HELENA — The Canyon Ferry Walleye Festival is headed into its 23rd running on June 21. Second-year tournament director Shawn Jacobs said despite the bleak weather outlook, the battle across three divisions for grand prizes of $10,000 and a new boat must go on.
“The fishing must go on, boats can come off the water anytime they want, and you will see some boats exit,” said Jacobs. “If the wind stays away we’ll be fine. We can fish in the rain, everyone has bimini (tops) on their boat and we can take the rain.”
Jacobs did note that if the weather deteriorates to the point where he feels it’s unsafe for competition, he’ll put a stop to the contest and determine the winners based on the standings at that point in time.
Jacobs said the fishing near the tournament area has been picking up and thunderstorms near the area have not stopped tournament competitors from scoping out prime spots and lure patterns to get an upper hand come tourney time.
“The fishing is just now turning on, the temperature of the water is just now coming up to where the fishing is getting good,” Jacobs said. “Some (the competitors) have already been here a week. They’ll be pre-fishing trying what to throw at them and where they’re at.”
For information on the Canyon Ferry Walleye Festival, click here.
