Matt D
05-22-2007, 10:16 AM
Family teams dominate second LEWT event of 2007
The Western Basin Sportfishing Association (WBSA) held the second event of the Starcraft Marine/Evinrude E-TEC Lake Erie Walleye Trail (LEWT) at Lakevue Marina Saturday May 19th. This event was rescheduled from May 5th when the weather didn’t cooperate and forced a cancellation. The 36 teams were greeted with sunny skies and mild breezes for takeoff and each team received a snack bag from Yant Beef Jerky to enjoy later in the day.
In an odd twist the top five teams for this event were teams that were related. Coming in with a limit weighing 39.8 lbs. to out distance the rest of the field was the father and son team of Gary and Nicholas Zart both of Hinckley. They found their winning fish pulling spinners east and northeast of Kelleys Island. Brother-in-laws Aaron Humbert of Republic and John Miller of Green Springs brought in 36.94 lbs. to finish second. The next 2 spots were both occupied by father and son teams. In 3rd were Thomas and Tom Sibert of Sandusky and Castalia and the team of Dave and Travis Hartman from Columbus Grove and Bellevue finished in 4th. Jim and Erin Swick kept the family theme going by pulling out a 5th place finish for the husband and wife team in Erin’s first tournament.
LEWT title sponsor Starcraft Marine regional Sales Manager Greg Yarbrough offered these thoughts, “It was good to see Team Starcraft member Gary Zart pull off a LEWT win and also to see member Dan Gies finish well inside the top 10 with a 6th place finish. We look forward to seeing Team Starcraft continue to have an excellent year.”
The chase for the Cranberry Creek Marina Big Fish award saw a tight finish as the Zarts edged out a two way tie for second by .12 lbs with a 9.46 lb fish taking the top honor. In addition to the $500 big fish award they also captured the free season ramp pass to Cranberry Creek Marina.
Most of the teams were fishing around the island area pulling spinners behind bottom bouncers or inline weights and some teams reported that Reef Runner and other crankbaits caught the majority of their fish. The colors used were purple, green and perch colored baits. Most of the teams also talked about trolling in the 1.0 to 1.6 MPH range. In addition to paying out over $5000 in prize money there was also over $1,200 in merchandise handed out from our sponsors. A special thanks goes out to Lakevue Marina for the use of their excellent facilities and to West Marine for providing refreshments to everyone at the weigh in.
In the race for team of the year LEWT rookies Michnicki and Zubel took over first place after following up their runner up finish at the first event with another top 10 finish at Lakevue. Since team of the year is decided by the top 3 finishes out of five tournaments it is still anyone’s award to win and some of the veterans are anxiously watching to see how the rookies respond to the pressure of leading the pack.
There are spots available for the remaining LEWT events in 2007. For more information about the LEWT you can visit www.wbsa.us The LEWT is sponsored by Starcraft Marine, Evinrude E-TEC(BRP), West Marine, Reef Runner Lures, Cranberry Creek Marina, Gander Mountain, Sportsmans Outpost, Erie Outfitters, Ole Pete's Tackle, Maxed Out Enterprises, Yant Beef Jerky, Navionics, Renosky Lures, www.OhioGamefishing.com , Buckeye Rod Maker, Michigan Stinger Spoons, Sharpnack II Chevrolet, Fisherman’s Wharf, Jim’s Taxidermy, Cisco Fishing Systems, LPG Fishing Systems, Rich’s Hook Line and Sinker, and Dave’s Bait.
The Western Basin Sportfishing Association (WBSA) held the second event of the Starcraft Marine/Evinrude E-TEC Lake Erie Walleye Trail (LEWT) at Lakevue Marina Saturday May 19th. This event was rescheduled from May 5th when the weather didn’t cooperate and forced a cancellation. The 36 teams were greeted with sunny skies and mild breezes for takeoff and each team received a snack bag from Yant Beef Jerky to enjoy later in the day.
In an odd twist the top five teams for this event were teams that were related. Coming in with a limit weighing 39.8 lbs. to out distance the rest of the field was the father and son team of Gary and Nicholas Zart both of Hinckley. They found their winning fish pulling spinners east and northeast of Kelleys Island. Brother-in-laws Aaron Humbert of Republic and John Miller of Green Springs brought in 36.94 lbs. to finish second. The next 2 spots were both occupied by father and son teams. In 3rd were Thomas and Tom Sibert of Sandusky and Castalia and the team of Dave and Travis Hartman from Columbus Grove and Bellevue finished in 4th. Jim and Erin Swick kept the family theme going by pulling out a 5th place finish for the husband and wife team in Erin’s first tournament.
LEWT title sponsor Starcraft Marine regional Sales Manager Greg Yarbrough offered these thoughts, “It was good to see Team Starcraft member Gary Zart pull off a LEWT win and also to see member Dan Gies finish well inside the top 10 with a 6th place finish. We look forward to seeing Team Starcraft continue to have an excellent year.”
The chase for the Cranberry Creek Marina Big Fish award saw a tight finish as the Zarts edged out a two way tie for second by .12 lbs with a 9.46 lb fish taking the top honor. In addition to the $500 big fish award they also captured the free season ramp pass to Cranberry Creek Marina.
Most of the teams were fishing around the island area pulling spinners behind bottom bouncers or inline weights and some teams reported that Reef Runner and other crankbaits caught the majority of their fish. The colors used were purple, green and perch colored baits. Most of the teams also talked about trolling in the 1.0 to 1.6 MPH range. In addition to paying out over $5000 in prize money there was also over $1,200 in merchandise handed out from our sponsors. A special thanks goes out to Lakevue Marina for the use of their excellent facilities and to West Marine for providing refreshments to everyone at the weigh in.
In the race for team of the year LEWT rookies Michnicki and Zubel took over first place after following up their runner up finish at the first event with another top 10 finish at Lakevue. Since team of the year is decided by the top 3 finishes out of five tournaments it is still anyone’s award to win and some of the veterans are anxiously watching to see how the rookies respond to the pressure of leading the pack.
There are spots available for the remaining LEWT events in 2007. For more information about the LEWT you can visit www.wbsa.us The LEWT is sponsored by Starcraft Marine, Evinrude E-TEC(BRP), West Marine, Reef Runner Lures, Cranberry Creek Marina, Gander Mountain, Sportsmans Outpost, Erie Outfitters, Ole Pete's Tackle, Maxed Out Enterprises, Yant Beef Jerky, Navionics, Renosky Lures, www.OhioGamefishing.com , Buckeye Rod Maker, Michigan Stinger Spoons, Sharpnack II Chevrolet, Fisherman’s Wharf, Jim’s Taxidermy, Cisco Fishing Systems, LPG Fishing Systems, Rich’s Hook Line and Sinker, and Dave’s Bait.