The 35th annual Riverhurst Walleye Classic brought big fish and even bigger community spirit to Lake Diefenbaker over Father’s Day weekend, with 94 teams competing and nearly 900 walleye caught and released across two days.
The team of Michael Faris and Ryder Rutko took top honours this year, weighing in 38.38 pounds of walleye to secure the $6,000 grand prize. They edged out second-place finishers Derek and Forrest Prokopiw (33.93 pounds) and third-place team David Deutscher and Rob Furutani (33.81 pounds), who earned $3,500 and $2,000 respectively.
According to tournament chair Cameron Durfey, the weekend went off without a hitch — a welcome change from last year’s event, which was hampered by high winds.
“This year we had two days that were pretty much excellent — perfect weather for fishing,” said Durfey. “It was phenomenal. We heard nothing but thanks and praise about how it all came together. People were happy, the food was great, the entertainment was great. Everything went according to plan this year. It was awesome.”
After retiring to the village and serving on the competition's volunteer committee for several years, Durfey stepped up to be chairperson for the last two years.
“We moved here a few years ago, found ourselves with some time, and wanted to get involved,” he said. “I haven’t even had a chance to fish in the tournament myself because it takes a lot of effort to help put it on — but it’s been really rewarding.”
This year’s tournament drew a range of anglers — from seasoned competitors with high-end gear to weekend fishers looking for a friendly challenge. Despite falling just shy of the 100-team cap, Durfey said the mix of skill levels and backgrounds added to the tournament’s appeal.
“We’ve got a little bit of everything. There are locals who fish often, there are recreational anglers, and we’ve had teams in the past from all three Prairie provinces and even the U.S. It’s become a staple — people pencil in Father’s Day weekend for Riverhurst every year.”
And it wasn’t just about the wins. A total of 860 walleye were caught and released, representing 1,828.76 pounds in total weight. Only five fish were declared dead on the weigh scale. The tournament limit is five fish per team per day, and many teams came in with full catches both days.
The largest walleye of the tournament was a 10.915-pounder caught Sunday by Bill and Dalton Landrie. Saturday’s top fish weighed in at 6.425 pounds, caught by Tylor and Mathew Arguin. Both teams received $970 prizes for their respective catches. In all, the top 20 teams earned cash payouts, and other competitors were entered into merchandise draws.
Beyond the leaderboard, the tournament supports local infrastructure and environmental research. It’s the largest annual fundraiser for the Riverhurst Recreation Board, with proceeds going toward facility upgrades in the village.
Dr. Chris Somers and his team from the University of Regina were on hand to tag fish for ongoing Lake Diefenbaker studies. They tagged and measured 220 walleye, including five previously tagged fish that were recaptured during the competition.
The tournament’s 35 years of success, Durfey says, testify to the volunteers and sponsors who step up year after year.
“From a village of 120 people, to have over 40 volunteers come together and help run an event like this — that’s something special,” he said. “They work tirelessly in different ways, shapes, and forms. And I think that’s why the tournament keeps going. It’s really all about the people behind it.”
For more photos and updates, visit riverhurstwalleye.ca or find the tournament on Facebook.