JACK WOLLITZ Tournament winner cites dad's influence

As fathers stand proud on this, their most special day of the year, it is appropriate that a fishing dad gets a special pat on the back from his namesake son.
After Norm Cappitte Jr. and brother Greg won a walleye tournament sanctioned by the Western Reserve Walleye Association at Lake Milton recently, Norm Jr. was quick to thank his dad.
"We owe our success to our father," the junior Cappitte said. "He knows the local waters very well and he taught us everything we know."
Their results
The Cappittes, Youngstown residents, hauled up more than seven pounds of Lake Milton walleyes to win the 40-team Western Reserve Walleye Association tournament and bag the $515 first prize.
What's more, the brothers also won the Cabella's national qualifier at Mosquito Creek Reservoir May 5, topping 70 teams and claiming $1,540.
Norm Jr. reported the Milton fishing was tough until he pulled out a venerable Erie Dearie - invented by long-time Lake Erie fishing skipper Capt. Dan Galbincea of Mecca and now manufactured by the company run by his son, Dan Jr.
"I tied on an Erie Dearie and my brother just sort of laughed, like 'what the heck'," Cappitte said. "But it produced three of our four walleyes that day."
The brothers trolled the south side of the lake in shallow water near the Route 18 causeway to nail their fish.
Junior also proudly announced that Norm Sr. has an 11-pound trophy to show for his years and years of walleye experience. He caught the hog at Pymatuning Reservoir.
Columnist's dad
Bob Wollitz is an avid angler, too. He loved to work Lake Milton and Berlin Reservoir for walleyes and crappies.
Among my earliest recollections, in fact, are memories of evening fishing trips under Berlin's railroad trestle, with Coleman lanterns hissing from their hangers off the side of the boat and zillions of minnows flitting in the yellow glow on the water.
We always took a mid-summer family vacation up in Michigan's north woods, where dad and I fished every day for the walleyes and northern pike in Burt Lake and Indian River. We trolled Rebels, Rapalas and Flatfish or drifted with crawler harnesses. At dawn and dusk, we anchored over a big sand bar and dragged the bottom with live bait rigs.
Early walleye
Years later, he bought a Starcraft Islander and we ventured out over the reefs and flats in Lake Erie's western basin. We caught the early wave of the then newly booming walleye fishery. We'd drift with the white caps, casting and winding Erie Dearies and me regularly throwing up as I fought off seasickness, much to his amusement.
Retired from Delphi Packard Electric, he and mom moved to Florida, where, you guessed it, he fishes just about every day.
Today, instead of Milton and Berlin, he's dabbling around in Charlotte Harbor's bays and backwaters. Rather than reeling up walleyes and crappies, he's into snook, jacks, speckled trout and, lately, black tip sharks.
"They're everywhere right now," he reported last week.
So here's to much more great fishing for all the angling dads. May the fish be "everywhere" for you. Happy Fathers Day.
jwollitz@shermanassoc.com