Rob Laframboise and Jason Doyon (pictured) are a little bit richer and a whole lot happier following Sunday's weigh-in at the Second Annual Kiwanis Invitational Walleye Tournament at the Roberta Bondar Pavilion.
Over two days of angling, the duo reeled in 10 fish for an impressive combined weight of 44.44 pounds, more than enough to earn them the big $10,000 grand prize cheque.
On top of that, Laframboise and Doyon were awarded an additional $1,000 for Saturday's 7.11-pound biggest catch of the day.
Trolling in to second place were Joe Giuliani and Norm Thorkilson, catching a total of nine fish for a combined weight of 32.68 pounds.
One of those nine - weighing 6.15 pounds - also earned Giuliani and Thorkilson Sunday's big catch of the day and $1,000.
Also finishing the weekend in the top five were the teams of Allan Tourigny and Frank Vena; Greg Ryckman and Curtis White; and Dane and Paul Stanaway.
Tournament Committee Chair Lua Turcotte told SooToday.com that the 38 registered teams - approximately a third of which were from out-of-town - accounts for a 30 percent increase over last year's inaugural event.
The weekend's events drew more than just anglers, however.
The fishing simulator, face painters, and United Steelworkers inflatables were all extremely popular, and Turcotte happily reported that spectator attendance had significantly increased over last year.
As one of seven stops in the Northern Ontario Walleye Trail, the local tournament affords anglers the opportunity to take part in an event in a less remote location with a challenging river system and great facilities, something that sets it apart from other tournaments.
"What we hope to do in the future is expand the youth and community involvement components of the event so we can help develop the sport," Turcotte said. "It will also give locals a reason to toot their own horns about this awesome water system that a lot people might not realize is in our own back yard."
Conservation is also important to the tournament committee, Turcotte told us, and all the fish caught were released back into the water system with the aid of an experienced handler.
To learn more about the Kiwanis Invitational Walleye Tournament, please visit the official website.
