Local Sports

90 teams fished Con Club Tournament

Walleye fishing out of Dunkirk has been nothing short of spectacular, and with Lake Erie continuing to produce outstanding numbers of quality fish, it is no surprise that anglers are gathering by the teamful to compete in the many tournaments that fill the summer calendar.

One of the mainstays is the annual walleye tournament hosted last weekend (July 31-Aug. 1) by the Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club. The 21st annual event continued the club's new two-day format, following 19 years of three-day competition. Some anglers appreciate the shorter format, giving them a chance to get home a day earlier and recover before the work week. Others argue that three days better tests an angler's consistency, knowledge and ability to adjust to changing conditions rather than allowing one or two hot days to decide the outcome. To each their own. That is part of what makes tournament fishing interesting.

Now in his second year as event chairman, Chris Surma and his team put together an impressive package of cash and gear awards for both competition days, including big-fish honors. Co-chair Al Zurawski kept things moving at the weigh station, while local rock musician Rich Davenport supplied the microphone, bringing each team onto the stage and keeping the crowd informed.

There were plenty of fish to talk about. On Day 1, Ken Siebert and his Team 55 crew took top honors with three walleye weighing 21.62 pounds, including a 7.75-pound big fish. Rob Oram and Team 13 matched that 7.75-pound mark for the Day 1 big-fish tie. Mike Russell and Team 7, better known as Team Erie Obsession, finished second with 20.33 pounds, followed closely by Ron Duliba Jr. and Team 80 with 18.54 pounds. Rob Oram, a familiar name near the top of virtually every walleye tournament he enters, was fourth with 18.49 pounds.

The tight weights tell the story. Most teams were bringing three-fish bags in the 14- to 16-pound range, evidence of the remarkable consistency and strength of Lake Erie's current walleye year classes.

For tournament anglers, that means every detail, and every ounce, matters.

Successful Lake Erie trolling can involve a variety of presentations, but long-running favorites include stickbaits such as Bay Rat, Reef Runner and Rapala-style minnow baits, sometimes locally crafted custom-painted baits, often pulled behind planer boards. Lead-core, weighted lines, copper lines, and divers can put presentations into different portions of the water column, while speed, lure color and precise depth adjustments can make the difference when fish get finicky. The old tournament axiom remains true: when the fish stop cooperating, change something.

On Day 2, Mike Russell and Team Erie Obsession apparently found the right school of big fish. Their 21.50-pound bag pushed their two-day total to an impressive 42.83 pounds, earning them the heaviest-bag championship of the Con Club tournament. Russell's team also produced the Day 2 big fish, an 8.75-pound walleye.

Tom Slawatycki and Team 65 finished second with 36.42 pounds, while Daron Baron and Team 52 took third with 35.53 pounds.

The Day 2 big-fish race was equally close. Justin Wekenmann landed the second-place big fish at 7.17 pounds, followed by Mike Ebel with a 6.65-pounder. Chris Logan was right behind with a 6.64-pound walleye -- a difference of just one-hundredth of a pound. Wow.

The Con Club tournament was held in team event conjunction with Mark Mohr's 2-day "Duel in Dunkirk," staged at the end of June from Bart's Cove to determine the "Team of the Lake" walleye champion.

Team Kra-Mar put together an astounding 45.29-pound, two-day, six-fish total in the Duel, beating its closest competitor by nearly seven pounds. Add that to the team's 33.92-pound two-day total and 9th place finish at the Con Club tournament and Kra-Mar finished with an untouchable combined score of 79.21 pounds.

The reward? Championship trophy hardware, a fishing trip to Mexico and an additional $12,000.

The real winners at events like this extend well beyond the teams holding trophies.

The Con Club picnic grounds were alive with activity throughout both competition days, thanks to a dedicated ground crew that handled weigh-station data, cooked barbecue hot dogs, hamburgers and sausages, and kept anglers and families supplied with chilled refreshments.

That volunteer effort deserves special recognition.

Fishing tournaments don’t happen simply because anglers show up with rods in hand. They happen because people donate their time, volunteer to work the weigh station, cook the food, organize the paperwork, handle the crowds and make sure the competition is fair and respectful including polygraphs. Clubs such as the Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club are doing important work for both the local economy and the future of fishing and conservation.

The anglers deserve credit, too. Tournament fishermen put considerable time, lots of money and lots of effort into pursuing these fish, but the overwhelming commitment to rules, honest weights, sportsmanship and the resource is what makes these competitions worth supporting.

The walleye action isn’t slowing down.

This coming weekend brings the Innovative Outdoors Big Fish Friday and Competition Saturday events to the Clarion Hotel Pavilion headquarters station, hosted by Captain Jim Steel and Diane Steel.

The following day, another brand new competition event moves back to Bart's Cove for the Bart's Invitational Open 1-Day Trolling-Only Walleye Tournament. The entry is $500, with a six-fish bag and NYS waters only.

For information, contact Dan Hanley at 716-480-9862.

The fish are there. The competition is strong. And behind it all are the volunteers, conservation-minded clubs and anglers who continue to make Dunkirk and Lake Erie a destination for serious walleye fishermen.

That is something worth celebrating -- and worth protecting.

Gotta love the outdoors.

CALENDAR

Aug. 10: West Falls Conservation Society, monthly meeting, 8PM start; 55 Bridge St., West Falls. Potential new members are invited to attend. Free dinner. Info: 716-652-4650.

Aug. 12-23: Erie County Fair, visit the Conservation Building, Erie County Fairgrounds, 5600 McKinley Pkwy., Hamburg. Info: (716) 649-3900.

Aug. 13-16: Hawkeye Bowmen Archery, 33rd Annual Traditional Shoot, events, camping, more; 13300 Clinton St., Alden; Nadine Fulle, 716-427-9076. Info: https://www.ecfsc.org/ecfscevent/hawkeye-bowmen-annual-traditional-shoot-the-big-one/.

Aug. 14-15: Innovative Outdoors Walleye Challenge, Dunkirk Harbor, Jim and Diane Steel, 716-481-5348.

Aug. 14-16: Sportsmen's Rendezvous; hunting, fishing, seminars, supplies/gear, more – Cattaraugus County Fairgrounds, 501 Erie Street, Little Valley, Info: 716-474-7251.

Aug. 16: Sunday 50s Trap Shoot, Celoron Rod/Gun Club, 210 Livingston Avenue, Celoron, registration 9-10 a.m.; Info: Jerry Martin: 814-688-9209.

Aug. 16: Bart's Trolling Invitational 1-Day Trolling Only Walleye Tournament, $500 entry, 6-fish bag, NYS only, See Dan Hanley: 716-480-9862.

Aug. 16: Ellington Rod and Gun, "Don't Know Partner Trap League," 1045 Hagerdon Hill Road., Ellington; Info: 716-287-3987.