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Development effecting opportunities in Dunkirk

Submitted Photo Pictured, from left, are: Charlie Klaus, Marvin Marner and Kyle Kokanobich displaying their 9.26-pound walleye caught near Sturgeon Point last week during Big Fish Friday at the Sunset Bay Shootout.

Let me tell you about a tale of two cities.

Last weekend there was a walleye fishing tournament held at Sunset Bay. The weather was less than ideal, but nonetheless, the committee did a great job attracting fishermen reportedly from 24 different states. The amount of money those visiting fishermen spent in our area during their stay was well over a million dollars. They rented cottages, hotel rooms and motel rooms, ate at restaurants and fast-food establishments, purchased bait and tackle, gasoline and groceries, paid Thruway tolls, consumed groceries and beverages, and had a good — if not a great — time despite the weather, while sampling our world-class walleye fishery.

Many will return and spread the word about Sunset Bay and how fisherman friendly that area is.

A few miles away to the west is Dunkirk. A few years ago there once was a banner that was spread across Route 5 that proclaimed Dunkirk was the Walleye Capital. That banner was hung at the end of Central Avenue. The walleye fishing in Lake Erie is still great. Fishermen will travel here to compete in tournaments or to casualy fish. If they come on a Thursday during the summer they will not be overwhelmed with how they are treated.

For starters, the City of Dunkirk Boat Launch will be closed on Thursday evenings because of Music on the pier. When a storm did considerable damage to the pier we had music in Memorial Park. It was a success. The area next to Demetrei’s restaurant, which is where the fishermen usually park, was filled with cars and vehicles. But there was more room for spectators and less danger of someone falling off the pier. Now there is a new bar/restaurant located on the east side of the pier entrance that eliminated more boat/trailer parking, congested the access to the pier, and along with the boardwalk enterprises, reduced the boat trailer parking area down to almost zero. Handicapped parking for fishermen by the boat launch is down to maybe two spots. For the last two weeks on Thursday the pier has been at least partially closed to vehicles trying to travel around the pier, due to questionable access rights and priorities. The pier which is a concrete finger extending from the mainland, concentrates men, women, children and pets in a noisy environment with alcoholic beverages available, and is surrounded by water. The potential for danger is real.

Submitted Photo The Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club presented $1,000 scholarship awards for 2021 to Hunter Dellow and Dominic Beiger. Pictured, from left, are: Douglas Jaffray, club president; Wendy Dellow, Hunter’s mother; Hunter Dellow; and Don Merckel, club vice president. In back are: Mike Stanton, club treasurer; Haleigh Dellow, Hunter’s sister; and Wade Dellow, Hunter’s father. Beiger was unavailable for a photo.

The pier, boat launch and parking area is the only place realistically in town for the fishermen, while Dunkirk has numerous other beautiful and safer locations to present entertainment productions. The summer in Western New York is too short to begin with. Losing one day/or evening per week is not helping. Selecting a permanent site would save time and money. The stage could stay up instead of being constructed weekly and there would be more room for vendors and more parking. Our fishermen need the support of our elected officials to remedy this situation before it gets worse. Please, before someone gets hurt or worse.

Avoid becoming Drunkirk!

After almost a week of inclement weather, the fishing has started to improve. Pascal Wilkins from the Dunkirk-based DEC fisheries station reported that on Thursday there were several reports of limit catches of walleye from Sturgeon Point. The 40-to-55-foot depths, as well as near the border and west of Sturgeon Point were all producing. Worm harnesses and stickbaits were working, but black and purple offerings were the ticket.

Justin Stevens from Catt Creek Bait & Tackle commented that the catfishing has slowed due to Cattaraugus Creek being blown out due to all the rain, but several customers reported doing well on walleye in 40 to 50 feet of water around Barcelona using hands-on techniques like casting Erie Dearie/Weight forward spinners tipped with night crawlers. One source reported doing well in 50 to 70 feet of water west of Van Buren Point on Thursday. Purple and pink stickbaits were the ticket.

The perch bite has been slow lately as well as the perch fishing effort. Zach over at Hogan’s Hut in Stow reports that the perch bite has recently resumed on Chautauqua Lake primarily at the north end of the lake by Long Point, Mayville, the Bell tower and the Chautauqua Institution. There is also a Couples Bass tournament going on this weekend on Chautauqua Lake. Musky and walleye fishing has been slow.

CALENDAR

¯ There is a pistol course at the Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club on Saturday from 2:30-7:30 p.m. Call Gary Dudek at 366-3397 for details.

¯ The Bart’s Cove Walleye Invitational will be on July 31 & Aug. 1. Chairmen Mark Mohr (998-9871) and Joel Ruggerio (868-3418) will present a two-day event on Saturday and Sunday with a three walleye daily total weight format. Entry fee is $500 per team with optional Calcutta. Payout will be for the top five places daily determined by weight. 100% cash payout. No Big Fish Friday. Captains Meeting on Friday at Bart’s Cove. Contest starts at 6 a.m. and concludes at 3:30 p.m. daily. New York Lake Erie waters only.

¯ The Con Club Walleye Derby is Aug. 6-8. The VIP day is Wednesday, Aug. 11 and the Innovative Outdoors Walleye Challenge is Aug. 20-21.

¯ The Sportsman’s Rendezvous at the Cattaraugus County Fair Grounds will be Aug. 13-15, presented by the Cattaraugus County Trappers Association. $5 entry fee and kids under 16 admitted free with an adult.

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