RRWT just a hook, line and sinker away!

By Jack Elliott
Contributor

With the 9th Annual Rainy River Walleye Tournament less than three weeks away, tournament directors are busy beavers finalizing last minute details and getting all the facilities into place.
Tournament chair, Wes Blight says this year’s RRWT will be bigger and better than ever and with the field expanded to 87 teams, there are still a number of hopefuls on the waiting list for this increasingly popular event.
The Big Tent is scheduled to go up at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 8, at Hannam Park on the Rainy River Waterfront. Volunteers are encouraged to come out and lend a hand, with ‘Raising the Roof’, a spectacular sight in its own right.
Scheduled this year for September 20, 21, 22, the RRWT kicks off with an angler boat parade on Thurs afternoon, followed by the contestants’ supper and rules review.
Paul Morrison of Fort Frances will be taking on the challenge of Master of Ceremonies, following the untimely death of Lionel Roberts this past December
Friday morning, the first angler flight is off at 8:45 am with weigh-ins at 4:45 pm. During the day large fish may be weighed in at anytime. Saturday flights leave an hour earlier at 7:45 am, with the final weigh-ins beginning at 2:45 pm.
Throughout the weekend The Big Tent is the hub of all activity with mini trade shows, bingos, dances, music, kids’ fishing tournament, penny tables, and a beer garden. The Rainy River Playschool Inc is again hosting the RRWT Raffle with cash prizes as well as a fully equipped fisherman’s dream, a Princecraft Boat and Motor from Nestor Falls Marine.
Food service and confections will be available throughout the day Friday and Saturday from different vendors, and hot suppers both evenings hosted by the Evangelical Covenant Church and the Rainy River Royal Canadian Legion.
A special RRWT edition of the Rainy River Record published September 11 will carry a full program of events and a list of anglers. If you can’t make it down to the RRWT be sure to tune in to B93, Fort Frances, or KQ 92, Warroad for live coverage of this exciting event. The RRWT can also be accessed on the web at www.rrwalleye.com.