ALGOMA (NBC 26) — Fishermen from across the nation are competing in the Kewaunee/Door Salmon Tournament.
This is the 41st year of the annual competition.
Running a total of ten days, coordinator Kevin Naze says one of his favorite parts of the tournament is the relationships made with other fishermen through the years.
"They come from all over. We have more than 30 states represented in the past five years and three foreign countries," said Naze.
He estimates that there are 3,500 fishermen competing in this year’s tournament.
One of those fishermen is Kyle Wennblom, who is participating in the tournament for the first time.
"We've been here for two days, fishing has been slow but we've ran into a few good pods of fish and done OK," said Wennblom.
Wennblom says his group plans to come back next year, but it is fun to be out with friends.
Some of the fun comes from the prizes, according to Naze.
"We have Kewaunee, Algoma, Sturgeon Bay, Baileys Harbor, Washington Island, there's daily port prizes given to the biggest fish each day all the ten days."
Naze says the fish are big and healthy this year and he thinks the first prize fish will be at least a thirty-pounder.
"The big money is on top, $15,000 for first place, a free mount of your catch and a custom-made sterling silver salmon ring. So, it's really cool."
