Watching the pros on Lake Erie
B.A.S.S. Photo With a limit of 27 pounds, 1 ounce of Lake Erie smallmouth, Alex Korol, from Fairport, N.Y., was one of three western New York anglers at the top of the leaderboard on Day 1 of the Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Lake Erie presented by Battery Tender.
Forrest Fisher Photo Dozens of youth anglers were on hand to talk with anglers and ask for autographs. The professional bass anglers were humble, jovial, and very accommodating.
Forrest Fisher photo With hundreds of spectators on hand, master of ceremonies Hank Welden started off the weigh-in with the National Anthem.
B.A.S.S. Photo With a limit of 27 pounds, 1 ounce of Lake Erie smallmouth, Alex Korol, from Fairport, N.Y., was one of three western New York anglers at the top of the leaderboard on Day 1 of the Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Lake Erie presented by Battery Tender.
Forrest Fisher Photo Dozens of youth anglers were on hand to talk with anglers and ask for autographs. The professional bass anglers were humble, jovial, and very accommodating.
Forrest Fisher photo With hundreds of spectators on hand, master of ceremonies Hank Welden started off the weigh-in with the National Anthem.
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I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but when the Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Lake Erie presented by Battery Tender rolled into Western New York this week, I almost forgot about walleye fishing.
Almost.
You see, I was a bass fisherman as a kid, and watching these anglers work Lake Erie has a funny way of uncorking some childhood memories.
This Bassmaster Open has brought 187 of the country's best bass anglers to Western New York, all chasing five-fish limits, tournament points and a chance to qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Series.
After Day-1, there were 114 anglers with 5-fish bags that weighed in at 20 lbs or more. That may be a Bassmasters all-time record. I'm checking on that. Alex Korol from Fairport, New York, was in the top spot after Day-1 with 27lbs-1oz for his five smallmouth bass, with Joseph Ferraro from Buffalo in second with 26-7, Billy Gilbert from Hamburg is in third with 26-6, Aaron Jagdfield from Michigan in fourth with 25-12, Dillon Falardeau in fifth from Rhode Island with 24-13, then by an ounce or two down to 10th place with Neil Deleeuw with 24-2. Imagine that 114th place is still weighing in at 20-0 lbs! Eastern basin Lake Erie: What a great place to live if you love to bass fish.
On Friday, all competitors were again in the mix vying for the top 10 spots to fish in the finals today. Only the top 10 will be fishing for the championship in the Buffalo-based contest.
The boats launch at 6:30 a.m., with the final weigh-in scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Friday at the Buffalo Outer Harbor Public Boat Launch at Buffalo Harbor State Park on Fuhrmann Boulevard.
For spectators, the weigh-in is free, and it is a pretty terrific place to spend a few hours. There is plenty of parking. Bring a chair, walk the docks, look over the boats and rigs, and, if you get the opportunity, ask a pro a question or two. These anglers travel remarkable distances to compete in a sport they clearly love, and despite the competition, there is an impressive humility about many of them. Some of the pro's are here from as far away as California and Oregon.
But you don’t have to be at the harbor to learn from this tournament.
The Bassmaster live coverage has become my favorite classroom.
During Day 1, I watched Bobby Bakewell, Chris Kingree, Joshua Weaver and Laker Howell fish our Lake Erie. Four anglers can be watched in a multiview format at the same time, and any one screen can be expanded with sound. Suddenly, you aren’t just watching somebody catch a fish -- you are listening to how that angler thinks and what he does.
Knots, jig selection, hook sizes, line, rods, reels, boat positioning, lure presentation and even the little adjustments made between casts are all right there.
Add, of course, there is forward-facing sonar, or FFS.
For local walleye anglers still trying to understand (and argue at times) what all the excitement is about, this tournament is an excellent opportunity to watch FFS being used by anglers who have incorporated it into their fishing. You can see what they are looking at, how they react to what appears on the screen and how that information influences their next cast, or their next rig change. It may answer more questions than a dozen conversations at the tackle shop.
I kept coming back to Laker Howell of Guntersville, Alabama. At 25, Howell has already fished 34 tournaments, winning two and finishing in the top 30 a dozen times, with more than $163,000 in career winnings. After Day 1 he was in 20th place with 23-8.
He also appeared to have Lake Erie figured out.
I watched him catch more than five smallmouth weighing over four pounds. His enthusiasm was obvious, but so was his patience. He carefully worked each fish, explained his thinking and repeatedly commented on just how incredible Eastern Lake Erie's smallmouth fishery really is.
That may be the biggest lesson of all.
Whether you’re a lifelong bass fisherman, a walleye angler trying to understand FFS, or simply somebody who enjoys seeing great anglers at work, these tournaments offer something more than competition.
They offer education. Most anglers fished with open-face spinning reels, ultra-sensitive rods, light line and light sinkers when using drop-shot rigs. That’s what I could observe.
So, if you can get to Buffalo Harbor for the final weigh-in today, go. Watch the boats, meet an angler, study the rigs and soak up the excitement. The anglers will share exactly how they fished today because it's the last day. Bass Pro Shops/Cabela's has an on-site mini-store there, too, with sale prices and free samples for everyone. Pro Eric Winter is on site to share how-to with setting up your fishing rigs for drop-shotting or NED rigs. Good stuff.
If you can’t make it to the harbor, pull up the live coverage online from the Bassmaster website by clicking on BassTrakk.
Lake Erie is the classroom. The pros are doing the teaching. The winner will take home about $50,000 and a ticket to fish in the Elite Series where the top prize is $1,000,000. Who said fishing doesn't pay? And this is bass fishing, not walleye fishing.
All we have to do is watch. Enjoy.
Gotta love the outdoors.
Outdoor Calendar
Aug. 20: Southtowns walleye Association, monthly meeting, 6 p.m. doors open, 5895 Southwestern Blvd, Hamburg,
Aug. 20-22: Turtlebox Bassmaster Open, Buffalo Harbor State Park (Small Boat Harbor, Sunlife Marina), weigh-in open to public; info: 877-227-7872.
Aug. 20-22: CANCELLED. WNY Walleye Association 2026 Fall Tournament.
Aug. 22: Chautauqua Lake White Perch Challenge (fishing tournament), Chautauqua Reel Bait & Tackle at Asheville Bay Marina, 25 fish basket, 6 a.m.-12 noon, $20 entry fee, kids under 12 free, shore or boat, see Mike Sperry, call 716-763-2947, register at the bait shop.
Aug. 23: Ellington Rod and Gun, "Don't Know Partner Trap League," 1045 Hagerdon Hill Rd., Ellington; Info: 716-287-3987.