By Darlene Brace
The first annual Dunkirk Walleye Festival will be taking place on May 31-June 2 at the Dunkirk City Pier, located at 2 Central Avenue in Dunkirk, NY. The festival and tournament have been coordinated in collaboration with the City of Dunkirk and Primitive Patriot Outdoors. Professional walleye anglers will compete in the 4th Annual Western New York Walleye Tournament which will now include a festival. Teams of two to five anglers can weigh in their six biggest fish caught. There will be big prizes awarded to the top ten teams and for the three biggest fish on Friday and Saturday. This tournament is the fastest growing tournament on Lake Erie in New York. The goal is to build a professional tournament that anglers can enjoy participating in, as well as inviting the public to enjoy the outdoor festival promoting the pride of the City of Dunkirk.
The WNY Walleye Cup Series, presented by Primitive Patriot Outdoors is a fishing tournament series where teams register their boats to compete in at least three tournaments where they must catch a total of six fish. In 2023, there were forty-nine teams that participated with over 250 anglers and prizes of over $35,000 was awarded. This year’s tournament is projected to be even bigger and better.
On Friday May 31, the tournament will kick off with the Big Fish Friday event.
For Big Fish Friday, teams can depart from various harbors, but must return to Dunkirk by boat. Fish should be dropped off at the cooler drop off by 3:30pm. The weigh-in show will be 5pm. There will be live music entertainment by a popular Western New York 80’s rock band called 1980 Something who will be rocking the pier from 7pm-10pm.
On Saturday June 1, the main event starts with boat checks at 5:30am, and then teams will all race off to their fishing location at a shotgun start at 7am. The fish should be dropped off at the cooler drop off by 3:30pm, followed by the weigh in show at 5pm. To increase the excitement and anticipation, the biggest fish will be weighed last. Then the winners and overall champion that day will be announced. After the main event weigh in, live music by The West of the Mark: Prime Project will be performing. This seven-member country band will play 1990’s country music from 7pm to 10pm. Be ready to do some dancing as this band is sure to get you moving to the beat.
Sunday June 2 is Kids Day. Beginning at 10am, Craig Sleeman, who is a pro angler and championship finalist, will be conducting a kids’ fishing clinic, followed by a kid’s tournament. The tournament winner will receive a guided fishing trip with Craig Sleeman.
This festival is planned to be a community event. Even if you are not participating in the fishing tournament, you are encouraged to come out and be a spectator of the exciting launch of over 40 boats Saturday morning. There will also many vendors providing a variety of food and crafts as well as fishing gear vendors. It promises to be a fun community event and an amazing outdoor weekend focusing on Lake Erie’s walleye while promoting the sport of fishing.
If you are coming to participate in the tournament from out of town, the Clarion Hotel is just two blocks away if you need overnight accommodations. There is also a Best Western on Vineyard Street that is about a ten-minute drive. You may also find some Airbnb accommodations in the area.
This tournament is sponsored by DFT Communications, Century 21 Turner Brokers- Dan Terhune HuntChef, and Okuma. To participate in the tournament, you must be registered by May 24, and can register at www.primitivepatriotoutdoors.com. There you will find all the rules and regulations of participation listed. For more information you can also call 716) 490-4226 or (716) 366-9886.
Whether you are an angler out to catch the biggest walleye, or an outdoor enthusiast looking for a fun festival weekend, come on out to the Dunkirk Pier for the Walleye Festival. It’s sure to be an exciting weekend to see who catches the biggest walleye and you can enjoy the rest of the festival too.