The Angler & Young Angler Walleye Championship began in 1998 when Tournament Founder, Andrew Klopak decided he wanted to fish in a competitive style tournament on opening day with his son. Seeing that there were no tournaments that catered to adult and young anglers…he created his own.
2009 AYA Champions - Team Green Lake, WI. Bill Coats, Bryce Dombrowski & Guide Ben Gustafson.
The main objective is to introduce and educate young anglers to competitive sport fishing in a fun environment surrounded by family and friends while creating memories that will last a lifetime. Each team in the tournaments consists of one angler and two young anglers, 17 and under. Each event includes official weigh-in, prizes, awards and BBQ to follow a hard day’s fishing. The winner of each regional event qualifies for the opportunity to participate in the National Championship.
The success of the original Manitoba tournament has lead to the expansion into North America! The Angler & Young Angler Fishing Tournaments continues to grow rapidly every year with an International Championship held in August on beautiful Lake of the Woods, Kenora, ON. In order to expand the exposure of youth fishing, a complete television special is produced each year featuring the regional events as well as the Championship.
