About this tournament

The Canyon Ferry Walleye Festival is one of the biggest walleye tournaments on the Montana calendar. The field caps at 150 two-angler teams who compete over two days from Broadwater Bay at Silos Recreation Area, just north of Townsend. The headline number is $10,000 to the winning team, with a deep payout structure and side pots typical of Montana Walleyes Unlimited events.

The event runs Friday and Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with a sunrise safe-light start. Boundaries are well-marked: the reservoir is in bounds, but the upstream Missouri River is out of bounds, with buoys at the river mouth. The lakeside weigh-in is open to the public and draws a crowd — Townsend embraces this tournament as a community event with vendor booths and family activities at Silos.

Participation requires Montana Walleyes Unlimited membership; applications open in spring through the MWU website. Lodging fills up early; the Townsend / Canyon Ferry Lake KOA Journey and area motels typically reserve room blocks.

Schedule

• Thursday/Friday evening — registration, rules meeting and kids events at Silos
• Friday 7:00am–4:00pm — Day 1 tournament hours, weigh-in to follow
• Saturday 7:00am–4:00pm — Day 2 tournament hours, weigh-in and awards at Broadwater Bay

Entry & Prizes

Entry: Approximately $330 per 2-angler team. Montana Walleyes Unlimited membership required to compete.

Prizes: $10,000 grand prize with deep payout to the top finishers, plus side pots typical of MWU events.

What to expect

By late June, Canyon Ferry walleyes have moved off the spawning banks and are setting up on main-lake structure. Bottom-bouncers with spinner harnesses (#3/#4 blades, slow death hooks, half-crawler) trolled at 0.8–1.4 mph are the workhorse. Work the points and humps from Silos south to Cemetery Island and the Shelter Island area. Watch wind — Canyon Ferry can build big waves quickly out of the west and southwest, and the long fetch makes safety the top consideration.

History

The Canyon Ferry Walleye Festival has been the centerpiece of the Townsend summer events calendar for decades. Past events have paid out roughly $30,000 in cash and prizes and drawn competitors from across the country. The full field of 150 teams routinely fills well before the entry deadline.

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