Burns, King Take Berkley B1 Canadian Bass Open

Last weekend, Valleyfield, Quebec hosted the Berkley B1 Canadian Bass Open, the largest bass tournament in Canada. PJ Burns and Norman King were just one of 150 pairs of fisherman. They weighed in a total of 5 bass at 23.51 pounds, which put them in first place after day one. Unfortunately, severe weather on Sunday caused the second day of competition to be cancelled, but that allowed Burns and King to taste their victory even sooner. Burns was literally speechless when he was trying to describe how he felt about winning, but his wide grin said it all.

Norman and PJ have been competing in this tournament for three years, and last year they took second place and second place lunker, and their first year they took first place lunker. This year, first prize netted them cash, rings, trophies and a brand new boat with an estimated value of $60K Canadian.

PJ said, “the prizes are fine and dandy, but the important thing is the experience of fishing, especially for our youth.” PJ’s program, Kids 4 Fishing, should certainly get a boost from this big win, a title like this legitimizes the program and definitely shows the right person is running it. It shows that PJ has a passion for fishing, and not only that, but that him and Norman are very good at it. Fishing requires a significant knowledge base about lures, lines, rods and so much more. But fishing is also much more than expertise. PJ said, “Fishing is not just fishing. Fishing is an escape, a place for peace and fun.” He wants to share that with the youth. He said, “we’re not going to beat the computer, but people shouldn’t take the water for granted. Think of how lucky we are to be on the water.”

PJ and Norman would like to thank their sponsors: Truckstop #9, Thompson Marine, Lake Fork Trophy Lures, Venom Lures, Shimano and GLoomis.

PJ wanted everyone to know: “Get ready for 2013 Kids 4 Fishing, it’s going to be bigger and better!”