FAIRMONT – Weather conditions and early reports from fishers point to a busy day on the lakes as the Fairmont Lakes Foundation hosts their spring fishing tournament on Saturday, May 16.

This year, walleye and pan fish are the fish of competition. The fish are weighed on a certified scale donated by Avery Weigh-Tronix. They can only be caught on one of the four connected lakes in Fairmont, excluding Amber Lake. While the bag limit has changed on yellow bass from 30 to 100, they have not been reintroduced this year.

Across these four lakes, FLF Board Member Matt Moore said it appears there is no frontrunner for which will be most favored across the competitors. This year, he said there have been solid reports of plenty of fish scattered throughout the four connected lakes.

The FLF Board has 11 members and Moore said all of them are involved in getting everything together for the event.

“We get our required permits from the DNR, the county and the city,” he said. “Several of us will be there to check folks in, check the boats out, make sure everybody’s registered and go over the rules.”

There was significant wind Tuesday that kicked up plenty of dust, and more projected to hit today. Regardless, Moore said there should be no impact on the fishing conditions Saturday, and the weather looks good for the day of.

“Fishing has been really good,” he said. “From what I understand, fish are biting. Weather looks to be pretty good. Even if it is windy in Fairmont here, you can always find a place to fish out of the wind.”

Given poor weather conditions in the recent past for their fishing tournaments, Moore said it’s a big positive that everything is looking good for Saturday. He said this will also hopefully result in a good turnout, as they currently expect around 20 boats, each with a team of two.

“We encourage registering beforehand online, just to make things easier for everybody,” Moore said. “But we’ll take registrations day of, too.”

This is something the Lakes Foundation has touched on in past years, and now Moore said a majority of people do make sure to get themselves in ahead of time instead of waiting until the last minute.

“I think it’s just easier for everyone,” he said. “Generally, get signed up and pay and do all that good stuff online.”

Of the entrants, Moore said many of them will be from the area, but there are often entrants from outside of town looking for a challenge as well.

“It’s a good mix of both,” he said. “The majority are probably local, but we do get some out-of-towners.”

Through the competitors, spectators and organizers, Moore said they’re looking for people to get out and have a good time.

“This is the Lake Foundation’s main fundraiser, the two fishing tournaments we put on,” he said. “We like to see people out enjoying the lakes, using the lakes and catching some fish as a bonus.”

Registration is open until Friday night, May 15. For more information or to register, visit fairmontlakesfoundation.com