BEMIDJI — Nine hours on the water catching dozens of walleye in the chilly, windy weather resulted in some big wins on Saturday.

Boats lined the Lake Bemidji shoreline of Paul Bunyan Park at the crack of dawn as anglers from around the region anxiously awaited the start of one of the biggest catch-photo-release walleye tournaments in the area.

Anglers await the 7 a.m. start of the 22nd annual Knights of Columbus Walleye Classic fishing tournament on Saturday, June 10, 2023, on Lake Bemidji. 

Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pioneer

After each of the 100 two-person teams was registered with the help of local Boy Scouts, the anglers set out on Lake Bemidji at 7 a.m. to compete in the 22nd annual Knights of Columbus Walleye Classic.

Fishing until 4 p.m., each team was tasked with catching and releasing walleye while looking for the heaviest fish to help them win the tournament. Using a smartphone app called FishDonkey, they recorded each fish's size and then sent photographic proof to the officials before the fish is released to reduce fish mortality in lakes.

A dog checks out the other boats as anglers await the 7 a.m. start of the 22nd annual Knights of Columbus Walleye Classic fishing tournament on Saturday, June 10, 2023, on Lake Bemidji. 

Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pioneer

Once fishing wrapped up the anglers had a chance to mingle with friends and family at the waterfront in Paul Bunyan Park, which was lined with bouncy houses, food stands and a beer tent. The festivities concluded with an awards ceremony around 5:30 p.m. announcing the winners of the tournament along with various raffle giveaways.

Children play on the bouncy houses along the waterfront in Paul Bunyan Park during the Knights of Columbus Walleye Classic fishing tournament on Saturday, June 10, 2023, in Bemidji.

Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pioneer

A raffle winner is handed their prize during the 22nd annual Knights of Columbus Walleye Classic fishing tournament take their chairs on stage on Saturday, June 10, 2023, in Paul Bunyan Park.

Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pioneer

While the tournament champions took home a check for $12,500, along with championship jackets and caps, second-place winners received $5,000 and third-place walked away with $3,700. Additional cash prizes also went to the top 15 finishers.

The grand raffle prize was a brand new 2023 Lund 1650 Angler tiller with a 50 HP Mercury ELHPT 4-stroke Outboard motor along with a Shorland’r bunk trailer, Terrova 55 PD Pilot trolling motor and a Humminbird Helix 7 Chirp Mega MDI GPS.

Community members gather at Paul Bunyan Park for the 22nd annual Knights Columbus Walleye Classic fishing tournament on Saturday, June 10, 2023, in Bemidji.

Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pioneer

Next, the top 10 finishers were brought on stage, and one by one the weights of the fish caught scrolled onto the LED screen to "oohs" and "aahs" from the crowd until one that read 9.16 pounds appeared, which was met by cheers and applause.

That one fish helped land the team of Dan Fuller and Pat McSharry the “Big Fish” award of $1,000, and even better, it secured them the championship purse of $12,500.

The top 10 anglers from the 22nd annual Knights of Columbus Walleye Classic fishing tournament take their chairs on stage on Saturday, June 10, 2023, in Paul Bunyan Park. 

Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pioneer

 

NORTHLAND OUTDOORS

22nd annual Knights of Columbus Walleye Classic results

Here's a look at the results from the 22nd annual Knights of Columbus Walleye Classic held on Saturday, June 10, on Lake Bemidji.

June 12, 2023 10:38 AM

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By  Annalise Braught

 

Coming out on top

After the winning announcement, Fuller and McSharry were met with many hugs, high-fives and photo ops with friends and family members in the crowd.

Dan Fuller, left, and Pat McSharry hold up their grand prize and Big Fish awards after winning the Knights of Columbus Walleye Classic fishing tournament on Saturday, June 10, 2023, at Paul Bunyan Park.

Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pioneer

“There were no secrets for us today,” Fuller said of the pair’s winning strategy. “It was very much a team effort. I ran the boat as much as I could to make sure Pat was always positioned on the fish. We were trying to fish at the perfect angle with the perfect distance to allow him to make the cast that he needed to make to catch a fish.”

With a high of about 60 degrees for most of the day and strong winds, Fuller said it caused them to rethink their plans a bit for the day.

“It changed the bite and the thoughts that we had going into this morning, but we were able to adapt pretty quickly today," he explained. "One of us hopped on the trolling motor, scanned around and found the fish while the other one was dialed in on casting."

The pair said their morning started out a bit slow, but their luck started to improve by around 9:30.

“Pat got a nice little rally going and kind of boosted our morale and then we just put our noses down and really ground it out,” Fuller said. “It wasn't fast and furious. As some other people might say, we didn't catch a ton of fish, but we did not get a fish in the boat today that was under 20 inches I don't believe.”

McSharry estimated they caught around 15 to 20 walleyes, agreeing that he didn’t think they caught one under 20 inches.

“But we weren't really trying either,” McSharry said. “We were targeting big fish and like Dan said, he kept the boat positioned where it needed to be and we made good work of what we needed to do out there.”

Anglers await the 7 a.m. start of the 22nd annual Knights of Columbus Walleye Classic fishing tournament on Saturday, June 10, 2023, on Lake Bemidji. 

Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pioneer

McSharry said they used two different tactics that helped them catch most of their fish throughout the day — casting size seven jigging raps and casting jigs under bobbers.

As longtime fishing buddies who both graduated from Bemidji High School, the men said they spend a lot of time out on local water.

“We both love fishing Lake Bemidji,” McSharry said. “There are so many good lakes in the Bemidji area, dozens of them within 10 miles of our doorstep that are all great lakes to fish.”

For Fuller, Lake Andrusia is one of his other favorites.

“I grew up on the Cass Lake chain of lakes, so if you're talking Minnesota lakes that's my go-to favorite. But Lake Bemidji is hard to beat, and if you look at the fish that were caught today it's just unbelievable.”

Anglers await the 7 a.m. start of the 22nd annual Knights of Columbus Walleye Classic fishing tournament on Saturday, June 10, 2023, on Lake Bemidji. 

Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pioneer

Both men have participated in the tournament over the years, but Saturday marked their first win. Fuller said the closest he’s ever come to the top was a third-place finish he got while fishing with another buddy. While fishing together, they recalled coming in eighth place once and 12th another time.

“We've had some competitive bags,” Fuller said. “But this one really caps it off and actually the way that this worked out is kind of funny. Last year I fished with my wife and we ended up getting sixth or seventh, and my wife gave up her spot this year because she knows my favorite person to fish tournaments with is Pat. So my wife gave up her spot and signed me and Pat up together, so it all worked out.”

Anglers await the 7 a.m. start of the 22nd annual Knights of Columbus Walleye Classic fishing tournament on Saturday, June 10, 2023, on Lake Bemidji. 

Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pioneer

As for what the pair plans to do with their winnings, they said they weren’t totally sure yet. But added there is a strong chance it’ll go toward more fishing gear.

“But hey, Pat just bought a house,” Fuller said with a laugh, “so he's got a lot of projects to pay for.”

Children play on the bouncy houses along the waterfront in Paul Bunyan Park during the Knights of Columbus Walleye Classic fishing tournament on Saturday, June 10, 2023, in Bemidji.

Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pioneer

A raffle winner wheels away her prize during the 22nd annual Knights of Columbus Walleye Classic fishing tournament take their chairs on stage on Saturday, June 10, 2023, in Paul Bunyan Park.

Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pioneer

A child climbs a bouncy wall along the waterfront in Paul Bunyan Park during the Knights of Columbus Walleye Classic fishing tournament on Saturday, June 10, 2023, in Bemidji.

Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pioneer