The City of Port Clinton is a great vantage point for anglers to reach all parts of the western basin, where tens of millions of Lake Erie walleyes migrate for their spring ritual. With big weights in mind, anglers battled wind and waves on day 1 for a historic weigh-in with pre-spawn and post-spawn giant Lake Erie walleyes in the mix. Over 30 boats weighed 30-plus pounds on Day 1.

Max Wilson and Marc Wilson (unrelated) brought in 35lbs-2oz on Day 1. Their two-day final tally was 73lbs-13oz, and they took home the first-place trophy and nearly $20K in cash and prizes. The key to their strategy was keeping on the fish near structure, avoiding the dirty water. Their technique was casting a jig and nightcrawler while using live sonar but only casting to the right size fish and not losing time catching smaller walleyes in the school.

They beat the Alex Reslock and Thomas Laabs team, who brought in 73-01, for $6,550 Cash and $3,100 Option Pot Cash. Third place went to local anglers Dylan and Jesse Nussbaum, who had 72-00 with $4,300 cash and $2,260 in Option Pot Cash. The Nussbaum’s are from nearby St. Mary’s, Pa. Fourth place was Michael Sitko and Eric Schenavar with 69-14 for $3,300 Cash and $1,840 Option Pot Cash, while fifth place was John Hoyer and Pat Mcsharry with 69-03 for $2,750 Cash and $1,540 Option Pot Cash.

Overall, 198 anglers competed in this event, representing 15 different states and the country of Ireland, catching 911 fish for a total of 5,135 pounds of giant Lake Erie walleyes. This event saw an average weight fish over 5.5 pounds throughout 174 five fish limits. Notably, the heaviest bag of fish was only an ounce shy of 40 pounds, weighing in at 39-15, caught by Adam and Jim Swisher, bumping them from 68th place on Day 1 to a check-cashing 14th place on Day 2.

Last weekend, the Nussbaum team from nearby St. Mary’s, Pa., brought in 72 pounds of walleye to take home more than $6,000 with their third-place finish in the Masters Walleye Circuit. The tournament was held near Port Clinton, Ohio. Submitted photo

Local favorites Dylan Nussbaum (27 years old) and his dad (53 years young) worked hard for third place and were only off the mark by a little to win it all.

“This was a great way to start the year off,” Dylan said. “Pops and I brought enough weight to the table to win third place in the Masters Walleye Circuit, putting us in second place on the Lake Erie Walleye Trail circuit. It is the best time to get to Port Clinton to catch some giant fish right now. This week was nothing but spotting fish with the Garmin Live Scope forward-facing-sonar and casting Z-Man Scented Jerk ShadZ mounted on a MoonEye jig, 3/8 – ½ ounce in size. I felt good getting back out on the water with pops! We’re home for a couple of days, and then it’s time to hit the road for the first event of the National Walleye Tour in South Dakota.”

The Big Fish Award on Lake Erie typically takes a true giant, and this was no exception. Day 1 was won by a walleye that weighed 9lbs-9oz caught by Tyler Elshaug and Tanner Paine. The Day 2 Big Fish crushed the field at 10lbs-15oz, caught by Jack Winters and Scott Kozlowski. Respectively, both teams won a cash prize, and the team with the heaviest fish was awarded the Salmo Java prize of an AeroPress and two bags of their signature coffee.

Under the umbrella of The Walleye Federation (TWF), the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit is North America’s longest-running and undisputed leader in team walleye tournaments since 1984, and as an inductee into the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, has set the standard for competitive walleye fishing for the past 40+ years.

The 2025 schedule includes six qualifiers in six states, plus berths into the 2026 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship. Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s are looking forward to their 24th season as title sponsor of the Masters Walleye Circuit. Official sponsors include Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, and Ranger Boats. Associate sponsors include: The Walleye Federation, T-H Marine and Salmo Java Coffee. Remember, the Cabela’s National Walleye Tour comes to Dunkirk Harbor on Aug. 7-8, 2025.

Gotta love the outdoors.

Outdoor Calendar:

Apr. 15: Junior Olympic Archery Program for youth 5 – 16 yrs of age, 6PM start, West Falls Conservation, 55 Bridge St., West Falls, NY.

Apr. 19: Wild Animal Archery Shoot, 7AM-2PM, $15/person, kids free, Hawkeye Bowman, 13300 Clinton St., Alden, NY; hawkeyebowmen@yahoo.com.

Apr. 24: NYSDEC Lake Erie Angler Outreach meeting, 6 – 9:30 PM, Woodlawn Beach State Park Lodge, Blasdell, NY.

Apr. 28: Chautauqua County Federation of Sportsmen annual banquet and fund-raising dinner, Lakewood Fish & Game. For tickets, call Frank Shoenacker, 585-406-5764.

NOTE: Send Calendar info or related outdoor news to forrestfisher35@yahoo.com.