JACK WOLLITZ Anglers prepare for the 5th annual United Way Bass Classic

The champions of all four Youngstown/Mahoning Valley United Way Bass Classics head the field for this year's pro-am fund-raising tournament on Evans Lake next Saturday.
A total of nearly $40,000 has been raised for the United Way in the first four Bass Classics, thanks to the generous support of a number of companies that write sponsorship checks.
This year's Bass Classic supporters' list includes corporate sponsors BFI Carbon Limestone Landfill, Harrington Hoppe & amp; Mitchell law firm, Pipelines, Sensus Metering Systems, Trumbull Industries and Whispering Pines Village.
The event is hosted again this year by Aqua Ohio Inc., formerly Consumers Ohio Water Co. Wendell August Forge, whose late President Bill Knecht was a perennial entrant and great supporter of the United Way bass tournament, provided the first-, second- and third-place plates for this year's amateur contenders.
Veteran tournament anglers from this area and elsewhere around northeastern Ohio comprise the "pro" division. They are paired with "amateur" partners, many of whom are business and professional people from the Youngstown area.
Prizes
The winner of the pro division earns a $1,000 check, while his amateur partner will get the keys to a Hummer for a weekend, courtesy of Greenwood Chevrolet. Other prizes are provided by Dick's Sporting Goods, Gander Mountain, lure company PRADCO, Youngstown State University, Mahoning Valley Scrappers, the Cleveland Browns and optometrist Dr. Mark McMurray. Bob Bowman provided Quantum hats and Stren line as prizes.
While they all want to win, the anglers know the event is more of a fun tournament that benefits more than 30 agencies supported by the Youngstown/Mahoning Valley United Way.
"One pro and one amateur will go home with the top prizes, but each of the 64 anglers will walk away winners in the United Way's eyes," said Jennifer Johnson, Aqua Ohio's communications coordinator and co-chairwoman of the event.
Defending champion Nick Prvonozac and his brother George, the 2000 winner, each look forward to the possibility of becoming the event's first two-time winner, as does 2002 champ Mike Bolevich of Austintown. This reporter won the 2001 Bass Classic.
Interestingly, the winning patterns have varied considerably in the four previous events. The reason is largely a function of catching Evans Lake at different seasonal stages.
Winning patterns
In 2000, the tournament debuted on the first Saturday in June under an overcast sky and cool breeze. Winner George Prvonozac sacked a five-bass limit topping 18 pounds. He caught his bass on a main lake flat with scattered cover and worked a Zara Spook, crankbait and Carolina-rigged lizard.
The 2001 winning pattern involved nipping a tandem willow-leaf spinnerbait against the reed points in the backwater area near the Ohio Turnpike, which produced a five-bass limit weighing 13 pounds. That year's tournament also was on a breezy, overcast first Saturday in June, with intermittent sprinkles of rain.
Bolevich won the 2002 tournament -- moved to July in search of better weather -- on topwater poppers worked relentlessly over the sprawling weed beds in the main lake area. His limit catch weighed just a bit over 9 pounds, but it was the best of the miserably hot and still day.
Nick Prvonozac stood in the limelight after last year's event, which was switched back to the first Saturday in June. In a drenching rainstorm with 30- to 40-mph winds, he worked soft plastics slowly along the bottom near the dam and boated a number of largemouths, the best five weighing 15 pounds.
Getting practice
To prepare for this year's United Way Bass Classic, many of the pro contenders are out on Evans Lake this morning in search of productive water on which they can fine-tune a pattern for next Saturday.
It's likely they'll find some bass cruising the shallow cover along with fry that have hatched during the first wave of spawning. Some fish may also still be around nest areas, while other bass that already have spawned will have dropped back to deeper water.
Everybody's hoping not only for great fishing, but also for better weather.
"We're hoping the fifth time is the charm and we finally have a nice day where we aren't freezing, soaked or sweating," said Aqua Ohio's Johnson. "It's a great event and would be perfect if we all were just a bit more comfortable next Saturday."
jwwollitz@aol.com