Williston Women’s and Men’s Tournaments Growing by ‘Leaps & Bounds’
Category: Tournament
Apr 6th, 2013 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Apr 6th, 2013 at 12:00 AM
Walleye First Tournament Series, Part 10, Williston Tournaments
Author’s Note: The status of the walleye tournament world with a vision for the future will be explored throughout this series. Industry leaders, observers, participants (past and present), sponsors, professional and amateur anglers, host communities, marine and tackle manufacturers, and tournament organizers will share their wisdom and insights.
Part 10 is a look at the 2013 growing tournament world in Williston, North Dakota. The Outlaw Walleye Tournament Association fills one event in 17 minutes, and others have doubled participation in just a few years. Interestingly, they may conduct one of the few (maybe only) women’s walleye tournaments in North America.
Association president Lenny Eubanks was proud of all three events hosted either on Lake Sakakawea or the Missouri River. “The Women on Water is growing by leaps and bounds, and the number of boats will definitely increase from the 85 last year,” he said. The Elden Heller Walleye Classic is “the guys” tournament. The late October event simply called “The Outlaw” filled in minutes last year.
Eubanks said the Association incorporated these three events under one umbrella about five years ago. Women on Water is now 14 years old, and has doubled in boats in the past few years. Two women fish in a boat with a driver. The females often help the driver during pre-fishing, but all drivers will spend time on the water prior to the Aug. 17 tournament.
The rules are simple. “The gals have fun and so do the drivers,” Eubanks said. Drivers don’t fish and cannot touch a rod if the line is in the water. They may net fish, and each team may bring six walleyes or saugers to weigh-in. The women select their drivers who are usually related to one of the team members. Boundaries are about 20 miles of Lake Sakakawea out of White Earth Bay Marina, which is 40 miles east of Williston. A maximum of 120 teams will be allowed by state permit, and at $300 per team, the Association attempts to pay $10,000 to first place.
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The 2012 winners, Carla Slette and Mikaela Rehak, will be defending their title. Slette said, “I fished it for many years; love fishing and enjoy this day.” Rehak fishes with her family almost every weekend, and her husband Garrett was their driver. “Everybody has fun. This is an excuse for women to get out there,” she said. Last year they toughed wind and waves, trolling crankbaits in 12 to 14 feet of water, moving shallower later in the day, to win. “We meet other gals who like the outdoors,” Rehak said. “It’s also a great party afterwards.”
The Elden Heller Walleye Classic is slated for Sept. 21, and jumped from 30 boats five years ago to 81 last year. Entry is $300, and is capped at 120 two-person teams, with a goal of paying $10,000 to the winners. Even though it’s affectionately called “the guys” tournament, guys and gals fish it. The Classic is held on the same stretch of reservoir as the Women on Water tournament, New Town Bridge to Camp Cherith.
The Outlaw, set for Oct. 19, is now in its 23rd year. Originating with half a dozen boats, it took three days to fill a decade ago, but last year took only minutes. Eubanks said the directors are ready with numbered entry applications in Four Mile Bar. When the doors open at 3 p.m., teams clamor for entries. The top 10 teams from 2012 receive automatic bids, and on the first Tuesday after Memorial Day, Eubanks said, “Don’t be standing in the doorway to the bar at 3 p.m.” Another 50 teams are accepted.
The 60 teams pay $150 each to fish the Missouri River from Bauste Sheep Ranch downstream to Legion Park in Williston. A team buying themselves in the Calcutta and weighing the biggest bag will take home about $10,000. “We’ve been doing this forever, and this is a big thing in Williston.”
For tournament entries or more information, Eubanks fields calls at 701-770-1319. Those affiliated with the Outlaw Association indicated that the hard-workers of the area love to be on the water, and Eubanks concluded, “Any excuse to celebrate walleyes is a party out here.”