2024 marks a special year for the Russell Lions Club Prairie Classic Walleye Tournament. 

This is the 20th anniversary of the fishing tournament, which draws in teams from as far as the United States, as well as across Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Duane Klimack with the Russell Lions Club says there is still room for more teams to enter. 

"We are right at 100 teams.  We would like to get to 120, but we have not been there for a few years.  I think last year we had 108 teams, so we would definitely like to see a few more before the derby starts.  It is a shotgun start early Saturday morning so right up until Friday we will accept registrations for sure."

Taking place this Saturday and Sunday, around 100 teams are registered so far, hoping to share in the over 65 thousand dollars in prize money, including 25 thousand for the first place team.

Duane Klimack with the Russell Lions Club says it is quite the sight to see all of those boats out on Lake of the Prairies. 

"Early morning (both days) there will be I believe 30-40 boats out there sitting behind the start line.  And as soon as we have the shotgun start, they race off as if it was the Indy 500.  They are gone up the lake to find those big fish.  And then they get everything ready for the second heat and that all happens again an hour later.  So it is incredible to watch those huge, powerful fishing boats head  up the lake."

The event begins with a parade on Friday afternoon at 5, followed by a meeting to go over the rules and hand out starting times to the competitors.

It costs $700 per team to take part, and if you want to be a part of the competition you can go online to www.lakeoftheprairies.com.