Published: May 12, 2009 06:19 am      

Walleye Rodeo starts Thursday

On Thursday the 42nd Annual Canton Lake Walleye Rodeo will begin.

Around 2,000 people are expected to be on hand for the big fishing event.

Fishers will be allowed to deposit their catches at the Canton Lake Weigh Station from 8 p.m. Thursday until around 1:30 p.m. at Sunday. Shortly after 1:30 p.m. awards will be handed out.

Prizes will be given to the top five largest walleye. Also the person who has the most pounds of walleye caught over the four days will receive an award. The largest fish caught in 10 different species and daily sweepstakes prizes will be given out as well.

There are also tagged fish in the lake ranging from $10 to $500. The grand prize is $1,000.

“When big crowds show up it’s like an extra holiday,” said Tim Coffee, park ranger at Canton Lake. “The season really takes off from here, with Memorial Day being the week after.”

The lake will be busy at the end of this week and so will the town of Canton. Things in town get kicked off with a free gospel concert on Thursday.

On Friday there will be cold pork sandwiches served at the town’s fire station, bingo at the school and “A Fair to Remember.”

Saturday will begin with a sausage biscuit breakfast. Following this will be the annual parade. A carnival will also be held on Saturday. Both the parade and carnival begin at 10 a.m. There will also be an elementary fashion show on Saturday.

Saturday night a fish fry and street dance will be held.

At the lake, Saturday is “Out of Staters” day.

On Sunday there will be a hamburger fry.

“There’s always stuff going on at the lake,” said Don Foster, a businessman in Canton.

Sunday will be the busiest day at the lake. In the morning from 8 a.m. until noon children 12 and under can participate in a fishing derby at the lake. It will also be the final day of fishing and awards are going to be handed out too.

Following the close of the festivities at the lake, a country opera will perform in Longdale from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m.

The event got its start when the walleye pike were first brought to Canton Lake in the late-60s. The natural schooling of the fish resembles a herd of cattle. If one fish strays, another will round him up and return him to the herd, which is why the term rodeo was added to the event.