When it comes to fishing tournaments, consistency is the name of the game. For the Lake Ontario Pro-Am Salmon Team Tournament Series that is currently underway, consistency must be combined with a sound strategy for big fish … and a little bit of luck. In the third leg of tournament series as the teams chase the Lake Ontario Challenge Cup for top team overall, the Cold Steel team led by Capt. Tom Burke of Pulaski came through with two days of nice fish – including some dandy king salmon – to put them over the top to win the Oswego Professional Division with a two day score of 427.57 points (based on 10 points per fish and a point per pound). Top Amateur Team was Team Five More Minutes led by Tony Chatt of West Monroe, NY.
For 16 years, Oswego has gained a reputation for some nice boxes of fish coming to the scales, but has often been plagued by some difficult weather conditions due to the prevailing winds out of the west and northwest. This year, weather wasn’t a factor and teams had to decide if they wanted to target the small brown trout or take a chance on going after the bigger king salmon, which were a bit more difficult to locate … and catch. Coming up with a combination of two seemed to be the ticket for success – although not by much.
After the first day of action, the Prime Time team led by Capt. Pete Lahosky of Pennsylvania led the charge by weighing in a limit of 12 brown trout that totaled 92.60 pounds and giving them a total score of 212.60 points. However, first place is traditionally not a good place to be in after Day One. Once again, the first day leader would come up short despite bringing another limit to the scales on Day Two. Their two day total of 416.78 points would be just short of another title. Even though Cold Steel and company could only produce 11 fish on the final day, their overall weigh of 105.77 was enough to put them over the top and move in from second place. Third place was Vision Quest and Capt. Pete Alex of Erie, PA with 391.40; and Dave Antenori’s Zip N Zim boat and his Screamer team earned fourth with 359.60 points. Fifth place was Capt. Vince Pierleoni out of Olcott and his Thrillseeker team with a score of 330.85 points. Four of those top five teams are all competing for the Challenge Cup and will be spotlighted in the Angling the Great Lakes television shows that are being filmed. Ultimately, it is hoped that it will be part of a reality television series that will feature the fishing but focus on the personalities and the passion surrounding the tournament series. This is all cool stuff!
In the Amateur Division, the Lateron Team led by Jan Zwirko set the pace with a nine fish amateur limit and a score of 150.15 points after the first day. Once again, the jinx of being in first place came through again. When the leading team came in late, the Five More Minutes team vaulted from fifth to first with a score of 241.56 for the two days. Team Spoonfed, led by Glenn Gervais of West Springfield, Massachusetts, had the single biggest day catch for the amateurs on Day Two to move from 14th place to second with a two day total of 232.98 points. Third place was Jeff Zimmer’s Cold Water Affair squad and fourth was Paul Powers and his Fish Nutz contingent. Fifth place was Jim Skolny’s Outcast/Dodger team. A full listing of teams and their finishes can be found on the results page.
Now in its second year, the Recreational/Open division saw the return of several of last year’s teams as well as a few new faces. This new competitive sector was added to give anglers an option to be part of the Pro-Am series without the full commitment of a two-day tournament and as a means to introduce the tournament series to folks who may want to test the waters before deciding to join the upper divisions. This year’s winners included the Sunchaser/Blue Eyed Lady team led by Bill Kopek and Mike Lavenia (Manlius & New Haven) capturing first place on Saturday and the Reel Addiction team led by Chris Frasier (Johnstown, NY) who outpaced the field on Sunday.
The stage is set for the final event in Sodus Bay/Wayne County. Who will be crowned the ultimate champion for the tournament and Challenge Cup Series? Come back next week for the season wrap-up.
Article By Bill Hilts, Jr.
