Win #2 for Father & Son Duo Francis & Jessy DeChamplain

Longlac Walleye Masters 2022 has come and gone

In what seemed to be a blink of an eye, the long anticipated return of the Longlac Walleye Masters event was held July 22-24th.

This years event, from all accounts, was another success for the organizing committee and community of Longlac. Though the winds blew up and some rain fell on Sunday, the anglers and organizers were able to push through and persevere.

Saturday morning proved to be a fruitful one for the anglers with multiple fish in the 6-8lbs range coming early in the day. This certainly raised hopes that the ever elusive 10lb+ Long Lake walleyes would make an appearance this year. However, like the Lochness monster, they will remain an old fishing tale for one more year at least.

This year saw a changing of the guard in terms of the champions as the two time champs Mike and Adrian Copetti were finally dethroned by the father and son team of Jessy and Francis Dechamplain. They brought in a total weekend weight of 31.25lbs, earning them an elevated prize of $11,500 (due to an overwhelming level of sponsorships this year the LWM committee decided to up the prize board a bit).

Closing out the top 5 were the teams of Kevin Robineau and Steve Gravel in 2nd with a weight of 31.18lbs. In 3rd place, Jonathan and Robert Collin brought in a weekend weight of 30.59lbs, 4th place saw William Budiselic and Wayne Bloskie bring in a weight of 29.97 lbs, and last but not least 5th place was claimed by Yvan Misevic and Bill Limage with a total weight of 29.23 lbs.

Big Fish Day 1 was brought in by the father and son team of Jonathan and Robert Collin, weighing in at 8.45lbs. Big Fish Day 2 was brought in by the returning champ team of Mike and Adrian Copetti, with a weight of 6.51lbs (we knew they would show their presence one way or another).

As in previous years, the LWM recognized and awarded the Top Youth Angler and Top Female Angler. Top Youth was awarded to Benoit Lapointe and Top Female was awarded to Marlene Mitchell. These awards are equally as important to the LWM as the Top 10. Both these awards are geared to foster the interest in tournament fishing amongst the smaller demographics. The stories of in-boat competition and camaraderie that youth and female anglers bring to the event always make for some of the best laughs and stories under the tent.

2022 being only the 3rd event held on Long Lake makes the committee feel that with the continued support of the community and outstanding sponsorships, they are in a unique position to continue the evolution of the event for years to come. With all that said, now begins the work for 2023 – so don’t hesitate to register or volunteer.

FXR – Cool under Pressure : Mike Copetti & Adrian Copetti