Sixty Seven Teams fish out of Sodus Bay
Competitive and recreational anglers have terms for fishing inclement weather…especially blowing related conditions. Nasty, over the top, snarly, bumpy, rocky ride and “are you serious” come to mind. The waves during the final day of the 2010 Wayne County Lake Ontario Salmon and Trout Team Tournaments were ocean size boilers. Mike Nardone, Captain of Amateur Team Warship said that, “there were 4 footers, 6 footers, and a few 7 footers thrown in for our enjoyment.”
Teams that ventured into the deeper water searching for kings during the day reported a few 10 foot swells, however during the awards ceremony at 4 pm the water flattened out. “That’s what fishing Lake Ontario is all about… it’s different every hour of the day,” mentioned one competing team.
When the teams came to the official weigh station at Abe’s’ Waterfront in Sodus Point, the Cold Steel/Fat Nancy’s Team walked away with first place honors in the Pro Division. Led by Captain Tom Burke, from Altmar, NY Cold Steel finished the two day event with a total score of 391.36. (Scores in the Pro-Am are tallied by adding ten points per fish and one point per pound) Burke, who has many titles under his belt for the Lake Ontario Pro-Am, placed 4th after the first day of the July 17th-18th event, returned to the same location, fought the waves, and came in Sunday with a limit of 12 fish to take the title. The Cold Steel/Fat Nancy’s team took home $5939 in prize value …$5000 of that in cash.
Second Place honors went to the Billy V/Krenzers team with Captain Bill Ruth at the helm. Ruth, who resides in Ithaca, and his Krenzer’s Marine sponsored team came under the weigh tent with a total score of 390.76. The team took home $2,530 in cash and prizes.
Third Place was captured by Oh-Baby led by Mathew Leclair with a two day score of 387.70, which netted the team $1380 cash and prizes. Fourth Place went to Sodus Point Captain Ryan Williamson and his Fishin Magician Team. The Magician Team was in 8th place after day one and came in with 11 fish on Sunday to give them a two day score of 375.55. Williamson and team took home $1280 cash and prizes.
In the Amateur Division the Spoonfed/NK Team took first place in the Wayne County Pro-Am. Glen Gervais, from West Springfield Mass, took a ride on the waves and brought home $3,555 in cash and prizes with a total two day score of 262.89. Second place was awarded to Fish Hawk, with team leader Tom Wojslaw, from Central Square, NY, taking home $2530 in cash and prizes.
In the new Open Recreation Division Rochester angler Paul Hadcock and his Boxed-Out team won 1st Place for Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s payout was $350 and Sunday paid Hadcock $300. The team also won $300 of Northern King lures each day.
Second Place went to Wolcott resident, Mike McCoy, who took home over $800 in cash and merchandise for his two day standing.
The prestigious Lake Ontario Pro-Am Challenge Cup was also awarded during the Wayne County event. The Lake Cup is designed to determine the most consistent fisherman on the lake. By paying a separate entry fee and committing teams to fish all four of the Pro-Am Tournaments on Lake Ontario they compete for the ultimate Lake Ontario fishing title. The format for this prestigious Cup was reworked in 2007 —adding a new dimension to competitive fishing on Lake Ontario.
The Challenge Cup Race is divided into two separate, but equally important, “legs”. The Western Division comprised of the Orleans and Niagara Tournaments, and the Eastern Division which includes the Oswego and Wayne Tournaments. Each Divisional Race will have its own winner but the “Crown Jewel” of Lake Ontario—the Challenge Cup, will only go to the Professional and Amateur Teams compiling the highest number of points after all 4 tournaments are completed.
The “Best of the West” Pro Division Cup went to Tom Burke’s Cold Steel/Fat Nancy’s team with a total score of 602. Second Place was Top Gun with Captain Greg Gehrig leading his team with 538 points. Am team Spoon-fed won the “Best of the West” with 584 points. Second place was Jeff Zimmer’s Coldwater Affair team.
The Lakewide Challenge Cup for the pros also went to the Cold Steel/Fat Nancy’s team with a total score of 1092, which was only ten points above the Second Place team, Top Gun. A ten point separation could easily be calculated as one fish!…That’s the intensity associated with the Cup.
Glen Gervais and his Spoonfed/NK team took the Lakewide Cup with a total of 1152 points for his four port total. Second Place went to Fish Nutz, with Paul Powers leading his team with a 1134 score.Sponsors for the Wayne County Pro-Am were:
- Abe’s Waterfront
- Arney’s Marina
- Bay Bridge Sport Shop
- Big John
- Captain Jack’s Tavern
- Cherry Grove Campground
- Clingerman Taxidermy
- Connelly’s Cove
- Dreamweaver Lures
- Fat Nancy’s
- Fish307.com
- Genesee Charter Boat Assoc.
- Krenzer’s Marine
- Lake Ontario Charter Boat Assn.
- Lake Ontario Outdoors
- Lake Ontario United
- LaRock Outdoors
- Michigan Stinger
- MOOR Electronics
- New York Outdoor News
- Northern King Lures
- Pit Stop/Sodus Point
- Primetime Storage
- Rapala
- Screwy Louie’s Tackle
- Sigg’s Riggs
- Sodus Bay Lodge
- Sodus Point Bait Shop
- Sodus Point Fire Hall
- Steve’s Custom Canvas
- Tri-State Taxidermy
- US Captain’s Coast Guard Coupon
- Wayne County Tourism
