Masters Walleye Circuit Visits Sandusky, OH May 29-30, 2009

May 26th, 2009

The Masters Walleye Circuit returns to Lake Erie this weekend for the second Eastern Division Pro Team competition.

The weigh in site is located at the Shelby Street Boat Launch at 101 Shelby Street, Sandusky, OH. 

Lake Erie is one of the most popular fishing destinations of the Great Lakes, due to it's abundance of Walleye, Bass, Trout, and other popular fish species.

Trolling with crankbaits and crawler harnesses will be the dominant presentation this weekend as the teams try to find the largest fish possible.

All teams will depart each morning at 7am and return at 4pm. Day one will be Friday or Saturday, and day 2 will be Saturday or Sunday. The optional "blow day" has been built into the schedule, but if it's not needed the touranment days will be run on Friday and Saturday.

Boundries are:

Ohio, Michigan, and Canada waters are open with an East boundary just past Lorain. The North boundary at Detroit River will be Celeron Island.

Approximately 60 teams have signed up to compete this weekend, and will be rewarded with good weather and a chance at catching some huge weights.

Fish Limits:

All Walleye must be 15 inches and over. Any fish brought in that is under 15" is a state violation and will result in DQ for the tournament.

Teams are allowed to weigh a limit of 5 fish per team per day, cannot have more than 10 fish per team in the boat, and culling is allowed.

The forecast this week is:

This Afternoon: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70. East wind around 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tonight: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a low around 59. South wind between 13 and 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Wednesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a high near 77. South wind around 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Wednesday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. West wind between 11 and 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Thursday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before noon, then a chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 69. West wind around 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Thursday Night: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 69.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 54.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 69.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56.

Sunday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a high near 70. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Lake Erie Facts (from:http://www.dunkirklighthouse.com/LakeErieFacts.htm)
Elevation: 571 ft. above sea level         Maximum Depth: 210 feet

Length: 210 miles          Max. Width: 57 miles          Volume: 116 cubic miles

12th-largest (area) lake in the world

GEOLOGICAL

• The lake was gouged out by glacial ice between 1 million and 12,600 years ago.
• It was one of the first Great Lakes to be uncovered during the last retreat of the glacial ice.
• The oldest rocks from which the Lake Erie basin was carved are about 400 million years old and formed in a tropical ocean-reef environment.
• Lake Erie and its shoreline are a major source of many minerals. The largest sandstone quarry in the world is located in Amherst, Lorain County, Ohio. Salt mines in Cuyahoga and Lake Counties extend out under Lake Erie and are an important source of revenue to the State. Sand, gypsum, and limestone used for construction purposes are found in abundance. Large reserves of natural gas, over 3 trillion cubic feet, are located under Lake Erie.
  PHYSICAL
• Lake Erie is the 12th-largest (area) lake in the world, and its border includes four states (NY, PA, OH, MI) and one Canadian Province (Ontario).
• Lake Erie is the southernmost, shallowest, warmest, and most biologically productive of the five Great Lakes.
• Lake Erie has three basins: the western basin includes the islands area, the central basin extends from the islands to Erie, PA, and Long Point, Canada, and the eastern basin extends from Erie, PA, to the east end of the lake.
• Lake Erie is about 210 miles (338 km) long, about 57 miles (92 km) wide, and has a shoreline length of about 871 miles (1,400 km).
• The maximum depth is 210 feet (64 m). Average depths in the basins are: western, 24 feet (7.3 m); central, 60 feet (18.3 m); and eastern, 80 feet (24.4 m).
• The water surface area is 9,906 square miles (25,657 sq. km) and the volume is 116 cubic miles (483 cu. km).
• Lake Erie's drainage basin area is 22,720 square miles (58,800 sq. km) and has a retention/replacement time of 2.6 years, which is the shortest of the Great Lakes.
• Water flow from the Detroit River makes up 80 to 90% of the flow into the lake.
• The outlet for Lake Erie is the Niagara River; consequently, it is Lake Erie that feeds water to Niagara Falls.
• Basin rainfall is about 34 inches per year, although the historical trend is increasing slightly.
• About 34 inches of water evaporates from the lake surface per year.
• Elevation of the Low Water Datum (chart "0") is 568.6 feet above Father Point, Quebec. Average water elevation is about 570 feet above the same point.

 
HISTORIC

• The lake was the last of the Great Lakes to be discovered by Europeans, by Louis Joliet (a French explorer) in 1669.
• French claims to the lake were ceded to England as a result of the 1754-63 French and Indian Wars.
• In 1796, Connecticut gave up its claim to the Western Reserve lands, which then permitted settlement of what is now northeastern Ohio.
• The famous quotation "We have met the enemy and they are ours," was made by Oliver Hazzard Perry during the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812, which secured the south shore of the lake for the U.S. 

FISHING   

• More fish are produced each year for human consumption from Lake Erie than from the other four Great Lakes combined -- Lakes Huron, Michigan Ontario and Superior.
• The western end of Lake Erie is the "Walleye Capital of the World," producing more walleye per hectare than any other lake in the world.
• In 1981 Ohio sport fishermen spent over 13 million man-hours fishing on Lake Erie.
• Each year Ohio sport fishermen catch over 25 million fish on Lake Erie.

Join us here on Walleye Central as we bring you Live tournament coverage of the Masters Walleye Circuit in Sandusky, Ohio. Results will be available at www.liveleaderboard.com

Hope to see you there!

• More articles by Julia (Juls) Davis
• More articles in category: 2009 Tournament News