Fishing remained strong throughout the 2016 season. The final tally for total trophy pins awarded was 1,772. Congratulations to everyone!
1130 Northern Pike for fish 36” and over. (There were 249 awarded for Pike over 40”)
361 pins for Walleye 24” and over. (There were 43 pins given for fish 27” and over)
260 pins for Smallmouth Bass 15” and over. (There were 67 Bass which were 17” and over)
6 Trout (everything Counts!)
15 Perch caught and released that were 12” and over.
There were also 43 Triple Crown pins awarded. This is given to fishermen who catch and release trophy size fish of three different species.
The sought after Grand Slam Award is given to anglers who catch and release trophy fish in 4 of the 5 fish species at Sabourin: Northern Pike, Walleye, Lake Trout, Smallmouth Bass and Perch. There were 6 people who will have their names engraved and added to the board in the lounge: Phil Hafner, Neil Mittelberg, Ken Buckalew, Tom Hickey, Kendall Crowley and Rickey Hall. Rickey had an amazing year. He earned 4 Grand Slams and we’re thinking of making a new accolade for him because he also caught trophy fish in all 5 species. His guide suggested the Fab Five Award!
We would like to thank the guests for embracing catch and release fishing. It has guaranteed the health of our fishery at Sabourin. To lower our impact on the fish, Sabourin will now go barbless on Northern lures. If you haven’t had time to pinch the barbs on your lures, the guides will help you before you begin fishing.