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Classic anglers in ‘fin’ form
Apologies to all you Parrot Heads out there, but I have to say it: Fins up.
There were fins to the left and fins to the right as 462 largemouth bass were caught, scored and released in the Muransky Companies United Way Bass Classic on June 4 at Pine and Evans lakes.
That’s more than a half-ton of bass, 1,092 pounds to be exact, and every single one of them contributed to a great cause. The 17th annual United Way fundraiser hosted by Aqua Ohio raised more than $20,000 to help support the community service agencies funded with UW dollars.
Fishing at Evans, Bill Orr of Hubbard and Dave Rankin of Youngstown teamed up to catch 65 pounds 11 ounces – the heaviest tournament weight ever recorded in a one-day Ohio tournament.
Joe Discerni of Howland and Sean David of Youngstown won the Pine division with 40 pounds 2 ounces. A total of 171 anglers and marshals participated in the event last weekend.
The super heavyweight catches were possible thanks to the new scoring system that allowed for all keeper bass to be weighed and immediately released. The system, patterned after that used for the Outdoor Channel’s Major League Fishing competition, was implemented to reduce stress and mortality on the fish and add excitement to the competition.
The catch-weigh-release scoring system for the pro-am tournament proved to be a popular success. Pros, ams and scoring marshals commented about the thrills and drama it created as anglers knew exactly where they stood in the standings throughout the day and fought off anxieties as they watched competitors creep up on their scores.
Best of all, each bass gave two fins up. All 462 fish that were caught last Saturday were released immediately back into Evans and Pine lakes.
Veteran Bass Classic competitor Ricky White, a former University of Mount Union soccer standout, developed the web-based “app” that recorded each catch and displayed weights and standings in real time to all who were watching online.
Competitor Mark Richmond is a fan of the new system, which displayed both lakes’ scoreboard throughout the day via the anglers’ and marshals’ smartphones.
“I think this scoring system is terrific since it allows everyone a much greater opportunity to contribute,” said Richmond, one of the “am” entrants, as he compared it with conventional tournament scoring that would have limited his boat to five bass to haul to the weigh-in. “Under the old system, my two fish would not have figured in our scoring at all. Under the new system, my fish allowed us to crack the top 10.”
Richmond and his pro partner Jameson Lecon teamed to score 12 largemouths and finished ninth with 27 pounds 1 ounce.
The drama was palpable for pro Joe Discerni as he watched his lead evaporate several times during the day. He and partner Sean David rallied late and regained the lead for good as the clocked ticked down to the 2:30 p.m. finish.
For the record, the first bass scored in the tournament was caught by pro Al Masaitis of Brookfield. Masaitis, who fished as a member of his employer Fin Feather & Fur Outfitters’ team, landed the bass within moments of the start on Pine Lake.
The system also dealt heartbreak to Boardman’s Rob Palowitz and Blake Otterson. Holding on to the final payout spot at Evans, Palowitz and Otterson took a punch in the gut in the final 60 seconds as Calvin Wagner and Mike Migletts landed a fish that knocked them to 11th by a bare three ounces.
The catch-weigh-release format will return in the 2017 Muransky Companies Bass Classic, and the field will have another chance to shatter the record for total bass weight and dollars raised for United Way.