Jerry MacMillin of Sturgeon Bay has been involved in the Kewaunee-Door Salmon Tournament from its inception 40 years ago. Dating back to his Mac’s Sport Shop days in the early 1970s when a small circle of organizers hoped for 600 entries, the tourney has grown to over 3,000 anglers and helped boost the local economy. One of the largest fishing tournaments in the whole Midwest concludes Sunday with the first-ever 10-day event. MacMillin shares the humble beginnings of the tournament.
The popular tournament is paying out a record $15,000 for first place this year and has several 30-pound salmon on the leader board going into the final weekend. MacMillin does not know how many more years he will be involved with the tournament but does know that co-organizer Kevin Naze will carry the torch in the future after he is done.