Take 160 anglers, 110 volunteers, dozens of sponsors, a dedicated committee, and a touch of luck, and you come up with the recipe for another successful Canadian Tire Mitchell’s Bay Bass Tournament.
The 11th annual tournament, held July 11-12 in the small waterfront community, attracted some of the best bass anglers from across Ontario and the midwestern United States to compete for tens of thousands of dollars in cash and merchandise.
“One of the reasons we’re so well known as a tournament is the community participation,” said tournament chair Tom Beaton. “We’ve always designed this as a community event with proceeds going back to the community because without the assistance of the volunteers, we just could not do it.”
From famous professional anglers such as Bob and Darren Izumi to American Fishing Hall of Fame angler Steve Clapper, whose career stretched back to the 1970’s, the event is a must for returning anglers.
Clapper retired this year and wasn’t planning on attending but felt the pull to return to watch the final Saturday weigh-in.
“It was one of those spur-of-the-moment deals,” said the Port Clinton, OH resident. “I spoke to Robby Stanley who I had fished with the last several years and he was telling me he was going through his practice session. I told my wife Linda, it would be fun just to go up there and watch the weigh-in. She said ‘Let’s go,’ and we did.”
Clapper said local hospitality keeps him coming back, from the angler’s dinner the night before the event to the way participants are treated.
“I’ve fished some of the biggest tournaments there are, and I have more fun here. The people and the volunteers are unbelievable. They treat you like a king,” he said.
Organizers kept a watchful eye on a massive storm front sweeping in from the Windsor area, but managed to just get the event in as strong winds and waves blew in at the close of the day Saturday.
There was a mishap on the water on Saturday during the tournament. Two tournament boats collided, sending two people to hospital, Beaton said.
The incident is under investigation by the OPP.
Beaton said the tournament would have no additional comment until the OPP concludes its probe.
Beaton said the strength of the event has allowed it to contribute to various community improvement projects as part of the Mitchell’s Bay Area Association. The group also teams up with the VON Kids Circle Bereavement support program to bring out children to fish.
The two-day totals for top five teams in the catch-and-release tournament were:
Jeff Kerr/Johnny Yancoulis – 41.07 lbs
Neil Deleeuw/Brent Cescon – 38.45 lbs
Derek Strub/Marcel Lambercy – 38.08 lbs
Jeff Power/Luke Sanders – 37.60 lbs
David Reault/Charles Reault – 36.96 lbs
The biggest fish of the tournament (6.47 lbs) was landed by the team of Rick and Berkley Damphouse.
