2010 Pro Winners, Cold Steel/Fat Nancy's, showing off their day two fish.The third in the series of four 2010 Lake Ontario Pro-Am Salmon and Trout Team Tournaments was held on the perfect weekend this year in Oswego County! July 9th through the 11th ended up being warm, sunny and clear - unlike tournaments of the past. Last year I remember looking for an underground shelter to seek refuge in during a storm where people were holding the tent down to make sure it didn’t blow away! Luckily, Mother Nature decided to bless us and not mess us this year and as a result, some mighty fish were pulled from the east end of the lake!
Our staff works at the tournament every year. We help with collecting waivers at 5:00 a.m., assisting with the weigh-ins, selling raffle tickets, taking photos, and whatever else needs to be done to make the event successful.
For some, (I won’t give out any names, but you can read her blog here), the idea of being around anything resembling or smelling like a fish is out of the question, so working this tournament is not exactly the highlight of their day.
For others, like me, it’s not only the highlight of the day, but the entire summer. If you’ve never watched the weigh-ins during the tournament, I highly recommend you do so! Each team comes in with their cooler of fish and you never know if they’re going to pull out one tiny brown, or a prize-winning king! Onlookers watch the scale as it flickers back and forth between a few ounces, while the team waits patiently, praying that it lands on the highest number. On day one, a team might be in the lead, and on day two, they might only bring in one fish. You can’t predict these tournaments and it is entertaining to watch year after year!
This year’s two big winners were both from Oswego County! The professional division winner was team Cold Steel Fat Nancy’s, led by Captain Tom Burke. The amateur division winner was team 5 More Minutes led by Tony Chatt. The open/recreational division was won by Bill Kopek and Mike Lavenia on Saturday and Chris Frasier on Sunday. The big fish winners were: Glen Gervais with a (31.91 Lb) king salmon in the amateur division while Mike Klikus landed a 30.06 Lb. king to claim the largest in the pro division. The prize payouts totaled more than $37,000. Too bad I don’t know how to fish very well – there’s no money in just blogging about fishing!
I have placed some photos below for your enjoyment. Warning: if you don’t like fish and are like she-who-must-not-be-named, then you may not want to scroll down any further. To view MANY more photos, check out the 2010 Pro-Am photo album on Oswego County’s facebook page!
Competitors leaving the Oswego Harbor
Staff member, Heather, collecting registration forms at Mexico Point.
Boats leaving Mexico Point.
Brian Smith, from Angling the Great Lakes, getting footage of the pre-check station.
Clipping a nice-sized King Salmon so it can't be used again the following day.
Weighmaster, Bill Hilts (Niagara County), checking the weight of fish caught by team Fish Nutz (Oswego), led by Paul Powers (shown above).
Team Thrillseeker (Newfane, NY) waiting patiently for the results.
A competitor shows off a typical Lake Ontario catch out of Oswego County!
Greg Dale (Liverpool, NY) from team Troubleshooters
2009 amateur challenge cup winners, Liquid Plumber, at the pre-check station, manned by Karen Cinelli (Niagara County).
A basket of fish at the weigh-in.
It looks like everyone came off the lake at the same time!
Dave Turner (Oswego County), official tournament emcee, interviewing Capt. Pete Alex (Erie, PA) from team Vision Quest.
Chris Kenyon and Carol Graves (Wayne County), recording the current team scores.
Team Billy V (Ithaca, NY), led by Capt. Bill Ruth, waiting in line to face the weighmaster.
A Billy V teammate showing off a big salmon .
Another beautiful Oswego County salmon!
Two salmon are better than one!
Team Salmonbound (Sodus Point, NY), led by Capt. Bob Buck
High Voltage (Rochester, NY) led by Capt. Mark DeSantis
I wonder if I'll ever catch a salmon this big! Wishful thinking!
Team Zip-N-Zim/Screamer (Clarks Summit, PA) led by Dave Antenari
Competitors and spectators waiting inside the tent for the day's results.
Linda and Mel selling last-minute raffle tickets.
The teams waiting around with their fish and enjoying another beautiful afternoon in Oswego County!
Pro Big Fish Award winner Mike Klikus (Carbondale, PA) with his 30.06lb King.
1st place am winners: Team 5 More Minutes (Oswego, NY), led by Tony Chatt!
1st place pro winners: Team Cold Steel/Fat Nancy's (Oswego, NY), led by Capt. Tom Burke!
