“BEST” is the active word here because many walleye anglers went fishing this year and caught their limit every time. To many fishermen, more fish beats the biggest fish. That’s never happened before in my last 60 years of fishing Lake Erie from the shores of Chautauqua County. It has been an incredible year for filling your freezer and sharing your catch with friends and neighbors. On the flip side, the most difficult thing to do was catch big fish if you were fishing in a tournament. There are so many walleyes in the eastern basin of Lake Erie right now that they are overcrowded, or so it seems. The 9-, 10-, 11- and 12-pounders cannot be found. Most fish are 2 to 7 pounds. There were no complaints from any anglers, but a few expert anglers figured out how to catch the largest walleye in competition events. Read on.

Bob Rustowicz and his age-old fishing team, “Forever-Fishin,” were crowned the 2024 Western New York Walleye Cup Series champions following the Innovative Outdoors Walleye Challenge results this past weekend.

The 2024 WNY Walleye Cup Championship Series was replaced when the old Lake Erie Walleye Champion Series sponsor decided to drop away. The new series drew accolades of tribute from competitors; it was well-run thanks to the hard work of Josh Larsen, owner/director of Primitive Patriot Outdoors and the WNY Walleye Classic/Dunkirk Walleye Festival event. The championship considers six of the 10 Lake Erie walleye tournaments this year for scoring, allowing 1 point and decimal fractions to be tallied in the individual totals for each captain and his team. The included tournaments were the Walleye Classic, the weather-canceled Barts Cove Duel 1, Sunset Bay Walleye Shootout, Barts Cove 2, Con Club Tournament and the Innovative Outdoors Walleye Challenge. Director Josh Larsen used each of the 24-team certified box weight tallies to find the best angler teams by points for the championship crown. Captain Bob Rustowicz and “Forever Fishin” took the crown for first place, second place was Captain Rob Oram with “I-con,” while “Dances-with-Fish” with Captain Ron Diluba took third place. In addition to the crown, “Forever Fishin” took home $1,200, “I-Con” was awarded $720 and “Dances-with-Fish” took $480 to the bank.

“Congratulations to the teams that competed in the Innovative Outdoors Walleye Challenge,” Larsen said. “The Innovative Outdoors tournament concludes the first annual WNY Walleye Cup Series. We had 24 teams registered. We had such a blast running this series. It is a very exciting series with tough tournaments and fierce competition for the WWCS Cup. Congratulations to all, and thank you for entering. Let’s grow the series even bigger next year.”

Submitted Photo Chuck Szpylman was the first-place winner in the New York Walleye Derby with his 9.98-pound, 31-inch Lake Erie walleye, good for a $1,300 cash award.

In a similar competition, but for a more extended date period, the New York Walleye Derby also crowned its winners this past weekend. The tournament ran from June 29 through Aug. 11, and included only the New York state waters of Lake Erie. The Steel Outdoors Group directed this event, the same efficient scoring team of Jim and Diane Steel, who are the directors of the Innovative Outdoor Walleye Challenge.

“We had 185 people registered for the $35 entry fee,” Jim Steel said. “The top nine winners are pretty happy with the results.”

First place went to Chris Szpylman with his 9.98 pound/31-inch walleye, good for $1,300. Tim Hughes was second with a 9.14-pound monster, a $1,000 award. Bernie Turner was third with 8.26 pounds, good for $800. Fourth was Josh Pfeiffer with 8.22 pounds, $550, Fifth was Jay Bruecckl with 8.20, $450; local walleye mentor Tom Miranda was sixth with 8.14, $350; Peter Szklanka was seventh with 8.06, $300; Timothy Marien was eighth with 7.74, $250; and Gorden Anderson was ninth with 7.50, $200.

Gotta love the fishy outdoors.

CALENDAR

Aug. 24: NYS Hunter Safety Course, Springville Field & Stream, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., 8900 Chaise Road, Springville. Register online: https://dec.ny.gov.

Aug. 29: NYS Hunter Safety Course, Ripley Rod & Gun, 6-9:30 p.m., plus one additional half-day, 9820 Rod and Gun Club Road, Ripley. Register online: https://dec.ny.gov. Must attend both days.

Aug. 31: Labor Day Sporting Clay Shoot, NSCA registered event by choice, Hanover Fish & Game, 780 Overhiser Road, Forestville. Registration starts at 8 a.m., shooting begins at 9 a.m. Info: https://hanovercalys.com.

Sept. 1: Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club family picnic, members only; 1 N. Mullet St., Dunkirk.

Sept. 1: NYS Squirrel season opens in WNY (gray, black, fox).

Sept. 6-7: WNY Walleye Association Lake Erie Walleye Tournament, Contact Ron Kucinski: 716-545-5925, or email: kucinski1293@gmail.com.

Sept. 9-22: NYS Early Antlerless 2024 Deer Season, check specific Wildlife Management Units.