CENTRE WELLINGTON – Fly Fishing Canada (FFC) has declared the 2019 Ontario Championship a tremendous success.
The event raised over $1,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Centre Wellington.
Twelve competitors from across the country, including two from British Columbia and one from Nova Scotia, caught and released many brown trout along the Grand River over two days June 22 and 23.
Following the success of last year’s National Championship in Elora and Fergus, this provincial-level tournament brought together conservation-minded anglers to share in and experience the waters of the area.
This year, the Ontario provincial individual champions are:
– Keefer Pitfield, gold;
– Clint Goyette, silver; and
– Ian Troup, bronze.
Team medals were awarded to three teams of two anglers each:
– Ian Troup and Keefer Pitfield, gold;
– Clint Goyette and Brandon Higgs, silver; and
– Ivo Balinov and Sorin Comsa, bronze.
FFC and the local organizing committee thank competitors, volunteers, and sponsors for helping make this event a success. They also thank the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) for stocking brown trout in Ontario rivers.
“Together, through sponsorships and donations, we raised over $1,000.00 for the Centre Wellington chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada,” officials stated in a press release.
“This is a deserving registered charity that receives no government funding, and has a huge impact on the children in the communities that they serve.
“Fishing is one of the activities that ‘Bigs’ and ‘Littles’ take on together.
“It gives the children a sense of accomplishment, promotes bonding time, and educates them about proper stewardship of our waters.”
FFC and organizing committee officials said they look forward to the next time the provincial championships “bring sport and commerce to Centre Wellington and area.”
