2024 LEWT Championship
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Bay's Edge ~ 10.11-12.24 RESULTS
2024 LEWT Geneva GOTL OPEN @ GEneva ~ 8.31.24 RESULTS
2024 Vic's Sports Center OPEN @ Ashtabula ~ 8.3.24 RESULTS
2024 Fairport Harbor @ MWC Geneva
7.12.24 RESULTS
With several events in town in 2024, the Lake Erie Walleye Trail had to get creative when making the schedule for 2024. Usually a destination for later in the year, we landed in Geneva in July, something we’ve not done before. Additionally, the LEWT teamed up with the Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) and decided to join forces again and aim for yet another historic event after filling Lorain’s Black River Landing with over 100 teams in 2023.
Typically, the fishing is just starting to heat up to the East and anglers would be able to take their pick at how and where they would like to target walleye. Anglers were able to get in a solid pre-fishing week as the lake was flat calm the weekend and weekdays leading up to the event, but as Mother Erie does, from Wednesday into Thursday she turned up nasty causing all of our tournament teams to hit the reset button on tourney Friday.
As Friday came the Lake was calm and anglers started to fill the Geneva State Park Marina around 5:00am for boat inspections. The scheduled two day LEWT was now slated for two one-day events as part of a make-up for the canceled Fairport event. 80+ LEWT teams along with MWC teams began to launch in preparation for the 6:30 am send-off.
Lake Erie was as calm as a duck pond and the anglers were ready to let all of their available horses rip. Anglers stood and removed their caps and honored our nation’s flag with the singing of our National Anthem. When the anthem concluded one by one boats became a mirage in the horizon as they headed to their fishing grounds off shore all in search of that bag that would put them into the top 11 paid spots on the day.
Being that the LEWT was scheduled for two single day events and the MWC was scheduled for a two-day event, anglers had to make decisions on tactics. Do you shoot for the moon and risk missing that shot, or do you stay where you can catch 25# and look for a kicker to keep you in the money for each day? Geneva was home to some great looking Lowrance screens, but didn’t seem to be producing big bags, just cookie cutter smaller fish. Most anglers headed to the East looking for the deeper cooler water in hopes to find a few bigger fish.
2024 Team of the Year leaders Shane and Shawn Wassam set off to find the bag that would keep them at the top of the pack when it comes to TOY Points. The team gathered up 30.01# to land them in 11th place on the day and cashed a $500 check. All team points are valuable and if you want to stay competitive in the TOY race you can’t slip; the LEWT anglers are far too good to have too many “bad days”. The Wassam brothers fell slightly on Day 2 finishing in 26th place but earned enough team points on the weekend to secure 4th place in the Team of The Year race; great work.
One of our favorite LEWT team combinations is Mike Robertson and his grandson Ian Pugh who finished 10th on Day 1 and did not place on Day 2. Winning an event out east last year, Mike knew what he wanted to do leading into this event during pre-fishing. Mike targeted deep water east of the PA border with 4-oz. snap-weighted stick baits to find his best bites for 30.02#. Ian cashed his first check for $650 and it’s safe to say this is a young man that is going to be around a while, he’s hooked, great job guys!
Frank Broskey and Don Lint have been consistently at the top of the leaderboard finishing 10th in TOY points in 2023 and currently sitting in 17th for 2024. The duo scratched out 30.06# good enough for 9th place and a $750 check on the day. Frank and Don needed that “kicker fish” to up the average from their 6# average to a tourney winning weight. They did not place on Day 2.
Wayne Butz and Joe Sommers are traveling anglers who joined in on the LEWT action along with the MWC event. They were able to put together 30.13# of walleye, good enough for 8th place and $850 on the day. They were not able to increase that finish on Day 2, taking 25th.
In 7th place we have Kyle Kokanovich and Charlie Klaus. These guys set out for deep water east looking for a kicker fish eating giant perch to anchor their bag. Well, they found it, weighing in the day’s bag at 31.00# and a big fish weighing 9.05# taking home the Big Fish title. They were able to cash a check for $2,030 on the Day 1, but did not place Day 2.
Rodger Riggs and Daren Zabrowsky came into the 2024 season as 5th place Team of the Year finishers in 2023. These guys have been making noise as of late and didn’t disappoint finishing 6th on Day 1 and staying near the top 20 on Day 2 with a 22nd place. Keep it up guys!
In 5th place Day 1 we have a team that is no stranger to the leaderboard, our 2023 TOY team of Ryan Buddie and Jason Kopf. Ryan and Jason continue to put up numbers and Geneva falls right into the wheelhouse of deep water hitman Jason Kopf. Both teammates have a historic past here so a high finish was to be expected out of these guys.
The team ran east into PA waters and fished both cranks and spinners deep off Dipsy’s along with cranks behind Off Shore Tackle Boards. Buddie explained that his set up helps him be efficient while fishing summertime walleye on Lake Erie. He used the micro spring adjustment on his Off Shore Tackle Boards “Tattle Flags” to dial in the exact tension he needed to drop his flag showing off a smaller or non legal size fish that may have taken the bait. This maximized his efficiency and kept small fish from dragging behind the boards causing dead fish or lost time. He also explained that when trolling he uses Troll Masters Pro Angler kicker throttle control system to help with speed changes and using the “Pro Modes” to hunt down the speeds the fish may want to trigger that bite. Although the duo didn’t get that kicker fish needed to make some serious noise on Day 1, on Day 2 they got it making the jump from 5th to 2nd. Buddie and Kopf earned $6,090 on the weekend and are currently knocking on the door on yet another TOY title in 2nd place.
In 4th place on the day we have Vic’s Sports Center Pro Mark Wilmot and Bill Dudas. Dudas and Wilmot headed east to PA waters as well but used worms behind Dipsy’s to catch their fish. Wilmot explained that he was never able to get a consistent big fish bite dialed on with crankbaits so they stuck with worms. Day 1 they pulled in a 8.04# kicker fish to bump that average up and a 33.10# sack. Day 2 the team fell to 15th, just out of the money. They took home $1,550 on the day for their efforts.
Gary and Alex Kisel have been doing damage since 2019 on the LEWT after stringing together back to back wins and the TOY title. At that point they put the series on notice and have never looked back. Today was no different; the father son duo sacked 34.01# anchored by a 8.10# big fish. Gary and Alex headed to the east with the pack but stayed away from boat traffic using Dipsy’s with cranks and worms near the bottom. Alex says that staying away from boats is key due to the clear water and watching the fish scatter on his Lowrance Active Target while trolling. Being the only boat in the area helps him target fish at specific depth and not fish that are all over the water column due to boat traffic. Gary and Alex dropped to 10th on Day 2 and brought home $2,200 on the weekend.
Falling short on the top spot on Day 1 by 4-oz., we have “Uncle” Rhonnie Rhodes and Andrew Harmon. They missed the tourney mark by a razor thin margin on Day 1 and remained in 2nd place on Day 2. The team fished out east along with the pack but they stayed a little to the South than the majority of the pack. Harmon talked about their key to success being not losing any big bites. When every ounce matters, losing a fish that could be a half-pound upgrade could cost you.
Harmon said his sauce was letting old Uncle Rhonnie do the dirty work and reel in all the big ones….. Great work Harmon and Uncle Rhonnie on taking home 2nd place back to back days and cashing checks totaling $9,810.
Friday’s Fairport make-up date featured an open division only 5 boats entered to fish the open division and this shootout was won by Team Special Delivery – Captain Matt Messenger. Matt and crew grabbed yet another top finish in the open division with 28.15#. Team Special Delivery took home $1440 on the day.
I know it’s time to talk about 1st place for the Day 1 Fairport make-up day but we’ll hold off a few. The story is just too historic to touch on and I’ll give a hint, we not only have a Day 1 winner, but a historic bag and a Day 2 winner, along with an overall MWC winner is yet to come!
2024 LEWT & MWC @ Geneva
7.13.24 RESULTS
Day 2 rolls around and we have almost identical conditions- calm, hot, and 80+ teams ready to get after it. Watching send-offs with an early morning sun and flat lake is something special. Nothing says tourney fishing like a Ranger 622FS Pro with V10 Mercury Verado ripping at 65 MPH to the tourney grounds.
We paid 12 spots on the day with the last paid spot being Thomas Nordyke Sr. with Sub Francis Ball. The team bagged up 31.06# good enough for $500. In 11th place on Day 2 we have Josh Crumb and Jordan Barth. These guys have fished the LEWT for a long time and always seem to come up with a plan to keep them near the top of the pack. Crumb and Barth made $500 on the day. In 10th place we have the previously mentioned Gary and Alex Kisel with 31.12#.
Mitch Shipman and Chad Fensetermaker finished 9th with 32.13#. Mitch is dangerous and adding Chad into the boat, the duo is always tough. These guys have a real focus to detail and fish a ton on the inland lake side of things so duplicating that on Lake Erie is impressive. Mitch and Chad took home $750 on the day.
Jonathan Delvecchio and Mario Chance are LEWT newcomers but proved that they are here to stay. The team sacked 33.06# and 8th place, good enough for $850. We hope to see you guys out at more events in the future, great job.
Brian Hance and Scott Boswell teamed up for this event both normally fishing with other anglers, but I’m sure they are glad they linked up. The team fished well together with a solid 7th place finish on Day 2 with 33.11# anchored by a 8.15# slug, the tournament’s 4th biggest fish. Hance and Boswell made $1,000 on the day.
In 6th place Day 2 was previously mentioned, Harmon and Rhodes with 34.12#.
In 5th place on the day we have Father/Son Lake Erie Charter Captain and Tourney Anglers, Gary and Nicholas Zart. Day 1 Gary and Nick set out to try and capitalize on a casting bite but were unable to get the kicker fish in the boat although they caught a ton of fish. Day 2 was a different story, Gary and Nick put on a trolling clinic bringing in 34.13# and showed why there aren’t many guys who do it better. When one thing isn’t working, cut bait and try something different. Gary and Nick targeted fish on the bottom with wire. The team filtered through 50-60 fish per day to find their biggest fish. Day 2 yielded $1200 for the Zart’s.
In 4th place we have Tyler Berthold and Joe Gibson with 35# winning $1,400 on the day. Tyler and Joe traveled East to find their fish and used Dipsy’s and crankbaits. Berthold utilized hunt mode on the wireless Trollmaster Pro Troll 3 to change speed and trigger strikes at different depths in the water column.
MWC traveling anglers Offshore Tackle Company Pro’s Steve Vandermark and Jerry Fox jumped over and fished the LEWT side of things using crankbaits way up high in the water column and Dipsy’s digging the mud with spinners. The duo was able to take 3rd place against some of Lake Erie’s best with 36.12# and take home $1,600.
2nd place on Day 2 went to previously mentioned Buddie and Kopf with 37#.
Now on to First Place on the weekend. With Fairport being a blow weekend we needed to reschedule. Typically, the LEWT is a one-day event so it was a no-brainer to hold the make-up date as Day 1 of our 2-day joint event with the MWC. This opportunity for anglers to make-up the weekend and fish the Geneva event while taking no additional time off work, in addition to fishing the MWC, led to a major opportunity to cash in.
If there was ever a time to focus and dial in a program it was this weekend.
Mike Miller and Bryan Fisher came into the weekend sitting in 2nd place for the TOY standings and aimed to make a move. Miller is always dangerous out east and with a weekend of pre-fishing that just sharpens the edge. Fisher was able to take a couple days off work so Miller and B-Fish put in solid work trying to dial in the program. Being unable to fish Wednesday or Thursday, the two prepped rods and got the tackle box full of Bill Lewis PWC’s organized for the weekend’s marathon run.
Miller and B-Fish headed out east to PA waters not only with a target area, but a target strategy. Miller made a conscious effort to stay away from other boats. He noticed that if other boats were in the area the bigger fish shut down. He compared fishing the clear deep waters of Lake Erie to hunting a big buck- you just aren’t going to fool the big ones in traffic zones or fishing with the pack.
B-Fish can attest to this theory as he reeled in his personal best 12# walleye on a Bill Lewis PWC. Miller and B-Fish have now caught two 12+ lb summer time fish using this tactic out East. In addition to 2024 LEWT Geneva Tournament Big Bag/Big Fish winners the two have accumulated 2022 and 2023 GOTL Big Fish Friday Winners.
It is safe to say that these guys have the deep program dialed in after a giant 36# bag on Day 1 and a monumental 44# summer bag on Day 2, anchored by that 12-pound monster. Congrats guys. Mike and B-Fish secured both Ranger Cup Titles for the LEWT and won over $35,000 on the LEWT side of things.
They also won the MWC prize package at around another $15,000. The LEWT victories lock them at the top of the leaderboard for the TOY race with 798 points leading into the last three events of the year.
The LEWT moves out of Ashtabula next for the Vic’s Sports Center Open. We will feature a LEWT 2-man Division, Open Unlimited Angler Division and a Kayak Division.
The event will be held at the Lakeshore Park in Ashtabula. Any big boat needing to put in elsewhere will be acceptable due to shallow water conditions at Lakeshore park.
For more info please visit LakeErieWalleyeTrail.com
The LEWT would like to speak about a safety concern that was eye opening on the Wednesday and Thursday leading up to the event at Geneva. Several recreational (non-tournament) fishing vessels made the call for help Wednesday and Thursday. The LEWT would like to remind all anglers to get boat safety checks with the ODNR Watercraft and use PFD’s while out there. We are working hard to invite these officers to our events and the service is free. It is also a great way to make sure you have all the correct gear. Additionally, please check all resources available to make the best decisions possible when heading out on the water, Lake Erie can be unforgiving.
Our prayers go out to the families that lost loved ones.
2024 Huron Pro-Am ~ 5.18.24 RESULTS
2024 has given us a crazy spring so far. Cold, rain, wind, and even some summertime sunshine has blessed all the tournament anglers’ busy schedule this season. Well, in Huron for our annual Pro-Am we were met with dense fog and a bug hatch that looked like clouds of smoke flowing across the sky. Not only does this make for an uncomfortable dirty fishing day, but the walleyes are well-fed and tougher to catch.
We started off our 2nd annual Pro-Am at 5:00a with boat checks by the LEWT Crew and the Ohio Division of Watercraft conducting vessel safety checks. The LEWT and ODNR Watercraft worked together to check over 50 boats and issue their annual safety stickers. Thank you anglers who participated and work hard to make boating in Ohio safe.
76 LEWT Pro Boats, 33 Co-Anglers and 7 Kayaks checked in for the day’s event making Huron, yet again, a packed house. The city works hard to welcome all of our teams and provide secure, clean facilities which featured a new fish cleaning station this year. A special thanks to Doug Steinwart and Joe Dike for their hospitality.
The team on the bubble (the last team cashing a check) is Mike Miller and Bryan Fisher along with co-angler Jonathan Delvecchio. Miller and B-Fish cashed their third straight check following up a 3rd place in the Bay’s Edge Jigging Open and an 8th place in the season opener at Magee East. The Miller-Tech Powered Vic’s Sports Center Ranger 622FS Pro is on a heater this year and looking to make moves in the TOY standing increasing their 7th place in 2023 to a 2nd place standing so far in 2024. The bubble team weighed in 29.10# and made $450 on the day. On the co-angler side, Delvecchio finished 8th and took home a care package from Hook and Drag – nice work!
Steve Hendricks and Brian Ulmer, 2022’s LEWT Team of the Year, 2023’s Team of the Year Runner-Up and now 2024’s Team of the Year current 3rd place team produced a very respectable 11th place finish in the Huron Pro-Am. Their co-angler was unable to make the trip so the Vic’s Sports Center duo fished solo, casting at fish using Lowrance Active Target 2 to target suspended fish in the water column outside of Cleveland to bring in 29.23#.
I would love to be a “fly on the gunnel” of their boat to see the decision making and skills these guys have; they always find a way to get to the front of the pack. Stringing the finishes together they have is something special to watch. The team took home $550 on the day.
Jason Blondin and Vince Price sat out the first event of the season at Magee East but showed that their Lake Erie experience sticks with them as they started out their season with a top 10 finish right off the rip. The team headed North and fished Canadian water using Berkley Hit Sticks to get their 29.37# of Lake Erie gold.
Price and Blondin cashed a $650 check for 10th place. Blondin and Price did not host a co-angler.
In 9th place on the day we have a household name when it comes to the LEWT and walleye fishing in general. Berkley Pro Ryan Buddie, sub Greg Yarbrough and co-angler Michael Neurohr had a similar plan to Blondin and Price. They set out for Canadian water but fished spinners shallow in the rocks and were able to target a specific blade pattern that led to some kicker fish and 29.48#. Fishing the skinny structure up around Pelee Island brought home a solid 9th place finish and $750 on the day.
Neurohr finished 7th overall in the Co-Angler Division and took home another Hook and Drag prize package.
Buddie and teammate Jason Kopf used their sub for the year but accumulated some much needed team points and sit in 5th place for Team of the Year.
8th place on the day was Shane and Shawn Wassam with the first team on the list to break the 30# mark with 30.19#. The long-time LEWT team has been digging and scratching their way to the top for years and finally have strung a couple top finishes together and find themselves in the pole position in the Team of the Year race fueled by Vic’s Sports Center, SA Comunale, and ET Construction.
“Man does it feel good”, said Shane Wassam after the second straight top finish. Keep it up boys – that LEWT TOY Title is calling you! The Wassam brothers took home $850 for 8th place. The team opted not to host a co-angler.
Thomas Nordyke Sr. and Jr. are next on the leaderboard in 7th place. They stuck with the theme of the day and headed north as well, pulling fish out of the cooler Canadian waters near the “Hen’s and Chick’s” island system. The structure and current up north give anglers a unique opportunity to get after fresh fish that seem to just reload day after day.
Filtering through fish and finding those 6# average fish is what you’re looking for and that’s just what the Nordykes did, bringing 30.67# to the scales. The Nordykes didn’t host a co-angler and cut a check for $950 on the day.
In 6th place we have Jann’s Netcraft Owner and long-time LEWT angler Bob Barnhart and partner Eric Vandenk who hosted co-angler Eli Byler. Bob, Eric and Eli headed back to the west and found their fish outside the Sandusky Bay fishing structure.
They were able to filter through a lot of fish to find the keepers that they wanted to bring to the scales. Bob, Eric and Eli brought 31.88# to the scales – good enough for 6th place and $1,000. Eli took 6th place on the co-angler side winning a Hi-Tech Custom Painted Bandit Prize Package.
Rounding out the top 5 we have LEWT teams who all hosted co-anglers. All five teams shared one of two things in common, either location or tactic.
In 5th place we have Edgar and Vicky Trent with co-angler Ronald Giachetti. Edgar and Vicky made a plan to stay close to the ramp and grind out shallow water to “drum” up their bites. Filtering through a lot of sheepshead was the game plan and it paid off because they were able to find 32.29# mixed in there to take home a 5th place check for $1,100.
Co- Angler Giachetti won a Bill Lewis PWC Crankbait prize package along with a Custom HDS casting/Jigging rod and Off Shore Tackle Boards.
4th place featured Charter Captain Don Lint and Captain Frank Broskey along with co-angler Adam Hatfield. The team ran way east to Rocky River and trolled Berkley Flicker Minnows in shallow water to find their best five. Lint, Broskey and Hatfield grinded out 33.37# and secured 4th place in the Pro and Co side, good enough for $1,700.
Hatfield won a Lakewood Lure Locker filled with Hi-Tech Custom Bandits along with Off Shore Tackle Planer Boards.
In 3rd place on the day we have Aaron Humbert and his daughters Jordyn and youth co-angler Karly. Humbert had to fill in for “Quality Mark” who was out of town on business, but he had his daughter Jordyn on standby.
This is Humbert’s home turf and he knew how to fish the event. Humbert wasn’t able to pre-fish, but showed up and fished some historically good water and immediately knew he was in the right spot when he landed an 8.67# giant.
The Humbert’s won $2,050 on the day and Karly won a Striker Suit, Bajio Sunglasses, and Off Shore Tackle Boards for 3rd place on the co-angler side.
In the only event Rob Lester will be able to fish this year, he and partner Joe Whitten were able to bring the heat with the second biggest bag of the day. Lester, Whitten and co-angler Toledo Blade sports writer Mac Arnold wrangled up 33.73# of eyes to secure a very respectable 2nd place in a very tight race.
Lester and Whitten planned to fish Canada but due to the fog were unable to do so and stayed near the Sandusky Bay. The team took home $5,900 on the day and Arnold won a Cisco Fishing Systems Gift Card and a pair of Fenwick trolling rods with Penn Reels along with a set of Off Shore Tackle Boards.
In first place we have a very common trend starting to take place on Lake Erie and tournament fishing in general. Andy Travis, Joe Papalia and co-angler Ryan Foster used Lowrance Active Target II forward facing sonar to track and cast at specific fish suspended in the column north of the Canadian line.
Foster, an already avid angler, was able to learn from the tactics they used and will be able to put them to work on his own boat. The team also took big fish with a 9.80# giant.
Winning it all on the day, Papalia and Travis earned $12,050 of LEWT money and co-angler Ryan Foster won a Lowrance Elite FS fish finder along with Off Shore Tackle Boards. Great work on a tough day!
Kayak crazy-man Chuck Earls took home his 7th LEWT Title with five fish for 18.49# – beating out Walter Johnson who put up a respectable 18.08#. Chuck was fishing right outside of Huron and worked crankbaits to catch his fish. Chuck won $940 on the day.
The LEWT paid out to the top 12 LEWT Pro Teams, 5 Co-Anglers and 1 Kayak champion. We thank all of our sponsors, but want to give a special thanks to Off Shore Tackle, Navico – Lowrance, Cisco Fishing Systems, Striker Brands, Pradco Bandit, Hi-Tech Custom Painted Lures, Lakewood Products, Bill Lewis PWC, HDS Rods, Hook and Drag Apparel, Pure Fishing Brands; Berkley, Fenwick Rods, and Penn Reels. Without these sponsors the Amateur division wouldn’t have been as much fun, thank you!
Also a huge shout out to Ryan Buddie, Joe Gibson, and Tyler Berthold for hosting the kids fishing clinic sponsored by the NPAA, Future Anglers Association and Erie Outfitters. We learned a lot about water safety, fishing and handed out fishing poles to the kids in attendance.
The LEWT will be in Fairport Harbor June 8th (9th Blow) and will feature a LEWT Division, Open (Unlimited Angler) Division and a Kayak Division.
We hope to see you all out in Fairport, be safe on the water.
2024 Bays Edge Recap ~ 4.21.24 RESULTS
For years we have been waiting for a beautiful spring day to get in the annual Jigging Open sponsored this year by HDS Custom Rods. Well, Mother Nature and the Fish God’s were NOT listening. Having to use a “Blow Day” Saturday due to 5-8 ft waves and nasty gale winds we pushed to Sunday. Nobody knew what any of their previously established spots would look like or if the fish were still there, but hey that’s just tourney fishing.
At 5:00am, 39 (we lost several boats due to religious reasons) boats started their check-in at Mark’s Bay’s Edge Bait and Tackle Shop and headed anywhere from Detroit, Michigan to Cleveland, Ohio waiting for “lines in” at 7:00am.
The story of the day was LEWT Sponsor, Lowrance and their Active Target. The NWT anglers in town Thursday and Friday proved that big fish were able to be caught around the can line and if conditions allowed, anglers would be able to target and pick off individual fish. The new trend on Erie is putting the trolling rods down and learning to target fish by utilizing the Lowrance Active Target system and using it to its maximum potential.
At 3:30p, teams started making their way back to Bay’s Edge for weigh-in, all looking to finish in those Top Six paid spots on the weekend. The average 5-fish bags right now are weighing in anywhere from 15- 18#. This time of year being able to target those bigger pre/post spawn females is going to land you tourney day results.
Winning $600 and taking home the Big Fish Award for the day was Team Piper Plumbing, caught by Ben Bremer. The guys used Active Target and vertically jigged plastics North of Kelly’s Island to land their 8.31# giant!
Great work boys even if you are from the state up north!
The last paid spot on the day went to Team Miler Time with captain Merf Miller with 18.08#. Team Miller walked away with $400 for 6th place.
Team Troyer and and Jusk Ducky landed in the contingency prize range and won HDS Custom Rods both with 16# bags.
In 5th place, team Marble Head Fishing Company with LEWT sluggers Edgar Trent, Erik Jenson and Jim Swick. The team was able to capitalize on the Lowrance Active Target
System targeting fish suspended in the water column, basically “Ice Jigging” and make $600 on the day. They fished deep water off Lorain to do the damage.
4th place on the day was a LEWT newcomer and NWT Pro Brett Gilbertson with Team Regil with 25.25#. Brett was in town all week fishing the NWT was able to hop over and stack his skills up against the LEWT anglers in the Jigging Event. Brett was able to find suspended fish around Niagara Reef and target them with his partner using a variety of Jigs and swim baits.
Team “NIM” moved up several spots from their 6th place finish in 2023 with a 3rd place
bag in 2024. The team found themselves in 3rd place with a stout 28.14# limit anchored by a 7.41# big fish. These guys targeted structure out deep to “ice fish” and target bigger suspended walleye. “NIM” made $1000 on the day for the top finish. Team “NIM” made up of Mike “Miller Tech” Miller, Cole Carlson, and Old School Gun “Rattler.”
Team C’est La Fish led by captain Ciprian Donici made a statement in this year’s jigging event by hammering down a solid second place finish with 28.98#. Ciprian, Nick Olesky, and Ron Leaton again used Active Target to search and destroy suspended fish in the water column. Nick has now entered his first two LEWT tournaments and cashed two straight checks. Can anyone say “young gun?” The team made $2700 on the day.
Team “NIM #2” led by captain Joe Gibson was able to capture the self-proclaimed “English Title” in 2023 and this year took the 2024 overall LEWT Bay’s Edge Jigging Event title with a giant bag of 29.83#. Joe along with his support staff of Bryan Fisher and Tyler Berthold put on a clinic all day targeting fish suspended in deep water east of Vermillion. They had to throw an audible on their first spot in the morning but plan B finished out the day, good enough for 1st place on the day. Gibson and crew took home $4700 for 1st place. Fantastic job guys.
The Jig/Cast/Drift only event has grown to be one of the most fun events on the year. Mark’s Bay’s Edge is a great venue and will continue to host us annually. Look for us in October when Bay’s Edge will host the 2024 LEWT 2-Day Championship.
The next stop in the LEWT series is Huron Ohio where we will host our second annual Pro-Am Event. An amateur “Am” angler will team up with an experienced LEWT Team “Pro” to form a three man team. This team will fish the standard two man rules and the amateur angler will get to experience a LEWT tourney day. They will learn from the best, fish with the best, and hopefully experience that win like the best!
We will also be announcing the details for this year’s B’laster Fall Brawl at this Fall Brawl kickoff party and pig roast sponsored by Branch BBQ. 2024 will be the biggest brawl ever with more great ideas to come this season.
Ryan Buddie, Joe Gibson, and Tyler Berthold will host a kids fishing clinic and the NPAA and Future Anglers Association will be giving out fishing poles to kids in attendance while supplies last. This will be a great event and we hope to see you all there.
Kids fishing clinics and cookouts are free so please come out and experience the Quality Mark Inc. LEWT and B’laster Fall Brawl.
More at LakeErieWalleyeTrail.com
2024 Magee East Recap ~ 3.30.24 RESULTS
Magee East Campground and Marina is home to the LEWT kick off event year after year. The hospitality and hard work of the Magee crew is second to none and the atmosphere for the first event is always electric. The Magee venue and staff again made getting our 89-boat field launched and ready to go a breeze. It’s always a gamble with weather this early in the year, but we always roll the dice trying to get after those pre-spawn Lake Erie giants.
The beginning of the week brought typical volatile March weather, wind rain and an unfishable Lake Erie. As the end of the week grew near, Mother Nature straightened out giving anglers an opportunity to game plan and do some pre-fishing. The “cans” area or Camp Perry firing range impact area, possibly the most well known pre-spawn staging area on the lake, appeared as if it was going to be in play with clearing water color and stable south winds. If this held true into Saturday, it was most definitely going to be a Lake Erie Slugfest.
5:00AM Saturday rolled around and we were met with South winds and cloudy overcast skies. Just prior to send-off the overcast skies opened up and started pouring down rain leaving anglers with a soaking wet start to their day. This is not surprising and has been known as (what we now call) LEWT weather. Despite the rain, Lake Erie remained calm and the South wind switched slightly out of the East, still allowing anglers to get to where they wanted to fish.
Many anglers headed East towards the Islands or the Camp Perry firing range “cans” but returning Champs Robert and Travis Zajkowski headed to their old stomping grounds to the North. This didn’t pan out for them as it had during pre-fishing. The reigning champs had to scramble to make their 5-fish bag and finish with 23.72# – not what the champs wanted this time around.
With an 89-boat field the LEWT was going to pay out 13 spots and give away nearly $27,000 in total prize money and awards. As luck would have it in 13th place we have a tie with 34.83# – Cole Carlson and LEWT newcomer Brady Yonkers tied with Scott Boswell and Michael Boswell, LEWT veterans. Neither team weighed a “big fish” and both caught five total fish leaving the third tie breaker to a coin flip. The Boswell’s won the coin toss taking the tie-breaker and 13th place.
Great job to LEWT first time angler Brady Yonkers for cashing a check, welcome to the big leagues, big guy.
Coming in 12th place we have Randy Kline and Ray Irving. This could be one of the most feel good stories of the day as the pair finished with 34.94# and took home the big fish title with their 9.93# Lake Erie spawn giant. The team wins nearly $2000 for their efforts and USA Military Veteran Ray cashed his first check in the LEWT.
Thanks for serving our country, Ray – we appreciate you!
Coming in 11th on the day was LiTime sponsored angler Jaime Perez and Darin Csubak with 35.31#. Perez has been busting his butt for the last year and a half working towards his goal of cashing a check in the LEWT and he’s finally achieved his goals. He’s put his work in and the excitement showed while on stage. Perez’s excitement is something special and shows that he’s in it for the long haul, congratulations to Team LiTime.
It never gets old when Off Shore Tackle Pro Angler Mark Brumbaugh comes across the stage. This time, Mark and his partner, Steve Summerly walked across the stage with 35.48# of Lake Erie gold. Mark and Steve were able to capture a top 10 finish continuing their momentum from last year. Congratulations Mark on another top finish. It’s great to see a long-time LEWT angler still up at the top of the pack doing what they do.
We’ve done a lot of recaps, but we’ve never once mentioned Steve Hendricks, and Brian Ulmer‘s name while discussing the top of the leaderboard. Yeah right, that’s just a joke. Anybody who has followed the LEWT has heard the names Steve Hendricks and Brian Ulmer at the top of the pack over and over again. Nearly back to back team of the year champions Hendricks and Ulmer brought 35.57# to the scale starting their year off right with a 9th place finish. The team nearly won $1000 for their efforts.
Jim “Fish Missile” Taggart and Mick Weimer just edged out Hendricks and Ulmer with 35.75#, good enough for 8th place and took home just shy of $1000. Jim Taggert has been grinding mostly out East being from Pennsylvania, so to see western success was big gratification for him. Getting to know Jim over the last few years, there’s not a more positive fun guy on the circuit.
Congratulations Fish Missile!
Shane & Shawn Wassam or is it Shawn & Shane Wassam? I guess it doesn’t really matter when you bring 35.84# to the scale. The Vic’s Sports Center & Ranger Boats team was able to capture 7th place good enough for $1050.
These guys have been working hard and staying within striking distance of the top finishers and were finally able to put it all together and capture a top finish, great job guys.
The Miller Tech Ranger 622 ran by Mike Miller and Bryan Fisher brought 36.21# to the scale to start out their season with the top finish. Miller and B-Fish are always a team to contend with and this event is just the same. These guys are able to capture top finishes from West to East and are always dangerous.
The Miller Tech team will take home $1150 on the day.
Now we have the top five. Eric Weaver and Gabriel Weaver, long time LEWT anglers stuck with their game plan and fished south of the islands targeting fish suspended in the water column. The team used Bandit’s averaging 80′ back using Orange belly baits to do their damage. The Weavers were able to bring 36.60# to the scales and land them a top five and $1250 on the day.
In 4th place, we can officially call Nick Olesky a hang around or prospect so to speak. The kid fishes nonstop and is always in the tournament scene but has never been a captain in the LEWT. Nick decided to hop in and fish with his dad being the last boat to enter the field boat number 104. Nick and Ed anchored the day with a 9.08# big fish caught on NFP custom baits. The first-time team landed a top four finish and $1500 on the day. Nick and Ed found something slightly outside the pack and fished north of Green Island targeting fish he found days prior using Lowrance Active Target. Nick decided to fish that same school fish using NFP customs while trolling 40-50 back. Great job NFP team Nick and Ed Olesky.
In 3rd place for 37.12# we have the Quality Mark Team Tyler Berthold and Joe Gibson. The two, previously on other teams, join forces this year and capitalize on their first LEWT together and capture 37.12# good enough for $3320 on the day plus earning the Ranger Cup $500 bonus totaling $3820 total. Berthold says that they put on a lot of miles scoping new water yesterday with their Lowrance Electronics looking for pods of fish and the right water color. Once they found what they were looking for it was game on. Spending time doing a little scouting paid off for Berthold and Gibson.
In 2nd place McGee East camping residents, Gerald Franklin Senior and Gerald Franklin Junior brought five fish for 37.14# good enough for second place. Being locals the Franklin’s fished in front of Camp Perry, ”the same thing they do everyday.” Sometimes a little local knowledge goes a long way. The LEWT works hard to put out schedules that allow fishermen to take advantage of trends and patterns that put fish within reach of the launch. Great job to a local father son duo. The team won $5980 on the day.
And 1st place, we have Michael Hostetler and Ian Hostetler, who started using Lowrance Active Target and trying to cast swimbaits at fish that they were pinpointing on their electronics. They have had success doing that in days prior while pre-fishing but that tactic was not proving fruitful on Saturday. They decided not to leave those fish, but just changed tactics and started trolling. They were able to put together five fish for 37.25# and $7400 on the day. Congratulations Team Hostetler on the top finish!
Finishing First Place in the Kayak Division is Aaron Mcpherson. Aaron is a Western Basin local and has a lot of experience on a Yak. He was able to bring in three fish on the day and take the first Kayak event on the season. He stayed near Turtle Creek and jigged to catch his fish. Great job Aaron.
2024 LEWT Team of the Year - (After Magee East)
Hats off to our anglers who continue to prove why the LEWT is the best event in the land. Continued support and great fishing makes being a LEWT top team something to gloat about. It’s great seeing new faces in the mix and anglers from across the country. Great job everyone.
We will be back in action at Bay’s Edge April 20th for a jigging only event. This is an “Open” event and anglers can fish with a team and up to 9 rods. This event is a great way to get big boats involved as you can leave from any port you choose – lines in at 7:00am and weigh-in at Bay’s Edge no later than 3:45pm.
The LEWT Huron Pro-Am event will follow mid May.
Visit LakeErieWalleyeTrail.com for more details.
