Anglers ready for sixth annual International Falls Bass Championship
Weather predictions for this week should have anglers competing in the International Falls Bass Championship Friday and Saturday seeing gold — in the form of smallmouth bass and potential winnings.
The week before the two-day, two-location, two-person team tournament is critical for anglers to find a productive fishing spot, said IFBC board member Dave Peterson, who heads angler services for the event. Wacky weather before or during the tournament can disrupt the fish — and therefore the anglers, many of whom pre-fish Rainy Lake and Rainy River before the tournament.
But, Peterson said, the weather this week is forecasted to be nice. A look ahead on www.weather.com Monday showed slight chances for a shower Saturday, but otherwise mild temperatures and mostly clear skies.
“If we get stable weather ... the anglers will do fairly well,” he said.
The IFBC has a full field of 60 teams scheduled to participate in fishing Friday and Saturday. The two-day total smallmouth bass weight of five fish daily will determine the winner of this sixth annual championship. Anglers fish Rainy Lake one day, Rainy River the other.
“As long as the river clarity is good, I think fishing will be good down there,” Peterson said, noting that some good bass weight has already been seen this season.
He said that as more people start fishing bass on the American side of Rainy Lake, they are getting larger weights. Combine the experience gained in bass fishing the Rainys with forecasted good weather, and conditions should be ripe for solid numbers coming onto the leaderboard.
“The tournament has generated a lot of excitement about fishing bass and has taken some pressure away from fishing walleyes,” Peterson explained.
Peterson said that most of the anglers already have a good idea where they will be fishing before the contest begins due to pre-fishing.
“There are some great anglers in the tournament, both local and abroad,” he said of the 60-team lineup.
One of the primary goals of the anglers services team is to keep the tournament fair for the competitors, Peterson said.
“Folks for the most part are very cordial to each other ... give other anglers space,” he said.
But, he added, friendly competition is expected. Top prize is $10,000. Second place will earn $5,500 and third place will receive $3,000 with a full field of teams. The top 12 teams will all receive prize money, and big fish and big weight will also be rewarded each day for each body of water. All money collected from the teams in registration costs goes back to the top anglers.
“That’s part of the fun, actually,” Peterson said of the competition.
The IFBC is one of the area’s largest events of the year. Peterson said it has been common to see crowds in excess of 1,000 people in the big tent to watch the final weigh-ins Saturday afternoon. The final day of weigh-ins is slated to start at 3 p.m. Saturday, with the champions crowned at an awards ceremony at 6:30 p.m.
In addition to fishing, a full schedule of family-friendly activities is planned for Friday through Sunday.
Events kick off Thursday with a parade of boats at 6 p.m. down International Falls’ main street.
Evening entertainment will be held Thursday through Saturday in the Smokey Bear Park venue. A $10 pass for nighttime entertainment will be available, a reduction in prices from last year.
“We made it as inexpensive as possible for everyone to come out and enjoy the bass championship,” Peterson said. Most daytime activities are free.
Peterson said that the IFBC has become one of the city’s premier activities, saying that the International Falls Fourth of July celebration is the only thing that comes close to the draw of the bass championship.
For more information on the IFBC, see the special section included in today’s edition of The Journal, or visit www.ifallsbass.com.
