2011 Saskatchewan Landing Walleye Tournament

  
     
  I don't know why but for some reason I always feel a need to write a recap of this tournament, perhaps it is because Maryann and I along with Tim and Heather Kuiack helped to organize the first Sask Landing tournament or maybe because of the mid summer blues when I realize we are on the downhill side of our tournament season but whatever the reason here is my take on the 2011 tournament.  
     
  In previous years I have written about the increasingly great fishing and the growing number of teams entering this event.  This year we expected the worst, water levels were at record highs shortly before the tournament and there were reports of near zero visibility due to the sand and mud that accompanies such high water flows and the resulting tough bite.  The tounament angling fraternity was undaunted by the bad reports and the field increased by 10 teams over last years event to 107.  
     
  The conditions although not ideal had improved considerably, the mud and sand began to settle, surface visibility was in the 12-18 inch range and the fish were obviously biting throughout the system.  Boats were spread out from the banks across from the marina all the way to the east boundary and most teams had a 5 fish limit to weigh at the end of each day.  The table below shows the number of fish caught and some of the tournament averages.  These are good numbers for any tournament and had the conditions been normal I am confident the fishing would have been outstanding.  
     
 
   Total # Total Average Average 
  fish caught weight wt/team wt/fish
Day 1 489 882.7 lbs. 8.17 lbs 1.81 lbs.
Day 2 460 766.8 lbs. 7.1 lbs 1.67 lbs.
 
     
  The father/daughter team of Brian and Kalynn Oestreicher won the tournament with a total weight of 35.86 lbs. including the biggest walleye of the tournament that weighed in at 11.6 lbs.  Two weeks earlier Brian and Kalynn won the Big River Walleye Classic so this has been a very profitable summer for them.  Brian is a seasoned tournament angler and this was Kalynn's 11th or 12th tournament,  they have shown us what they can accomplish and they will definitely be a team to watch in the future.  
     
  The event organizers did a great job again, the parade was excellent, the line of boats circled the entire town, it was a sunny hot day and the streets were filled with kids waiting for the teams to throw candy to them.  I am certain that to the kids of Kyle and surrounding area this parade holds the same importance and rivals the anticipation of Halloween.  
     
  In addition to the generous tournament payout and prizes the Saskatchewan Walleye Trail also offered an additional $1300 in cash plus merchandise prizes available to SWT members.  With all the additional SWT awards and prizes I have never understood why all teams don't throw in the extra few bucks to buy a membership.  Over the years I have seen a lot of teams miss out on cash because they didn't purchase a membership.  At this event alone 4 teams missed out on a total of $350 cash and a prize package because neither member bought an SWT membership.  
     
  After touting the value of an SWT membership I have to admit that we do make mistakes and have the occasional issue arise and we have one right now.  After the Sask Landing awards were completed our membership forms from the Friday evening rules meeting were lost, probably thrown in the garbage during clean-up.  We are making every effort to accurately recompile our membership list but may need some assistance.  If you purchased your SWT membership at the Sask Landing tournament please send an email to me with your phone number and address and we will be sure to get you back on our roster, also include any teammate or friend that signed up.  We have several year end draws that we don't want you to miss out on and we want the correct info in our standings.

No need to contact me if your membership was purchased on-line or at the Elbow tournament.

  
  Dave Deutscher  
  dave@yourlink.ca