The Andy/Ashton Team emerged as the champions, claiming the top cash winnings at the fourth annual Chautauqua Lake Falleye Classic. They weighed in five fish for a 17.15-pound walleye box with a 5.80-pound big fish. Submitted photo

As autumn getaway days approach for outdoor adventurers, anglers know that the best musky fishing is just ahead on the calendar. In the meantime, the fourth annual Chautauqua Lake Falleye Classic held last weekend has provided good news in support of fishing now for walleye this week. The fish in the south basin are hungry.

The top 12 teams in the contest found good fish in both the north and south basins of Chautauqua Lake, but the majority of the fish-catching action surprised many folks. The contest rod benders came from the murky water of the south basin, a twist that added an element of surprise to the competition.

“About 90% of the anglers were trolling two colors of lead core in the south basin with lures that included Berkley Flicker Shad and Storm Hot-N-Tot,” said Dillan LaBarbera, tournament director. “The better numbers of fish came in the early morning hours just following sunrise.”

The Andy/Ashton Team emerged as the champions, claiming the top cash winnings. They weighed in five fish for a 17.15-pound walleye box with a 5.80-pound big fish. Second place went to Team Chuck-Mark with a 16.3-pound box, and they also captured the big fish prize with a 7.15-pound Chautauqua walleye giant. Third place went to the Trey/Chris/Judd Team with a 16.05-pound box and a 4.6-pound big fish. LaBarbera thanked tournament sponsors, including Doc’s Tackle, Prime Time Custom Baits, Douglas Rods, AKS Signage and https://229Bass.com.

A few years ago, in September of 2017, I had the chance to fish with Johnny Candle. Soft-spoken Johnny is a walleye angler extraordinaire who hails from North Dakota near Devils Lake. He made the trip here with his boat rig to join us at the New York State Outdoor Writers Conference held in joint session with the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers at Peek ‘n Peak Resort in nearby Findley Lake. He had never fished Chautauqua Lake before, but all he asked for was a lake map and help on where he might find the cloudiest water in the lake. Johnny is a professional angler (fishing guide) and sport fishing communicator by trade. During that conference, it did not take him long to limit out with 10 walleyes (two anglers) in one morning.

His versatility was truly impressive. How did he fish? He set up at the Lakewood boat launch in the south basin, then launched and ran one and two-color lead core lines with a short 15-foot leader to a Berkley Shad, a shallow diving model. He fished those off mini-planer boards – one on each side of the boat, traveling forward with only the electric motor for slow, quiet propulsion. The bigger surprise was that we also caught a half dozen crappie in the one to one-and-a-half pound range, some each of black and white crappie subspecies.

These days, Candle guides Devils Lake in summer and the Gulf of Mexico saltwater in the winter from Florida. Look him up when the snow flies; he knows how to put fish in the boat. Visit https://johnniecandle.com/ to learn more about Candle.

Locally, LaBarbera has become a certified and well-respected New York state inland lake fishing guide. He fishes for walleye in many ways, but also in a similar manner to the Johnnie Candle methods described here. He and his first mate, Justin Wekenman, are also good at catching bass, crappie and other Chautauqua Lake species. Visit “Hooked on Fishing” on Facebook for contact information or call 716-499-7545. LaBarbera also pioneered the Chautauqua Lake Student Bass Open earlier this year (June) to help youngsters in high school learn more about the fun of the outdoors through tournament fishing.

Gotta love the New York outdoors, especially when the youngsters get involved.

CALENDAR

Sept. 14-22: NYS Early Antlerless 2024 Deer Season — firearms, crossbows and vertical bows allowed in specific Wildlife Management Units 3M, 3R, 8A, 8F, 8G, 8N, 9A, 9F; Vertical bows only allowed in 1C, 3S, 4J and 8C. Https://dec.ny.gov.

Sept. 19: Southtowns Walleye Association monthly meeting, 7 p.m. start, 5895 Southwestern Blvd., Hamburg.

Sept. 21: Chautauqua lake musky contest, NY Muskies — Chapter 69, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Lakewood Community Park, $40 entry for members, $50 non-members; pre-register online at https://nymusky.com.

Sept. 21: Southtowns Walleye Association of WNY, one-day walleye tournament, 12:01 a.m. to noon. Weigh-in noon-2 p.m. at 5895 Southwestern Blvd., clubhouse. $45 registration. Info: Paul Sanchez, 716-228-6520.

Sept. 21-22: WNY Walleye Association, Lake Erie Walleye Tournament, Contact Ron Kucinski: 716-545-5925, or email: kucinski1293@gmail.com.

Sept. 25 & 27: NYS Hunter Ed Course, 5:30-10 p.m. Free. Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club, Info: 716-366-3397.

Sept. 28: NYS Bowhunter Ed Course, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Free. Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club, Info: 716-366-3397.

Sept. 28: National Hunting and Fishing Day celebration

Sept. 28: Hanover Fish & Game, three-bird fall fun shoot, Registration 8 a.m., Shooting starts 9 a.m.; 780 Overhiser Road, Forestville. Open to public.