Published: May 14, 2007 09:41 pm      

BILL HILTS: LOC Derby Ends with Last Minute Heroics

COMMENTARY

The Spring Lake Ontario Counties Trout and Salmon Derby held May 4-13 was filled with last-minute heroics reminiscent of this year’s version of the Buffalo Sabres. It was also filled with family feats that saw both fathers and sons shine, an event that ironically ended on Mother’s Day. To quote a modern day philosopher (or was that a beer commercial): “It just doesn’t get any better than this!”

Going into the final weekend, Niagara County ports were sitting pretty. They were looking for a near-sweep of the salmon and lake trout divisions, as well as more than half of the steelhead category. However, as that saying goes, it isn’t over until the overly large woman (due to a thyroid conditions, of course) sings.

That was the attitude that Jim Unkel of Greene, NY had going into the final weekend. Fishing with his friends Lou Pixley and his father, Norm Pixley, both of Greene, they had fished out of Olcott the opening weekend and struck out on contending fish. For the final weekend, they would be going out with Capt. Ernie Lanteigne in Oswego — who just happened to be the captain that produced the winning LOC fish last fall. Who says lightning doesn’t strike twice.

It was late in the morning and Capt. Ernie had a call from his son Jeff, a captain who was also out fishing. “I just picked up two kings and a coho in 85 feet of water,” Jeff told his father. Fishing about 3-1/2 miles east of Oswego, and trolling a wire dipsy 120 feet back on a No. 3 setting, as soon as they hit 85 feet the Little Boy Blue Howie fly and white-silver Pro Chip flasher (and coated with anchovy flavored Smelly Jelly) started screaming. Fifteen minutes later, they netted their very lightly hooked king salmon that was to take over the lead by just two ounces — 24 pounds, two ounces at the scales at Larry’s Oswego Salmon Shop.

“You have to be in it to win it,” said Lanteigne at the awards ceremony in Rochester. “I had a customer catch a fish two inches longer and a pound heavier the first weekend and they weren’t entered in the derby. He also attributed the win to his tournament tie rig hooks — a No. 2 wide bend treble and a 5/0 single beak hook set up that was developed by his son, Randy, in Alaska. It’s a family affair. For Unkel, it was the first time he’s fished the derby and his first time fishing with the “Fish Doctor,” Capt. Ernie. It won’t be his last for either now that he’s $10,000 richer.

Unkel’s fish knocked out a 24-pound fish caught by Dave Knox of Benwood, West Virginia on Monday while fishing out of Olcott. He was fishing between Wilson and the Niagara Bar, 126 feet down over 200 feet of water with a Rebel stickbait off his downrigger when the big king hit. Fishing with is friend Ken Lilley of West Virginia aboard Dave’s 22-foot Starcraft appropriately named “Aquaknox,” Knox noticed that the leader broke off the swivel when they netted the fish after a 15 minute fight. It was the first time he’s ever fished in the spring derby and the biggest salmon the chemical plant worker has ever caught.

He won $1,000 for his efforts. Eighteen of the top 21 salmon came from Niagara County ports.

In the Brown Trout Division, it was another family affair of sorts as 82-year-old Harold Eroh of Courtdale, Pennsylvania weighed in a 20-pound fish while trolling with his two sons Mark of Mountaintop, PA and Rocco of Florida. The retired auto mechanic has been trying desperately to make the leader board for years in the LOC, but always seemed to come up short — until this year.

Using a Candy Apple Dreamweaver spoon behind a planer board and using a three-ounce snap-on weight, they were trolling in 50 feet of water between Fairhaven and Port Bay when the $1,000 fish hit. The top Youth catch was a 13 pound, eight ounce fish caught by Dakota McCarthy of Hinsdale, New Hampshire. He was fishing out of Sodus Bay and using a Bomber stickbait.

The Lake Trout Divisin was a father-son dynamic duo that pounded the waters off the mouth of the Niagara River on the Niagara Bar for these fork tails. Thomas Welch of Orchard Park and his son, Jake, fished nearly every available hour when the 14 year old Eighth Grader wasn’t in Orchard Park Middle School. That dedication paid off. Bouncing silver Sutton Spoons off the bottom, they would drift-and-jig or troll to take fish after fish. On Wednesday alone, they caught 32 fish. Laker taker Jake was the first to connect with a big one, weighing in at 16 pounds, 14 ounces fish to lead the Youth Division and 15th place overall.

It was the second year in a row he’s won the Youth Division and he caught it opening day after school. Thomas connected on a 22 pound, one ounce lake trout on the final Saturday of the derby to knock out William Cottrell’s 20 pound 11 ounce fish from that same Niagara Bar. “I grew up fishing for lake trout in the Finger Lakes,” said Thomas at the awards ceremony. “I never dreamed lake trout fishing could be this good anywhere else.” Nineteen of the top 20 lake trout came from Niagara County — 14 from Youngstown at the Niagara Bar.

In the Rainbow/Steelhead Division, it actually came down to minutes on the final day of the event. Christopher Sharland of Wolcott was fishing with his friend, Ed Bower of Williamson out in front of the lighthouse at Sodus Bay in 180 feet of water. They were trolling the surface with an orange-silver C-5 Northern King spoon behind a yellow bird when a big steelhead hit around 11:30 a.m. Fifteen minutes later, Sharland had his biggest steelhead ever at 14 pounds, 14 ounces.

They were thinking that the derby ended at noon though. They managed to find out that the derby, in fact, ended at 1 p.m. and they got their fish to Davenports and Sons in time to weigh in their $1,000 fish. The top Youth Division fish was an 11 pound three ounce steelhead taken by Kyle Donlin of Amherst while fishing out of Youngstown with a white jig on the Niagara Bar.

In the Walleye Division, Mark Ziesemer of Olyphant, Pennsylvania took the trophy fish while trolling a No. 18 purple Rapala in the Oswego River — an 11 pound two ounce walleye taken Thursday morning between 3 and 4 a.m. He was fishing with Dennis Wendel of Wapwallopen, PA aboard his 16-foot Sea Nymph. It was the biggest walleye that the contractor has ever caught and it came at the right time. It was fortunate that they caught the fish, too, as the motor kept stalling while he was fighting the fish - adding some additional excitement to the day and making him earn his $1,000.

For a complete list of winners, log on to www.loc.org and click on the leaderboard. An all-new LOC Summer Derby will be held from May 26 thru July 15. Get more information off the website or call (888) REEL-2-IN.