Can’t believe that this event is already here! A few points of order as we get ready to run the contests May 30-31 and June 6-7. Remember that the weigh in for the first weekend is Krull Park in Olcott, where it was last year. The second weekend is at Bootleggers Cove Marina in Wilson (the old Beccue Boat Basin and Sunset Bay Marina).

Captain’s and Observer’s Meetings: In an effort to simplify things, both captain’s/observer’s meetings will be held on Friday night May 29 and June 5 at the Wilson Fire Company, 250 Young Street, Wilson where we held the meeting the last couple of years. Doors open at 5 pm; meeting is underway at 6 pm. Hopefully we can get out of there by 7 pm…bring just Captain and Observer from your team there. This is mandatory!

Remember that the Don Johannes and Pete DeAngelo Memorial Three-fish, One-fish Derby will be each Friday this year and you must be registered by 7 am the mornings of the events. Sign up in Wilson at Bootleggers or the Gas Shack; at The Boat Doc or the Slippery Sinker in Olcott. Weigh in at Clark’s Park the first weekend; Bootleggers the second weekend.

Lil Skippers in Wilson Harbor (being run by tournament maven Penny Hartman) is now open. Located near the Gas Shack in Wilson Boatyard, they will be offering a variety of services during the tournament(s):

“We will be offering Breakfast sandwiches, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, Danish, breakfast burritos, and subs for anyone in the morning. We will be open @ 4 am for the tournament and have all pre orders ready by 4:45 am. You can call me at 716-628-2361 for all pre orders. Please give me some time in advance to make sure I have all you want.

When you return I will also have a full menu as well.  Our normal hours are Monday-Friday from 11 am-7 pm and Sat. –Sun. from 6am-7pm. Thank you in advance for your support of Lil Skippers. If you are pre-fishing the tournament and would like anything, please don’t hesitate to call. I’m available to run down and get you what you need. 

We will be accepting credit cards and cash for all orders.” 

Incidentally, anyone in the Trophy and Classic Divisions in Wilson must leave your disclaimers with Penny at the Gas Shack starting at 5 am each day, both weekends.

See everyone Friday night!

Best,

Bill Hilts, Jr.

The first tournament weekend is set for May 30-31 out of Krull Park in Olcott. The second tournament weekend will be June 6-7 out of Bootleggers Cove Marina in Wilson. “We are excited to be part of the tournament,” said Capt. Dan Evans, operator of the marina. “Fishing is an important part of who we are and we want this to continue to grow. We recognize that we need to do our part to put our area back on the map again and this is just one way we can do that.”

In addition, the Friday Big Fish-Three Fish fishing contest has been expanded to both Fridays of the two tournaments – May 29 and June 5. Known as the Don Johannes and Pete DeAngelo Memorial Fishing Contest, this is great news for any teams fishing the Pro-Am events as a warm up to the big competition. Details will be available soon.

The tournament website has information on the 2015 Pro-Am entry forms. There are deadlines for registering, so don’t delay in signing up. The website is live the week following Easter, April 5. Log on to www.lakeontarioproam.net for more information. Last year, over $105,000 in cash and $10,000 in merchandise was handed out to tournament winners. Extra cup cash from sponsors was over $40,000 alone!! Sponsors this year so far includes Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino; Bootleggers Cove Marina; Town of Newfane; Niagara Tourism and Convention Corp.; Robert M. Cinelli, Inc.; Great Lakes Tackle Shop; Team Dreamweaver; Moor Electronics; Fish Hawk Electronics; Lake Ontario United; Rebel Charters; ITO Flies; Buffalo Sabres Alumni; NY Outdoor News; Lake Ontario Outdoors; Great Lakes Angler; Newfane Family Chiropractic confirmed as of March 31.

Last year, for the 30th Anniversary of the Pro-Am tournaments, exact reproductions of the prestigious one-and-only Lake Ontario Challenge Cup – symbolic for winning the lakewide tournament series of these very Pro-Ams – were handed out to every single previous winner of the Cup. The tradition will continue in 2015.

The Lake Ontario Pro-Am Salmon Team Tournament will be giving an encore performance in 2015 when the Niagara County event – based out of the ports of Wilson and Olcott – will hold its 31st Anniversary contest May 30-31, 2015. For three decades, this fishing competition has been pitting teams of anglers against one another in one of the biggest tests of skill on the Great Lakes. Scoring is based on 10 points per fish and a point per pound over two days of fishing, using special tournament minimum lengths and restrictions over two days of fishing.

Niagara tournament organizers are now announcing that they will continue with two tournaments in 2015 to include a second weekend June 6-7, also out of the ports of Wilson and Olcott. All the rules will be the same (as last year) in both tournaments; each will be treated as independent events. The West Challenge Cup will be based on point totals for both Niagara events combined. Last year, the total prizes paid out was over $105,000 plus $10,000 in merchandise prizes – with $45,000 paid out in Cup cash thanks to sponsor money for the event … over and above the entry fee money! What will it be this year? We already have the Seneca Niagara Casino and Resort on board as a sponsor!

With two Pro-Am tournaments on back to back weekends, the Pete DeAngelo and Don Johannes Memorial events on May 29 and June 5, and a Buffalo Sabres Alumni Charity Fishing Tournament in the wings during the week, the spring fishing extravaganza will offer anglers more opportunities for their angling dollars. Your chances for bringing home one of the many cash prizes increase considerably. However, like the state lottery – you have to be in it to win it!

In addition, the Recreational Open Division will also be an option for amateur anglers looking to compete for each day of the two tournaments as separate events, based on boat participation for cash and prizes. As always, all of these Niagara events will be 100 percent payback as far as the prize structure is concerned – and then some. No other tournament can compete. All of the sponsor money and merchandise goes for competing anglers, too.

Entry fee for the Classic Division will be $600 (plus admin fees) per event; the Trophy Division will only be $300 per event (plus admin fees). The Recreational Open is still $125 per day (plus $10 admin fee).We emphasize that this is a 100 percent-plus cash payback! Mark your calendars and make plans for the biggest tournament events of 2015! More to come …

To find out more information about these landmark Niagara County Lake Ontario Pro-Am Tournaments, check out the official website at www.lakeontarioproam.net. See you there!

Niagara USA’s 31st Annual Lake Ontario Pro-AmTeamTournaments

Niagara Week 2 and Cup Final Results

What a difference a week can make, especially as it relates to fishing. In the first weekend of the Niagara USA version of the 30^th Annual Lake Ontario Pro-Am Salmon Team Tournament out of the ports of Olcott and Wilson, tournament limit catches were the norm. In the final weekend of the two-tournament contest held May 31-June 1, only one team had a 12-fish limit both days – and they won the tournament, held in memory of Walter “Skip” Hartman.

In the Classic Division of the two-day tournament, Reel Excitement led by Capt. Bob Songin of Rochester was the top dog by putting together two consistent days of fishing for a total score of 360.2 points (based on 10 points per fish and a point per pound for the contest). They were in fifth place after the first day, more than 37 points behind the leader Ace Charters and Capt. Jimmy Samia of Massachusetts. They won a check for $6,000.

“We started at the Niagara Bar and picked up some salmon and trout there the first day, then picked up to look for some bigger fish off Wilson,” said Songin at the awards ceremony in Krull Park, Olcott. “The second day we focused most of our day on the Bar, thinking it would give us our best chance for numbers. It did.” After three days of east wind, fishing went south for most of the trollers, including Ace. After a limit catch the first day, they could only muster seven fish for day two to score 103 for the day and a two day total of 328.08 points and fall short of Songin’s efforts. They earned a check for $3,100.

Rounding out the Top 7 in the money were Oh Baby led by Matt LeClair of Plattsburgh with 302.48 points; Capt. Chris LoPresti and his Maverick team from Spencerport with 295.02; Capt. Bob Stevens of Medina and his Sunrise II team with 282.76 points; Screamer led by Dave Antenori of Pennsylvania with 278.70; and Todd Pavlik’s Pacific Time team with 248.21 points. Capt. Rob Taddeo and his Hideout team caught the big fish, a 23.73 pound king salmon for this tournament.

This took us to the Niagara USA Classic Cup, awarded for consistency over the two weekends. Using a unique scoring system, top dog over the two weekends was LoPresti with a final score of 533 – earning a check for $20,000. Second place was Screamer with a score of 518, good for $10,000. Third place was White Mule led by Capt. Bob Cinelli of Newfane with a score of 488. The team won $5,000.

In the Trophy Division of the tournament, which represents the best five fish each day, Screamer moved in from eighth place after the first day to nip Day One leader Ace by less than three points – 198.05 to 195.10. They earned a check for $3,000. Third place was Maverick with 177.62 points, followed by Top Gun/Free Spirit led by Capt. Greg Gehrig of Oswego with 176.39; Reel Excitement with 176.11; Pacific Time with 172.25; and Tomahawk and Jonathan Ross with 172.18 points – five places separated by five points.

In the Niagara USA Trophy Cup, Antenori scored 538 overall to win the $5,000 check based on the two Niagara tournaments. Second place was LoPresti with 518, good for $3,000. Third place honors went to Top Gun/Free Spirit with a score of 294. They received a $2,000 check.

In the Recreational Open Division, a more relaxed category with fewer rules based on a three fish catch, Renegade led by Anthony LaRock of Burt won top honors with a score of 85.55 points which included a big fish of 22.27 points. They won $725 for first place, $200 for big fish and a $500 gift Certificate for Fish Hawk. Second place was Balls Deep and Bob Woods of Pennsylvania with 67.01; third was Mean Machine and Kyle Hovak of North Tonawanda with 63.86; and Balls Deep 3 was fourth with a score of 62.02 points, led by Brandon Poole of Newfane.

For the Sunday Recreational Open contest, Tri-Lakes, led by Matthew Briggs of Arkport was the leading scorer with a total of 75.84 points. They also weighed in big fish for the day, a 22.79 pound king salmon. Second place was Renegade with 73.90 points. Third place went to Just One More and Bryan Lukehart of Pennsylvania with a score of 66.20. Fourth place was Ray Pacuilli and his Double R team from North Tonawanda with a score of 40.00 points.

There was a cup for the Recreational Open anglers, too. Participants could take their best two scores over the two weekends to vie for the Niagara USA Recreational Open Cup and a check for $500. In the battle for supremacy, Renegade came out on top over Balls Deep 3 by a score of 169.23 points to 164.47 points – another close battle of consistent performers.

All told for the two weekends, a total of $105,675 was paid out in cash, plus another $10,000 in merchandise and trophies for one of the biggest tournament payouts ever! Big sponsors for the tournament included the Town of Newfane, Niagara Tourism and Convention Corp., Niagara County, Dreamweaver, Moor Electronics, Fish Hawk, Robert M. Cinelli, Inc., Buffalo Sabres Alumni, Bayside Guest House, Lighthouse Grill and Spirits, Twin Village Recycling, Lake Ontario United, Newfane Family Chiropractic, Newfane Business Assn., Wilson Fire Hall, and Niagara County Parks.

Top 10 Money winners – Niagara USA 30^th Annual tournaments May 24-25 & May 31-June 1, 2014

1. Maverick – $30,600
2. Screamer – $22,650
3. Vision Quest – $9,000
4. White Mule – $7,600
5. Reel Excitement – $6,850
6. Ace Charters – $4,450
7. Top Gun/Free Spirit – $3,500
8. Yankee Troller – $3,150
9. Runnin’ rebel – $2,450
10. Oh Baby – $2,400

PRO-AM Classic Division 2014-05-25
PRO-AM Trophy Division 2014-05-25
PRO-AM Open Division 2014-05-25

In the first leg of the 30th Annual Lake Ontario Pro-Am Salmon Team Tournament, it was the Vision Quest team led by Capt. Pete Alex of Erie, Pennsylvania who swept both the Trophy and Classic Divisions to take the top prizes in the contest held May 24-25 out of the ports of Olcott and Wilson.

The team’s two day total of 507.89 points (based on 10 points per fish and a point per pound) was enough to beat out runner-up Maverick (led by Capt. Chris LoPresti of Spencerport) by just 10 points in the Classic Division. In the Trophy Division, Vision Quest nipped Maverick by .4 points with a score of 258.42 to 258.02, one of the closest finishes in the history of the tournament. Vision Quest won $6,000 in the Classic; $3,000 in the Trophy. The big money, however, is the combined two-tournament scoring for the Niagara USA Cup – which Vision Quest is NOT fishing due to a prior commitment the weekend of May 31-June. The stage is set and it’s anyone’s game.

“We were fishing close to our port of Wilson because we were experiencing some motor problems,” said Alex at the awards ceremony in Krull Park, Olcott. “Most of our fish came on a Dreamweaver spin doctor and a green-glow fly in 140 to 190 feet of water off the red barn between Wilson and Olcott, fishing deeper to try and target bigger fish.” His strategy worked. The team had a limit catch of 12 fish for the tournament each day.

Catching a limit did not ensure being in the prize money as fishing turned on in the lake for the tournament. The first day, there were 22 classic limits; the second day there were 18 limits. Catching bigger fish was key and team strategies had to adapt their program to try and focus on bigger salmon. Only 12 fish are allowed in the Classic Division and no culling is allowed so if a smaller tournament fish was caught and reeled in, it must be kept as part of the tournament limit.

Rounding out the Top 7 in the Classic Division were: Screamer-Atommik, Dave Antenori of Pennsylvania with 486.93 points; Yankee Troller, Capt. Richard Hajecki of Rochester with 482.84 points (and defending champ of the Niagara tournament and the cup); Runnin’ Rebel, Capt. Jerry Felluca of Hilton with a score of 477.94 points; White Mule, Capt. Bob Cinelli of Newfane with 474.85 points; and Good Time Charlie, Capt. Dan Kelly of Pennsylvania with 468.56 points.

In the Trophy Division, which represents the best five fish in the box for the day, third place went to White Mule with 255.64 points, followed by Yankee Troller with 251.86 points; Runnin’ Rebel with 249.11 points; Screamer with 244.98 points and Top Gun led by Capt. Greg Gehrig of Oswego with 237.70 points.

In the Recreation Open Division, it was Great Escape led by Tom Pearce to win first place and big fish in the single day event based on a three-fish catch. His score was 84.10 and his big fish was a 21.54 pound king salmon. Second place was Renegade and Anthony LaRock of Burt with 83.68 points – less than a point off the pace. Third place was Balls Deep 3 led by Brandon Poole of Newfane with a score of 81.90 points (and winner of the Saturday open division contest). Fourth place was Leviathan and Marlowe Beis of Grand Island with 77.52 points. This also sets the stage for another close contest as the Recreation Open Cup is based on the best two scores of the four possible single day contests. For a complete rundown of the scores, check out www.lakeontarioproam.net.

It was 30 years ago that the Lake Ontario Pro-Am Salmon Team Tournament celebrated its inaugural event out of the ports of Olcott and Wilson in Niagara County. This year – three decades later – there will be double the excitement for the competition that helped to get the salmon and trout fishing craze started from a team standpoint. The Niagara USA Pro-Am experience offers two separate tournaments this year (May 24-25 & May 31-June 1), as well as four separate Recreational Open events (May 24, 25, 31, June 1). The icing on the cake, though, will be over $40,000 in guaranteed sponsor prize money that is part of Niagara’s West Cup package for different aspects of the tournament structure – in addition to the prize structures that are already in place as 100 percent entry fee cash payback to the top 25 percent of the fields. No other salmon and trout tournament event on the lake can lay claim to such a statement! To qualify for the extra cash, you just need to fish in these tournaments – there are no extra fees involved. The Pro-Am Tournament Cup scoring structure is unique, based on two two-day events (Niagara 1, May 24-25 and Niagara 2, May 31-June 1), as well as overall scores for each tournament – providing contestants with the opportunity to establish six cup scores (Day 1, Day 2 and Overall for each tournament) to determine the overall West Cup Champions. For the Recreational Open Division, just fishing a minimum of two daily events is needed to establish a cup score. Fish in all four and take your best two scores to vie for the first-ever LOC Open Cup and an extra check for $500.

Classic Division participants, which represent up to the first 12 legal fish each day of the tournament (based on 10 points per fish and a point per pound), will be eyeing up $35,000 in cash for the Niagara USA Classic Cup. Trophy Division participants (based on your best five fish of the tournament each day) will be looking to earn at least $5,000 in cash prizes to win the Niagara USA Trophy Cup. Recreational Open (best three fish each day) participants (no observer required) need just two daily scores over the two weekends of contests to compete for the LOC Open Cup, cash and merchandise prizes. Tournament dates are May 24-25 and May 31-June 1, 2014.

To find out more information about the Niagara-based tournaments, look no further than the tournament website at www.lakeontarioproam.net. The link for signing up online will be functioning shortly. In the meantime, printable forms are available on the site and can be mailed in by established deadlines.

In addition, the team’s consistency paid off in the 5-fish Trophy Division as well to move up from second place after Day One to take over the lead with a total score of 262.28 points.

“We found a pocket of fish just west of Wilson that we’ve been on since the first week of May,” said Hajecki as he collected his $9,000 and $4,000 checks respectively for the two divisions. Based on his tournament cup points going into the Orleans tournament next weekend, they are the front runners for the $35,000 prize cup package that includes a check for $20,000 for being the most consistent angler in the two Western Lake Ontario tournaments. He would share no more information as a result.

The second day of the tournament had a questionable start as several storm cells moved through the area just prior to the official start. However, the tournament began on time when weather patterns cleared. Increasing winds forced a Small Craft Advisory to be put into place after five hours of fishing and the tournament was called.

Runnerup in the Classic Division was Dick Dennie of Macedon, NY whose team put back-to-back 12-fish limits for the two day event – the only team to do that this year. Their score of 432.94 points earned them a check for $4,000. They were also in second place after the first day of action. Third place Classic Division team was Free Spirit led by Capt. Paul Czarnecki of Waterford, PA. They scored 418.67 points to take a check for $2,500. Fourth place was Capt. Bob Songin of Rochester and his Reel Excitement squad with 413.46 points. Fifth place was Ace Charters with team captain Jimmy Samia of North Adams, MA, scoring 363.02 points.

Rounding out the Top 10 in the Classic Division were: Sixth, Maverick (Capt. Chris LoPresti, Spencerport) – 348.38 points; seventh, Hi Voltage (Capt. Mark DeSantis, Rochester) – 343.78 points; eighth, Smells Like Salmon (Billy Parkhill, Ransomville) – 342.55 points; ninth, Tall Tails (Capt. Brian Garrett, Cortland) – 313.02 points; tenth, White Mule (Capt. Bob Cinelli, Newfane) – 307.49 points.

In the Trophy Division, representing a team’s best five fish for the day, Yankee Troller overtook the Day One leader Hideout, led by Rob Taddeo of Hilton. Free Spirit jumped from seventh to second in the class to check in with a total of 226.49 points. Third place went to Cannonball Runner, led by Ed Monette of Bernhards Bay, NY with a score of 220.53 points. Fourth place went to Songin’s Reel Excitement team scoring in at 216.41 points. Fifth place was Good Time Charlie, a team led by Dan Kelly of McKees Rock, PA with 214.05 points.

Rounding out the Top Ten, sixth place went to the Hawg team led by Capt. Jim Gordon of Appleton with 212 points; seventh place was Lone Wolf, Capt. Dan Evans’ team from Wilson with 204.74 points; eighth place, Cold Steel, the defending 2012 Challenge Cup Champs led by Capt. Tom Burke of Altmar with 203 points; ninth place, Hideout, Capt. Rob Taddeo with 196.12 points; tenth, Hi Voltage with 193.36 points. Not all teams competed in the Trophy Division, which was a separate entry fee this year. One hundred percent of all entry fees collected were paid out in the Trophy and Classic Divisions for a total of more than $35,000 being paid out to Pro-Am teams.

Some special prizes worthy of recognition include: Big Fish for the Trophy/Classic – a 26 pound king salmon reeled in by Tall Tails and good for a $250 A-Tom-Mik tackle pack valued at $250. Big steelhead Day One was a 8.61 pound fish caught by Hawg and good for a Great Lakes Tackle Supply $200 gift certificate. Day Two was a 7.61 pound fish weighed in by White Mule, also good for a $200 gift certificate from Great Lakes Tackle Supply.

In the Recreational Open Division for Sunday, Salmon Boy, a team led by Joe Oakes of Ransomville, set the pace in the three-fish contest with a score of 82.50 points. Second place was jeff Smith of New Brighton, PA with a score of 69.41 points. Third place went to John Baris and Team Lund with a score of 67.77 points. The team hails from Fairport, NY. Fourth place was the Dipsy Ranger team led by John Nevlezer of Marion, NY with a score of 66.81 points. They also registered Big Fish for the day and the tournament, a 22.70 pound king salmon.

The Recreational Open allows anglers to bring their three best fish to the scales, also based on ten points per fish and a point per pound. One hundred percent of entry fees were paid out, along with an impressive list of products from sponsors Fish Hawk, Moor, NY Outdoor News, Lake Ontario Outdoors, LaRock Outdoors, West Marine, Reid Petroleum, NK Lures, A-Tom-Mik Flies and Shark Weights and Spoons.

Click here to download the NIAGARA PRO-AM Scoresheets.

The Orleans County tournament is set for June 8-9 out of Point Breeze. For more information on the event, check out www.lakeontarioproam.net.