboise (Team 16) from the Sault, who landed a 7.88-pounds walleye on Saturday and brought in a total of 24.25 pounds for the day's catch.

This Kiwanis Lakeshore-organized tournament is part of the the Northern Ontario Walleye Trail fishing contest that awards anglers points at each of seven tournaments.

As reported earlier by SooToday.com, it's the first year the Sault has landed a tournament in the popular contest and the stakes are high.

Tournaments will also be going on in Mattagami, Dubreuilville, Geraldton, Kapuskasing, Sagamok, and Timmins this year and the grand prize is $10,000.

For Saultites, it's a chance to show off our river and the prizes it hides in its flowing water.

First-day totals on the Kiwanis Invitational Wa,lleye Tournament are in the running with two-day totals from other events and participants are hopeful their catches from this weekend will take them much closer to the final prize.

Northern Ontario Walleye Trail awards its Angler of the Year prize based on participants' three best finishes.

While the anglers are out on the boats, there's also plenty for landlubbers to do at the Bondar Tent Pavilion.

Sunday's events kick off with the boat launch and inspection between 6 to 8 a.m.

A barbecue will be set up by 11:30 and grilling will continue until late afternoon.

A kid's carnival featuring inflatables and face-painting will also be jumping from noon to 4 p.m. and anglers will be offering their catch of the day for weigh-ins between 2 and 4 p.m.

A special feature Saultites and visitors may want to catch is the Canadian Sportfishing Simulator that will be set up in the pavilion from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Among the participants in this weekend's tournament is celebrity fisherman Italo Labignan of TSN's Canadian Sportfishing.

The crew from the show was on the scene filming the action for an episode and they will be back with cameras rolling for Day 2.