Author: Dan Stefanich

Baudette, Minn. (October 19, 2023) – The 13th Annual Chili Bowl Walleye Tournament at Border View Lodge was met with perfect weather and a gorgeous sunrise over the Rainy River at Lake of the Woods. With 150 anglers and sponsors in attendance, the event was kicked off with a prime rib dinner, followed by the walleye tournament and chili dinner celebration. This yearly event was again filled to capacity, with over $20,000 awarded in cash and prizes. And a new tradition was started with the presentation of the Chili Bowl Cup!

With many of the anglers returning from last year, the title for first place went to last year’s winners…a father and daughter team that claimed an 18-pound bag!
The top place finishing teams were:
First Place – Olivia Olson & Chad Olson with 18.17 pounds;
Second Place – Dave Anderson & Scott Widor with 15.15 pounds.
Third Place – Scott Ballard & Rory Ballard with 12.70 pounds
With the maximum capacity of 75 boats registered, over 140 anglers competed to register the best of five walleyes or sauger in this catch-and-release format tournament. And the Chili Bowl reinforced its name with a free chili dinner after a day on the water for the anglers, as well as the public. “We have a lot of great anglers that compete, and anything can happen in a fishing tournament,” notes Vince Ojard, Tournament Director. “But we were pleasantly surprised that last year’s winners captured a repeat victory!”

In addition to the tournament payouts, over 30 anglers walked away with some great prizes including Clam walleye nets, Flofast fuel systems, fishing gear from Outdoors Again Sports, Blackfish gear, and Scheels gift certificates. In addition to sponsor prizes, everyone received a goodie bag that included a custom Chili Bowl Beanie. “Our goal is to make this all about the participants.” Notes General Manager Jeff Anderson, “The team here at Border View works really hard to make this a great event. And thanks to our sponsors, we made sure that all anglers walked away with something, not just the winners.” With the presentation of the Chili Bowl Cup, a new tradition has begun…the winners get to eat chili from the trophy, and keep the custom engraved event spoons.

CLICK HERE FOR EVENT PHOTOS

CLICK HERE FOR ANGLER RESULTS

September and October provide anglers with some of the best fishing on Lake of the Woods and the Rainy River. We are famous for our world-class walleye fishing. But we also have some incredible smallmouth bass fishing. And the fall is a great time for fast and furious action.

In addition to our fleet of charter boats, we have smaller boats that are perfect for two or three anglers looking for a great fall trip. “Our smallmouth fishing is fantastic this time of year,” notes Captain Ben Owens. “We’ve got the bite dialed in and give anglers another great experience targeting hard-fighting smallies, as well as hooking into some big walleye.”

As water temperatures start to drop, many fish move into Traverse Bay and the Rainy River to strap on the feed bag before winter. Emerald shiners migrate into the River and the big fish follow. This provides a great opportunity to get in on some fantastic action that’s close to the Lodge.

Tactics range from jigging with minnows, to drifting crawler harnesses, or casting and trolling crank baits. This “stick in hand” tactic is fun as anglers can feel aggressively feeding fish smash their bait.

In addition to smallmouth and walleye, sturgeon fishing is on fire this time of year. The Minnesota DNR estimates over 80,000 sturgeon over 40 inches live in our waters. And the fall is a fantastic time to chase them, as they are also more concentrated in the River. If you’ve never caught one, put a sturgeon trip at Border View on your calendar.

Anglers bringing their own boat have access to our dock system. We have power hookups for the slips. And the public boat launch is right next door so anglers can get on the water quickly.

Contact us for more information on fall fishing and available dates.

Border View Lodge is once again hosting its Annual Chili Bowl Walleye Tournament on the Rainy River. Now in its 13th year, the resort’s signature event will be held on October 14, 2023.  The Chili Bowl is a yearly walleye fishing tournament and chili dinner celebration that draws anglers from across the Midwest.
 
Last year, over 22 anglers walked away with a nice stack of prize money, and this year touts a similar draw. If 75 boats are registered, this event could pay out over $17,000 in prize money to 14 teams, making this a popular northern Minnesota event.
Here are a few key highlights:
• Catch-Photo-Release (CPR) format, one-day fishing tournament on the Rainy River.
• Over $17,000 in cash if 75 boats register, and lots of prizes from our sponsors
•. 75 Teams at $300 per boat (only one, two-person team per boat)
• Registration fee includes a Prime Rib Dinner at the Rules meeting the night before the tournament at 6:00 pm on October 13, 2023
•. Weigh-in and Chili Dinner Celebration will begin at 4:00 pm on October 14, 2023

The Catch-Photo-Release format is in its third year for this event, contributing to the conservation of Lake of the Woods, one of the most prolific walleye fisheries in the Midwest.
“We had an absolute amazing turnout last year for an outstanding event,” notes Vince Ojard, Tournament Director. “So many anglers walked away with cash and prizes and had a fantastic time. We expect most of them to come back and fish it again this year.”

And a couple of new things have been added to this year’s event. “We want to continue to make this event better,” explains Jeff Anderson, General Manager of Lake of the Woods Resorts. “We added a prime rib dinner and celebration during the rules meeting this year, and we are creating a Chili Bowl Trophy that will have some fun promotions around it.”
If the roster reaches the 75-team limit, there could be up to 14 payouts with the 1st place check up to $6,000. The Chili Bowl has partnered with several regional brands that will be offering prizes or promotions at the event as well including Clam Outdoors, Blackfish Gear, Outdoors Again Sports, Midwest Outdoors and Flo-Fast to name a few.
Registration is now open, CLICK HERE. For information and to register, visit BorderViewLodge.com or call 800-776-34