It's a busy Saturday for fishing awards this weekend.
Youngsters under the age of 16 can sign up and compete for trophies and prizes at the Lew Mead Memorial Fishing Tournament in Cassadaga. See the Calendar of events for details. It's free and lots of fun both for the kids and the spectators.
Southtowns Walleye Association will present its awards for the annual walleye tournament, Saturday at their new club facility located on Route 20 in Hamburg. There'll be good food, lots of refreshments, plenty of fish tales and lots of raffles. Rumor mill has it that the winning walleye this year was taken by bottom bouncing in water less than 50 feet deep.
Article Photos
OBSERVER?Photo by Gene Pauszek
Dunkirk angler Tom Phillips caught a nice silver bass off the Dunkirk pier on Wednesday evening while casting a green and silver cleo spoon.
How many of us have watched a sleek-looking boat depart from safe harbor and venture out into the deep, or envisioned ourselves aboard a well equipped boat with plenty of horse power that would surely improve our catch ratio because of all the fancy gear?
Sometimes bare basics will get the job done, even better. My brother Ray recently told me about a husband and wife that were reportedly fishing in a canoe off St. Columbian's in Lake Erie. Tossing a jig or spinner, the duo hooked a big yellow perch, small-mouth and largemouth black bass, a walleye, silver bass, and what the wife thought was the bottom of the lake. Trying to free the snag, the line tightened and the canoe took off. With coaching from the husband in the rear of the canoe, the line suddenly went slack. Trying to satisfy their curiosity as to what the fish might have been, the couple saw a school of enormous catfish under the boat. A similar report was made from the same area last year by kayakers. Back in the early 70's while doing lifeguard duty, I can remember a fisherman with a square back canoe equipped with an electric trolling motor launching off the beach area located north of the sewage treatment plant in Dunkirk and trolling with a Swedish pimple spoon and coming back with a stringer of bass and walleye. Easy fishing, low tech, fun, economical and effective.
There was a recent report locally of an angler setting out in the mid-day chop and frequently slipping anchor in the Dunkirk perch grounds, but still able to boat three dozen keeper-perch in about 45 feet of water. Walleye fishing has been hit and miss lately.
On June 15, the Department of Environmental Conservation announced that William Altman, while fishing in the West Canada Wilderness area in Hamilton County on May 5, broke the state record for Brook Trout with a 5 lb.14 oz. entry. A photo of Mr Altman & fish can be found on the DEC website at www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7935.html .
Calendar:
National Wild Turkey Federation local chapter of the Lake Shore Long beards will host its annual Youth JAKES Day on July 21 at the Westfield Fish & Game Club.
The Lake Erie Fisheries Unit along with Region 9 Fisheries NYS DEC will present a Lake Erie-Upper Niagara River fish management workshop at Woodlawn Beach State Park Pavilion today from 6-9 p.m. The agenda will include posters and demonstrations from 6-7 p.m., and presentations about the Upper Niagara River and Region 9 Fisheries. The presentation is open to the public.
The 19th Annual Lew Mead Memorial Kids Fishing Tournament is scheduled for June 23 at the DEC Boat launch on Cassadaga Lake in Lilly Dale. Free sign up starts at 7 a.m., at the launch. Awards and lunch to follow around noon also at the launch site.
The Lake Erie Chapter of the Federation of Fly Fishers will be having a Kids Fly Fishing course on Sunday, July 22 starting at 9 a.m. at the Commissioner cabin at Chestnut Ridge, Orchard Park The event is for ages 8-15 accompanied by an adult. The event will include fly tying, casting, entomology, inspecting the lake for insect life and testing casting skills as well as fly fish on the lake during the day. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife will also host a seminar. The event charge is $10 for the parent and child participant. Each additional child is $5. To sign up call (716) 675-4766 or 549-1977. Picnic cuisine and soda will be provided.
Gene Pauszek is an OBSERVER outdoors columnist. Send comments to sports@observertoday.com.
