On TV show, it’s fish vs. an Austintowner

Even before the remnants of Hurricane Ike blew over our area last weekend, Pymatuning Reservoir was ruffled like it had never been ruffled before.

A trio of muskie fishermen visited the famed lake on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border to tape a television show for the Versus network, and in the boat was ESPN’s loquacious Mark Zona.

Zona and world-renowned muskie fisherman Pete Maina were the guests Sept. 10 and 11 of Chris DePaola, an Austintowner whose own reputation as a muskie man continues to grow throughout our region.

They landed 11 muskies, including one fat 47-incher that Zona pulled to the net.

“We were trolling when that one hit and the fish was pulling so hard that Zona couldn’t hardly get the rod out of the holder,” DePaola said. “Then, when it jumped, he turned and said, ‘I gotta real schlobberknocker.’”

Fans of ESPN’s Saturday morning fishing shows know Zona as the zany host of his own “The World’s Greatest Fishing Show” as well as the expert commentator on “Bassmaster” broadcasts of BASS Elite Series tournaments.

He is known to say whatever pops into his head — whether it’s fishing-related or not — and invents his own terminology when regular words don’t quite describe what he sees.

“Schlobberknocker” — or however one would spell it — is Zona’s word for a fish of oversized proportions.

Maina, a member of Bass Pro Shops’ fishing team, had arranged to fish Pymatuning under DePaola’s guidance to tape a segment for his “The Next Bite” show. When he learned Maina had invited Zona, DePaola knew he was going to be entertained.

“The guy is as crazy in person as he is on TV,” DePaola said. “Pete was casting this giant, 4-ounce spinnerbait called ‘Train Wreck’ and Zona kept teasing him that he wasn’t going to catch anything on that ‘chandelier.’

“Then, wham, Pete hooks up with a 45-incher and Zona had to eat his words.”

Zona caught the biggest fish during the two days of taping, the 47-incher that attacked an 8-inch firetiger-colored wooden Chubby Bait.

DePaola joined the big-fish derby with his own 46-incher, which ate a 6-inch bluegill colored Ernie, a lure that Maina makes.

“Pete was very impressed with Pymatuning,” DePaola said. “He’s fished for muskies all over North America and said Pymatuning compares well with any of the famous big muskie lakes in the Upper Midwest.”

DePaola said he has been successful throughout 2008 on Pymatuning.

“It’s good to see Pymatuning coming back from the red spot disease problems that hit the lake in the 1980s,” he said.

Maina’s Pymatuning show will air six times on Versus beginning in the first quarter of 2009.

Muskies galore

Ohio Division of Wildlife official recently reported that Lake Milton and West Branch Reservoir have been stocked with muskies.

Milton received 1,448 muskies, while West Branch got 2,269. The fish are from Ohio’s Kincaid hatchery.

jwwollitz@aol.com