MANITOULIN—This Saturday, July 29 marks the official start of the Manitoulin Expositor Salmon Classic and with it, the chance to win big, like $30,000 in cash big.
It’s not too late to purchase your way into the derby with tickets available for purchase right until the last day. The one catch is that your ticket must have been purchased the day before your intention to fish. Tickets can be found at The Expositor Office in Little Current, the Manitoulin West Recorder in Gore Bay, Up Top Sports Shop in Mindemoya, Ramakko’s Source for Adventure in Sudbury, Trail Side Sports in Espanola, Moxy’s Bait and Tackle in Lively, at www.fishmanitoulin.com, the marinas at both South Baymouth and Providence Bay and, new this year, the General Outdoor Store in Spanish and the Bait House in Wahnapitae.
The Salmon Classic is also on for four weeks this year, bringing the derby from this Saturday, July 29 to Sunday, August 27. Organizers expect the month-long fishing extravaganza to bring in hundreds of fisherpeople and hundreds of thousands of dollars to the local economy.
A special wrap-up party and prize giveaway event will be held at the on the derby’s last day at the John Budd Memorial Park in South Baymouth on August 27.
Lead organizer Dave Patterson encourages all participants to check out the live leaderboard at fishmanitoulin.com this year. Every single fish that is weighed in will be posted, instead of just the top fish as seen last year. Mr. Patterson also reminds all anglers to keep their weigh-in forms to present at The Expositor Office so they can redeem it for a special salmon lure courtesy of Jack Hicks an Osprey Lures of Providence Bay (there will be 600 up for grabs).
There are all kinds of new additions to this year’s Salmon Classic, including a $100 prize giveaway each and every day during the derby for the heaviest fish, either salmon or trout.
“We have over 70 prizes to give away, including $12,000 for heaviest salmon,” Mr. Patterson boasts.
Another prize up for grabs is the ‘Out-fish Dave’ prize. Each day that Mr. Patterson goes fishing and manages to reel one in, if your salmon or trout weighed in is heavier than his, your name goes into a draw for $500 to be drawn at the close of the derby.
All of the fish weighed in will be eligible for the Jake’s Home Centre Mystery Weight prize of a Broil King smoker valued at over $1,000. Mr. Patterson assures anglers that the mystery weight will be above 10 pounds. In the event of the exact mystery weight is caught, that person will automatically win the prize. If not, the weight closest to will be named as the winner at the end of the derby. If it happens to go to a tie, just like any of the other prizes, the winner will be determined as to the time the fish is weighed in, the earlier time taking the prize.
The Salmon Classic weigh stations are as follows: Little Current, Wally’s Dock Service; the Manitowaning Marina; the South Baymouth Marina; the Providence Bay Marina; the Gore Bay Marina; the Meldrum Bay Marina; and on the North Shore, the Spanish Marina.
Mr. Patterson gave a special shout out to all of the municipal support he’s received from across the Island for the Salmon Classic and specifically the weigh-in stations. “The level of support has just been phenomenal,” he said.
Tickets for the 2017 Manitoulin Expositor Salmon Classic are just $65 for adults and $35 for fisherpeople 14 and under. A reminder that all people in the boat, and who are fishing, must have a Salmon Classic ticket and a valid Ontario fishing licence to be eligible to win the $30,000 in cash prizes are for grabs.
For more information, contact Mr. Patterson at 705-368-2744 or info@fishmanitoulin.
