Catch the Best wins WNY Walleye Classic
In the WNY Walleye Classic out of Dunkirk last weekend, it was the Catch the Best team living up to the name as it weighed in a tournament limit of six fish that totaled 31.15 pounds to win the $5,800 first-place prize.
The team consisted of Chuck Pohlman of Florida, Tim Duffy of West Seneca and Tom Kinmartin of Elma. And, to paraphrase Ringo Starr, it didn’t come easy. As they pre-fished for Big Fish Friday and the tournament, the team ran into motor problems, and had to be towed in.
“Thanks to Dave Thompson and the Deez Nuts team, who was able to figure out what the issue was,” Pohlman said. “Also, thanks to Jeff Bognar with Nick’s Sporting Goods team and Denny Kenny with the One Less team, who helped get us running again.
"We missed Big Fish Friday, so we were running blind out there. We just wanted to get our six fish to be competitive. We didn’t think we had a chance to win it.”
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The Big Fish Friday winner was Team Extreme (Chris McKeever of Leon, Tyler Burroughs of Gowanda, Scott Godziak of Forestville and Joe Pustalka of Otto) with a 9.74-pound walleye. They caught it west of Van Buren Point in 45 feet of water with a Kilam Custom Bait.
“This year was a statement year for us,” said Josh Larsen, who ran the tournament. “We wanted to put on an event that was transparent, smooth and as professional as we can make it. We had 45 teams in total this year. The fishing was tough, but we had 29 teams weigh in. It was anybody's win, seeing as the results were so close.
"Our goal is to build this tournament to 100 boats. Gaining the trust of our fleet was priority, as well as making the event as safe as possible, and smooth flowing as possible.”
Screamer, Mutiny teams take Niagara Pro-Am
In the 40th Anniversary of the Skip Hartman Memorial Lake Ontario Pro-Am Salmon Team Tournament out of Wilson and Olcott, it was the Screamer team coming from behind to take the top slot among 22 teams in the professional division, and the Mutiny crew overtaking the first-day leader to win the amateur division at the milestone tournament held on May 31 and June 1.
Dave Antenori of Clarks Summit, Pa., anchored the team that included his father Frank of Peckville, Pa., and 9-year-old son Dylan, Roy Letcher of Newfane, Brandon Yohn of Muncy, Pa., and Daryl Jenkins of Lake Winola, Pa.
They sat in 10th place after the first day. The squad switched gears the second day and reeled in the biggest 12-fish box of the day June 1 for a two-day total of 471.68 points, based on 10 points per fish and a point per pound, to grab first place from Capt. Pete Alex of Erie, Pa., and his Vision Quest team by five points.
Screamer earned nearly $20,000.
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The Screamer team won the professional division of the 40th Annual Skip Hartman Memorial Pro-Am Tournament last weekend.
The Mutiny team, led by Jason Monkelbaan of Wheatfield, earned its first Pro-Am win by also overtaking first-day leader Hound Dog, led by James Spinelli of Wellsville.
It was a family affair for the winning crew as Jason’s brother, Eric, of Wales, and father, Gary, of Tonawanda, were also on the team.
After the first day, Mutiny sat in third place. However, the biggest amateur box of five fish for the day earned them the victory with a two-day score of 259.72 points.
They won $3,000 after beating out 23 other teams.
“We found an area off Wilson that was a 2-mile-by-4-mile section that held good fish,” Jason Monkelbaan said. “We boated 25 fish on Friday and 30 on Saturday. Our Garmin Panoptics was the key to putting our baits where the fish would bite – from 30 to 60 feet down.”
For a complete list of winners, go to www.lakeontarioproam.net.
LOTSA seminar with Sylvester
Capt. Tim Sylvester of Tough Duty Sportfishing out of Olcott will be the featured speaker when the Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association holds its next meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at the North Amherst Fire Hall, 2200 Tonawanda Creek Road, Amherst. The free seminar is open to all.
The focus of Sylvester’s discussion will be offshore salmon and trout trolling in the summer. He will be discussing the use of long lines, copper and lead core, and how he runs them to increase his catch rate from his 43-foot Tiara. He has been operating from Olcott for 11 years.
For more information on LOTSA, visit www.lotsa1.org.
Women’s 'Lead, Aim, Shoot' event coming up
Evans Rod & Gun Club will be partner with WeWomen, Inc. to host the inaugural “Lead, Aim, Shoot” networking event on June 15 at the club at 864 Cain Road, Angola.
The event is scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for those aged 13 to 21 years. Evans native and WeWomen founder Heather Beers will lead the event.
Following registration at 9 a.m., there will be a panel discussion on “Women in Business and Leading with Purpose.”
There will be a one-hour lunch, followed by trap-shooting instruction, team building and networking opportunities.
“Opportunities for women often rely on building confidence, developing trust, sharing their personal journey and learning from others,” Beers said. “I believe these networking skills can be reinforced and strengthened by shooting sports in general – and by trap shooting, in particular.”
People interested in attending can register in advance at wewomeninc.com.