A father-son duo celebrated Father's Day by reeling in first place at the Riverhurst Walleye Classic and a tacklebox full of money.
Darwin and Teran Collins captured the 34th edition of the tournament with a total catch weight of 25.46 pounds over Saturday and Sunday to win $6,000.
Daryl Dean and Kevin Matiachuk finished in a close second place winning $3,500 with their two-day weight of 24.8 pounds. Third place went to Darryl Callaghan and Darlene Callaghan with a total weight of 24.16 pounds netting them $2,000. Gary and Shaun Austin caught the tournament's largest fish at 8.87 pounds on Saturday.
Cameron Durfey, the chairperson for the Riverhurst Walleye Classic, said the top four teams were only separated by 1.42 pounds.
"Generally it's a fairly competitive tournament," he said. "There's usually not a lot of space between the top two (teams). This year we had really close results between the top four so it's really good that way."
Four hundred and two of the 473 walleyes caught and released, back into Lake Diefenbaker, during the event were hauled in on Saturday when the weather was ideal. Extreme wind and rainy conditions made it tough for teams to have much luck on the final day.
"It was impossible to hold a boat at any kind of a slow speed to catch fish effectively," he said. "We didn't have many teams come in with a full scale of five fish they were allowed for Sunday."
University of Regina biology professor Chris Somers continued his partnership with the long-standing event. Somers' has brought a team with him for over a decade to tag fish and collect their data in Lake Diefenbaker.
"They keep track of how much they've grown, monitor how the fish release, how well they go back into the water, and also look for any damage on the fish," he said. "It's really interesting to see the research they're doing, it's great work they're doing."
The funds raised from the event help the Riverhurst Recreation Board continue to revamp or construct local sporting facilities. This year's fundraising will help with a project at the Riverhurst Community Hall.
"We're looking at spending some money right away to redo the roof on the Hall," he said. "All these things cost a lot of money, and this is our major fundraiser for the year that really brings us the ability to keep our facilities in good shape."
The non-profit has bought new lighting and ice resurfacing equipment for the Riverurst Arena, and AV equipment and an air conditioner for the Riverhurst Community Hall. They've also helped with the cost of a pickleball court at the Palliser Regional Park and a new ice plant at the Central Butte Agri-Sportsplex.
Durfey noted that this event would have been impossible to put on if not for the large amount of volunteers who sacrificed their Father's Day weekend.