Al Banaszak of Pittsburgh captured first place in the third annual Poor Richard's Walleye Tournament at Lake Erie.
Banaszak's 30 ½-inch walleye weighing 11 pounds, 9 ounces won the angler $472 in cash, a $100 gift certificate from the Dick Corp., and a free mount from Link's Taxidermy.
'Some 236 fishermen were entered in the contest,' said Gary Heubel of Poor Richard's Bait & Tackle, Fairview.
A portion of the proceeds benefited the S.O.N.S. (Save Our Native Species) walleye hatchery.
Second place went to Tom Demillion of Pittsburgh, who checked in a 32-inch, 11-pound, 1-ounce walleye. He picked up $236 in cash and a $75 gift certificate, donated by Poor Richards.
Holding down third was Ardell Blair of Greenville. He caught a 32 ½-inch, 11-pound walleye. The catch was worth $236 in cash, plus a $50 Poor Richards gift certificate.
Here's a look at Fish and Boat Commission Angler Recognition Award walleye catches from Erie: James Snead, Gibsonia, 10.63 pounds; Patty Gerlach, Pittsburgh, 10.02 pounds; Theodore Clyde, Mahafffey, 9.68 pounds; Gerald Roman, Pittsburgh, 9.22 pounds; Matthew Thompson, Clearfield, 8.65 pounds; Robert Caleagno, New Kensington, 8.15 pounds; and Paul G. Zemcik, Erie, 8.08 pounds.
Picking up smallmouth awards were Rhonda Maszgay, Mt. Pleasant, 5 pounds; Gilbert Lewis, Erie, 4.87 pounds; and Bob Mingoy, Erie, 4.07 pounds. David Schuller of New Castle reported a 10.41-pound steelhead, while Gary Snyder, New Castle, caught a 1.7-pound yellow perch.
On the junior side, Mark Dietrich, 13, of Connoquenessing caught a 22 ½-inch, 5.67-pound brown trout from Walnut Creek. Other junior awards: Matthew Shustrick, Boliver RD1, 4.15- and 4.65-pound smallmouths; Luke Hoffman, 13, Johnstown, 3.8-pound smallmouth; and Jasmine Hamm 13, Gallitzin, 10.17-pound walleye.
Rob Abraham of Baldwin continues to catch fish while floating the Youghiogheny River. 'Rob and Mike Abraham of West Mifflin caught 40 smallmouths, half of them legal, floating down from Whitsett,' said Tony Berarducci of Youghiogheny Canoe Outfitters & Bait of West Newton. The week before, Rob Abraham, fishing with Art Rhitz, caught 36 smallmouths, walleyes and a 22-inch channel cat. Adam Weir, 14, of West Mifflin checked in with an 18-inch walleye and seven smallmouths. Haylee Deak, 13, of Hutchinson caught two sauger, four smallmouths and some drum. Berarducci, along with his cousin, Domenick Berarducci, 6, while waiting at Whitsett for the return of a canoe, caught seven smallmouths, topped by Domenick's 13-incher. 'Marc Abrasheff walked into the store with a 40-inch tiger-musky,' Berarducci said. 'He wouldn't say where he caught it.' And the trout angler, who wishes to remain anonymous, caught 11 more last Saturday.
It's been a while since mooneyes were heard from in district rivers, but John Drabisin and Dave Koget of North Huntingdon Township broke the spell. 'They caught two 16-inch mooneyes in the Yough River,' said Ben Hyrczyk of Ben's Bait & Tackle, West Newton. In addition, the two caught 13 smallmouths, with the largest being 16 inches. They also added a 16-inch channel cat. The fish, all caught on shiners, were released. ... Mike Adams of Minnies & More reported trout still being caught in the Yough River at Dawson. 'Bob Rumbaugh of Bitner caught 17- and 19-inch rainbows at the piers,' he said. Adams has been having luck with smallmouths, releasing fish up to 3 &*#189; pounds. 'They're hitting minnows,' he said. ... Dan Boyle of Star Junction Sports Shop said bass action has picked up in the Yough at Whitsett. 'Marty Harger Jr. caught and released 19 smallmouths, while Diane Dean released 10 smallmouths and a rock bass,' he said. Gary Lech caught four smallmouths and a rainbow. Jim Lang checked in with an 18-inch sauger, which weighed 1 pound, 9 ½ ounces. 'A lot of people are fishing at Layton,' Boyle said.
Two Donora anglers had a fine outing recently at the Charleroi locks on the Monongahela River. 'Jim and Matt Larkim caught several smallmouths, topped off by Matt's 4 &*#190;-pounder,' said Chuck Diaz of Diaz Bait Shop. ... Bob Paul tops the Carp Contest sponsored by Shad Lure & Tackle, West Elizabeth, with a 12-pounder caught at Canonsburg Lake. As for the Mon, 'just a few fish,' said D.R. Plants. ... John Ozohonish of Ozzie's Sports Shop, Rices Landing, reports anglers getting nice channel cats in the Mon, with one fellow coming up with a secret weapon. 'He's using pizza crust,' Ozohonish said. 'He caught 10 nice channels the other day, while other guys, using minnows and nightcrawlers, didn't get a one.'... 'They're getting a few fish in the Mon, but most guys are out looking at the big deer,' said Kevin Polish of Kevin's Archery & Bait Shop, Carmichaels RD1. ... Raccoon Lake in Beaver County will begin a drawdown Tuesday for repairs to the dam and control tower. Work is scheduled until Dec. 31. There will be a 6-foot drawdown.
The team of Wayne Bruno and Michael DeZort won the Keystone Bass Buddy Tournament held at Leetsdale on the Ohio River with a nine-fish catch weighing 10.50 pounds. Second were Dan and Ron Modrovich, nine fish, 9.30 pounds; third, Barry Clapperton-Keith Kleespies, five fish, 8.70 pounds; fourth, Lee Murray-Mike Mangino, six fish, 7.80 pounds. Brian McCay and Mike Baily ended fifth, four fish, 7.50 pounds, including the lunker, 4.80 pounds. ... Bob Wheeler, Allegheny County waterways conservation officer, said, 'The kids are having fun catching bluegills at Canonsburg Lake.' Adult anglers are getting channel cats up to 20 inches. On the Ohio River, Shawn Cadman of Coraopolis caught a half-dozen channel cats going 20-26 inches and lost a legal musky. Wheeler cited two men for fishing off the dam structure on the Back Channel Dam. ... Wayne Lykens of Island Firearms reported just a few small smallmouths, hybrid bass and drum being caught. ... Earl Yingling of North Park Sports Shop told of bass, crappies and bluegills still being caught at Marshall Lake. 'They also caught a couple nice catfish at North Park Lake,' he said.
Ohio is on a record-breaking roll. First, Reno F. Carifa of Sunbury, Ohio, broke the green sunfish mark with an .89-pound fish from a Delaware County farm pond, said Tom Cross, Outdoor Writers All-Tackle Record Fish Committee chairman. 'The fish was 9 inches long and hit a homemade lure made of beads and feathers, tipped with a piece of nightcrawler,' Cross said. Previous record weighed .75 pounds and was caught in 1994 from a private pond by Edward J. Alltop of Utica, Ohio. Then on July 31, James S. Williams of Fremont, Ohio, caught a 23-pound, 8-ounce freshwater drum from the Sandusky River. The fish was 37{1/8} inches long and hit a minnow. The former record was 22.66 pounds. That fish was caught from the West Branch of the Little Hocking River in 1997 by Joseph Allen of Little Hocking, Ohio.
Joe Russell, western Crawford County waterways conservation officer, said carp are being caught at Pymatuning and Conneaut lakes. 'Two carp fishermen I talked to had approximately 150 pounds of carp,' Russell said. One problem: They were fishing in a restricted area, that portion where people feed the carp. 'Thanks to some people who called with the license-plate number and were willing to testify, the men were fined $211.50 each,' he said. The two were going to use the carp as bait for turtles. ... Dave Wass of Nicklow's Bait Shop tells of 'just-legal bass and walleyes being caught in the Yough Dam.' Bass action at High Point Lake has picked up. Trout catches are still fine in the mid-Yough River.
'The bass fishing is definitely picking up on the Allegheny River,' said Lee Murray of Lock-3 Bait & Tackle, Cheswick. While not huge, people are catching several. 'The catfish are still hitting good,' he said. ... Matt DeMichele of Allegheny Bait & Tackle tells of a 20-inch, 3 &*#189;-pound smallmouth caught at the mouth of Bull Creek. 'They're also getting a lot of nice channel catfish at Braeburn on big shiners,' he said. ... 'It's a little slow at Highland Park,' said John Ashburn of Sharpsburg Gun & Tackle. ... 'They're catching catfish going 18 to 20 inches, but that's about it,' said Bob Hawk of Hawk's Bait & Tackle, Kittanning. ... The Fish and Boat Commission stocked tiger-musky fingerlings in the Allegheny River, with 4,900 going in the Allegheny-Westmoreland counties stretch and 2,500 in Armstrong County. Some 2,850 were released in Keystone Lake, Armstrong County. The Beaver River received 1,000.
Mike Milvet of Cross Creek Bait & Tackle said anglers are catching bass up to 18-19 inches at Cross Creek Lake, even though fishing pressure is light. The veteran crappie anglers continue to score, fishing the brush piles in 10-14 feet of water. 'One fellow said that he caught 20 of the nicest crappies all year, fish going 10 ½ to 11 ½ inches,' Milvet said. ... Chelesa Zamborski, 5, great-granddaughter of Lou and Vonnie Seiler of Jeannette, caught eight bluegills at Yellow Creek Lake. 'Largest was 8 inches,' said Jim Riddle of Riddle's Bait Shop. A 3.58-pound smallmouth won the recent bass tournament. 'Joe Lassick of Homer City caught a 17 ¾-inch smallmouth,' Riddle said. ... 'Nothing much,' said Bill Miller of Keystone Bait & Tackle about luck on Armstrong County's Keystone Lake. 'All I'm hearing are some bass, bluegills and crappies,' he said.
Paul Volkmann of Pee Vee's Fishing Lures & Tackle reported one customer having fine bass luck on Loyalhanna Creek between Kingston Dam and Long Bridge on a Tiny Torpedo. 'He caught two bass going 14-15 inches at the same time,' Volkmann said. With fishing generally on the down spiral, anglers are turning to St. Vincent's Lake for carp. ... Bill Intrieri of Lakeside Concession reports bass and crappies being caught at Loyalhanna Lake. 'The crappie fishermen are going through a lot of minnows.' he said. ... Some 60 to 70 youngsters took part in a Child's Fishing Derby at a pond at Prince Gallitzin State Park. 'Almost every youngster caught his first fish,' said Ron Anderson, who operates a bait shop at Lake Arthur. Butler County Bureau of Tourism sponsored the event, along with Anderson.
The report of a state record crappie, which had been circulating for several weeks, is apparently ill-founded, said Dan Tredinnick, Fish and Boat Commission press secretary. 'It was supposed to have been caught in the southwest region some where, but we never received any report,' he said. There were also reports floating around about a new flathead catfish record. 'The fish was reportedly caught in a south-east lake, in a portion that is privately owned, which would rule out any record possibilities,' Tredinnick said. ... The Fish and Boat Commission made three boating under the influence arrests at the Point in Pittsburgh last weekend. 'We also had one the weekend before,' said Tom Qualters, southwest region assistant supervisor.
