The WNY Walleye Classic, which will run June 6-8, is the first of the two Lake Erie walleye competition events this weekend. The event is a community-draw event running from the Central Avenue Pier on Dunkirk Harbor. The tournament is open for fishing all American waters of Lake Erie and the Niagara River, 7 a.m. start, coolers on the stage by 3:30 p.m. on June 7, with a bad-weather day option set for June 8.

Big Fish Friday, June 6, is a separate fun event and not part of the main competition. Each team may have two to five members for the classic and run up to nine rods/reels per boat, rendering a six-fish box for the weigh-in on the big stage on the Central Avenue pier in Dunkirk Harbor. The event features an early bird Big Fish Friday (one-fish competition) event ($100 registration, 6:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. fishing time) with a 100% payout, split 50/30/20 among the top three winners by weight.

The main event is the next day, Saturday, June 7, with an entry fee of $600, allowing teams of two to five anglers. The tournament offers multiple Calcutta options, including a new Big Foot Calcutta ($800) with a 25-team cap and $10,000/ $6,000/ $4,000 payout, the Captain’s Choice Calcutta ($200) and the Primitive Patriot Calcutta ($100) — all of these are big box total by weight (best six fish) and are paid 50/30/20, so there are lots of cash winners.

The Big Eye Calcutta ($100) is for the largest single walleye on competition day.

Photo courtesy of Forrest Fisher The Southtowns Walleye Association of WNY will feature a weigh-in station at Barcelona Harbor for their 41st annual nine-day walleye competition set to run June 7-15.

At least one team member must attend the captain’s meeting set for Thursday, June 5, at Dimitri’s Restaurant.

The WNY Walleye Classic has partnered with the Clarion Hotel Marina and Conference Center to provide discounted rooms for registered participants. Primitive Patriot Outdoors organizes the event and is part of the Dunkirk Walleye Festival.

Then, on Sunday, June 8, it’s Kids Fishing Day, starting at 8 a.m. A fun kids’ fishing tournament will run from the pier. The event promises a weekend full of fun, excitement, and the thrill of competition. The thrill of competition is something you don’t want to miss. Visit www.primitivepatriotoutdoors.com or contact Josh Larsen at 716-490-4226 to register. The registration deadline is Friday.

Then, the next and running concurrently with the WNY Walleye Classic for the first day, the Southtowns Walleye Association of Western New York will hold their 41st consecutive annual walleye tournament from June 7-15 in the U.S. waters of Lake Erie and the Upper Niagara River. The booty is enormous, with over $100,000 in cash and prizes for anglers registered for the event. The Derby Booklet is a 20-minute read with many details. Participants must be club members ($60 annual adult fee) and register for the contest ($50). Youth entrants registration is $10, with the youth competition part of this incredible event set for June 14-15. For the adults, this is a one-fish, biggest-fish-by-weight contest, but registration also includes a daily biggest fish prize of $1,000 cash for each of the nine days of the event. Catching a big fish in this contest can pay extra big cash with multiple additional options. These include a nine-day Calcutta ($100) and a four-day Calcutta for both weekends ($50). The Daily Derby Wallet ($5) entry is a good idea, too, with half the money going to the contest’s big fish winner and half to the club’s youth fishing programs. The registration deadline is this Friday, but if you want to register for any Calcutta’s, best to attend the club meeting set for Wednesday at 7 p.m., at 5895 Southwestern Blvd., in Hamburg. This event has six weigh stations, including the Dunkirk Pier right next to the Dunkirk Walleye Festival event (so you can fish both contests), Barcelona Harbor, Fish USA in Fairview, Pennsylvania, and three others. Check the derby booklet for the other locations. For more info, visit www.southtownswalleye.org, then click on the derby booklet for all the details. Both tournaments utilize polygraph testing for the winners to ensure compliance with the rules.

Gotta love the outdoors.

CALENDAR

June 6-8: WNY Walleye Classic/Dunkirk Walleye Festival 2025, $600 entry, Josh Larsen, 716-490-4226; https://www.primitivepatriotoutdoors.com/wny-walleye-classic.

June 7: Take-A-Kid-Fishing Day, Northern Chautauqua Con Club, 9 a.m. to noon, kids through 16 years old, must be accompanied by an adult, activities at Dunkirk Yacht Club, Memorial Park, life jacket required, limited loaners on site. Sign up at the Con Club. The contest is open to the public.

June 7: National Deer Association, River Bottom Arrow-fest, Gates open 7:30 a.m., 3-D open archery competition, cash prizes, $10 breakfast; Wellsville Rod/Gun Club, Weidrick Road, Wellsville; Info: Sean Burdick, 716-307-7702.

June 7-15: 41st annual nine-day Southtowns Walleye Tournament, $100 entry, $100k prizes; Jim Skoczylas, 716-796-5372; https://www.southtownswalleye.com/.

June 8: Kids Fishing Clinic, free, Dunkirk City pier, part of the WNY Walleye Classic/Dunkirk Festival event. 8 a.m. start.