For Immediate Release
For more information, contact:
Jon Siembor
OWF Committee
(440)344-0145
fishowf@gmail.com
CORTLAND, Ohio-The Ohio Walleye Federation held its first tournament of the 2018 season on Sunday April 22nd at Mosquito Lake. Thirty nine teams took to the water to compete for over $6000 in prize money.
Mosquito Lake walleye were persnickety. The Walleye were in a post-spawn transition and could be found in deep water south of the cemetery or up in north in the muddy water. Sonars showed the fish, but actively biting fish could be hard to come by. Fishing reports indicated that the walleye were biting better than last year, but it would be a grind to get a full five fish creel. Sunday brought temperatures near 60 with a sunny outlook for eager and hopeful competitors.
The team of Jim Leigh of Tallmadge, Ohio and Ronny Stoll of Orrville, Ohio claimed victory with a 1st place finish with 5 fish at 13.97 lbs. The team caught their fish in 16’ to 21’ feet of water trolling leadcore at 2.2 mph. Jim Leigh stated that “We pulled a total of twelve fish all day. Eight were caught in the morning and four were in the afternoon. Our big fish (4.35 lbs.) came about 10:30 am on a size five chartreuse flicker shad in 16’ of water”. The team’s top lures were Berkley Flicker Shads in Slick Sunset, Firetiger and Perch color patterns.
Second place went to Mitch Shipman and Rick Mulraney with 13.39 lbs. They trolled leadcore and flicker shads at 2.2 – 2.3 mph in the south end of Mosquito Lake. Third place went to PJ Kerr and Brian Davies with a bag of 13.32 lbs. Kerr and Davies trolled leadcore and mono with boards in the north end of the lake targeting 10’ to 14’ of water. Their lure choice was a Flicker Shad. Their big fish of 5.14 lbs. was netted in deep water on the south end of the lake near the cemetery. The father and daughter team of Chris and Grace Shipman 12.90 lbs. took fourth trolling lead as well. Local angler Terry Hovance and John Rubesich 12.70lbs rounded out the top five. Big fish weighed in at 7.39lbs and belonged to Chuck McManos and Arthur Abott, who caught the fish trolling leadcore in deep water on the south end.
Teams reported catching fish leadcore trolling, trolling suspended, jigging livebait, and vibing.
The Ohio Walleye Federation will hold its next event on Berlin Lake May 6th. The OWF events are made possible because of our sponsor support from Ravenna Marine, Vic’s Marine, Haine’s Marine, Worldwide Marine Insurance, Warrior Lures, and Goschinski’s Fin Feather and Fur along with many others. For more information please visit www.fishowf.club or e mail fishowf@gmail.com
The general public is welcome to attend our weigh-ins beginning at 3 pm the day of the event. The OWF promotes “Fishing, Family, Friends and Fun!”
Ohio Walleye Federation-Mosquito Lake Tournament:
1st Place $2400 Jim Leigh and Ronny Stoll
2nd Place $1200 Mitch Shipman and Rick Mulraney
3rd Place $800 PJ Kerr and Brian Davies
4th Place $600 Chris Shipman and Grace Shipman
5th Place $400 Terry Hovance and John Rubesich
6th Place $200 Dennis Sharonne and Robin Lance
Big Fish $250 Chuck McManos and Arthur Abbott
Special Thanks to all of our sponsors:
Ravenna Marine-OWF’s ILC Title Sponsor
Vic’s Marine-OWF’s Lake Erie Title Sponsor
Haine’s Marine
Fin Feather & Fur
Worldwide Insurance
Warrior Lures
Domka Outdoors
Reef Runner
Kerr Automotive
Fish D Funk
KMDA
Snakebite Snaps
Les’s Bait
Cisco
Fish USA
Dutch Fork
Church’s Tackle
Traxstech
Bay Rat
These sponsors make our tournaments possible!!!!
