Local Sports

Is there a Lake Erie walleye tech divide?

For the past decade, the Innovative Outdoors Walleye Challenge has earned a reputation as one of Western New York's most respected walleye tournaments. Jim and Diane Steel have built that reputation the old-fashioned way: treating teams fairly, paying close attention to the details, making sure the scales are accurate, and creating an event that benefits not only competitive anglers but also the Eastern Lake Erie charter-boat industry and surrounding communities.

So, something about this year's tournament was surprising.

The field was cut roughly in half.

Last year, more than 40 teams participated. This year, fewer than 20 registered.

Why?

The tournament itself had much of the same formula. Big Fish Friday last weekend offered anglers a chance to have fun, scout and chase one big walleye. Then on Saturday, was the main competition, with a six-fish box requiring a 20-inch minimum fish and fishing hours from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The shotgun start came from the Chadwick Bay lighthouse in Dunkirk, with teams monitoring VHF Channel 68 for the official countdown and any changes.

Teams could fish the waters of Lake Erie and the Upper Niagara River, including Canadian waters. Boats could carry up to nine rods and reels, although Canadian regulations limited anglers to six. Teams could have two to five anglers, and, as is common in major tournaments, winners and selected teams could be subject to polygraph testing.

The rules also allowed something that has become increasingly controversial in walleye fishing: anglers could use virtually any fishing technology they wanted, including forward-facing sonar (FFS).

That may be where the story gets interesting.

Is FFS Creating a Fear Factor?

Many Eastern Lake Erie walleye tournaments have moved toward trolling-only formats, eliminating FFS-assisted jigging and other techniques that allow anglers to identify and target individual fish.

The Innovative Outdoors Walleye Challenge does not. Perhaps that has created a psychological divide.

If an angler has spent thousands of dollars outfitting a boat with the newest FFS technology, is that an advantage? Absolutely. But if an angler doesn’t have it, does he or she begin to wonder whether competing without it is even worth the entry fee?

A tournament can cost a team $300 to $600 before Calcutta's and other expenses. That’s real money. Add fuel, lodging, food, boat expenses and time away from work, and nobody wants to show up believing they are already behind.

Could some anglers simply be afraid to lose because they don’t have the latest technology?

That’s a question worth asking -- not an accusation.

After all, sonar has been changing fishing for generations. Some of us remember the old Lowrance "green box," which cost about $150 in the 1960s (a lot of money back then) and seemed like technological magic because it showed a blip indicating depth. We couldn’t get enough of it. For the record, $150 in 1957 is worth $1,782.66 today. Surprised? Don't be. Inflation is real, cost is comparative.

Today, traditional sonar can identify structure and fish with astonishing detail. FFS and 360-degree systems simply represent another step in that progression. The technology is just as comparatively expensive, with entry costs often reaching $2,000 to $3,000, but history suggests prices will eventually fall as adoption increases.

And anglers want it.

The results tell an interesting story. Captain Craig Sleeman and Team Midnight Express won the main event with 37.25 pounds, earning the big-box trophy and cash.

Captain Ron Morcio and Team Who's U'r Uncle finished second with 36.52 pounds, including the tournament’s biggest fish at 7.69 pounds. Captain Nicholas Oleksy and Team Thunder Jet were third at 35.90 pounds, followed by Captain Jesse Nussbaum and Team 5-Alive at 34.62 pounds. Team MacAttack, led by Captain Daryll MacNeill, rounded out the top five with 31.98 pounds.

Big Fish Friday was won by Craig Sleeman, followed by Jesse Nussbaum and Captain Ryan Smith of Team Back-In-Action. Sleeman’s 7.60-pound walleye was Friday’s big fish.

Here’s another interesting comparison. At the Fish716 Walleye Classic held at the Dunkirk Central Avenue Pier in June, Ron Morcio and his team won with 33.05 pounds, while Bud Marsh finished second at 32.71 pounds. Five of the top 10 teams won using trolling tactics, while the other five were using FFS.

That doesn’t exactly scream that one technology has conquered the other. Maybe the real competition is changing. There have been quiet rumors that some tournament managers encouraged teams that had participated in previous Innovative Outdoors events not to register this year (because FFS was allowed). Those are rumors, and they should remain exactly that unless someone is willing to put their name behind them.

But the broader issue is real. As fishing technology advances, tournament organizers are being forced to decide what they want their competitions to measure the angler, the technology, or some combination of both.

There is no easy answer. Trolling-only tournaments create one kind of challenge. Open-technology tournaments create another. Both can be exciting. Both require skill. Both can put anglers on the same Lake Erie chasing the same incredible fish.

Perhaps the biggest lesson from this year’s Innovative Outdoors Walleye Challenge isn’t that FFS is good or bad. Maybe it’s that fear of falling behind technologically can be just as powerful as the technology itself.

Competitive fishing has always evolved. From the green box to modern sonar, from paper charts to GPS mapping, from simple rods to today’s sophisticated equipment, progress isn’t going backward.

The challenge for tournament fishing is making sure that progress continues to grow the sport rather than scare people away from it.

Because when nearly 50% of the field disappears, everybody should be asking why.

Hopefully, next year, more teams will be back packing every walleye tournament on Lake Erie -- technology and all -- ready to compete.

Gotta love the outdoors.

Outdoor Calendar

Aug. 17: Adult Learn-to-Shoot-Archery, 6 p.m. start, West Falls Conservation Society, 55 Bridge St., West Falls. $5 fee/week, equipment provided (bows, arrows, targets). Register: 716-655-5030.

Aug. 18: Erie County Fish Advisory Board, monthly meeting, Bison City Rod/Gun, 511 Ohio St., Buffalo, 7 p.m. start. Open to the public.

Aug. 19: 3D Archery, Evans Rod/Gun, 4 p.m. start, $10 fee, 15 targets, free instruction 4 p.m.-6 p.m.; Info – call Jerry Gorski, 716-698-3008.

Aug. 20: Southtowns Walleye Association, monthly meeting, 6 p.m. doors open, 5895 Southwestern Blvd, Hamburg,

Aug. 20-22: Turtlebox Bassmaster Open, Buffalo Harbor State Park (Small Boat Harbor, Sunlife Marina), weigh-in open to public; info: 877-227-7872.

Aug. 20-22: CANCELLED. WNY Walleye Association 2026 Fall Tournament,

Aug. 22: Chautauqua Lake White Perch Challenge (fishing tournament), Chautauqua Reel Bait & Tackle at Asheville Bay Marina, 25 fish basket, 6 a.m.-12 noon, $20 entry fee, kids under 12 free, shore or boat, see Mike Sperry, call 716-763-2947, register at the bait shop.