Baudette, MN (May 7, 2023)-  Sportsman’s Lodge hosted their 17th Annual Sturgeon Tournament May 5th & 6th, 2023. This annual tradition on the Rainy River was the biggest one to date… just under 200 anglers and 60 boats enjoyed another year of beautiful spring weather and lake sturgeon fishing in a 1.2 mile stretch out in front of the Lodge.

The bite was fantastic, with over 375 sturgeon caught and released over two days. A new sturgeon tournament record sturgeon was caught by Curt Howe, measuring in at 72” long with a 29” girth.  At the end of the tournament, over $15,000 in cash and prizes were awarded.

Each day the participant with the longest measured sturgeon is awarded $3,000 in cash, 2nd place $1,500 in cash, and the 3rd place winner received a custom rod. Prizes were also awarded in other categories including the largest sturgeon caught by a youth, woman, largest eelpout, largest sucker, and as well as many other door prizes.

This year’s top winners include:

DAY ONE
First Place – Scott Clem  64” x 26”
Second Place– Gary Kullhem  63.75” x 27”
Third Place– Curt Howe  62.25” x 22”

DAY TWO
First Place– Curt Howe  72” x 29”
Second Place– Gary Rutherford  66.5” 22.5”
Third Place– Tom Risto  64.25” x 27.25”

Tournament participants also raised over $8,000 for the Lake of the Woods Take a Kid Fishing program. The monies will be used for lifetime fishing licenses that will be awarded at the event this year in June and for program expenses to continue to teach kids the lifelong sport of fishing.  Many thanks to the gracious participants and sponsors who took part in this event. Your donations will make a big impact on many kids’ lives for a lifetime.

“This is such a fun event,” notes Tournament Co-Director Bryan “Beef” Sathre, “The staff and guides work so hard and with the help of our sponsors, this tournament was once again a huge success. And of course, we want to give a huge thank you to all the anglers that participated!”

The team at Sportsman’s Lodge continues to make this event better each year. “We try to add something new each year,” explains Tournament Co-Director Jeff Anderson, “This year we captured some amazing photos and videos of the anglers catching and boating big fish and put those on our Facebook page for our participants to enjoy.”

If you are interested in fishing this tournament next year, please contact us as we typically have a waiting list. To be added to the waiting list, contact us at [email protected] or 800-862-8602.