However, by 11:30 am, the wind was blowing condsiderably harder and most of the teams were fishing in 5-7 foot waves.

"There was a moment, around 12:30pm when I noticed the waves crashing over the breakwall," said Tournament Director Dave Kidd. " It was then that I had the radio mic in my hand while I considered calling the field in, then the lake started to lay down."

Several of the teams opted to come in early due to the conditions. Mostly, these were the boats that met the minimum requirement for size, to fish this circuit.

The rest of day one, went off without a hitch, with all the teams reporting in safe and sound by the check-in time of 4:30pm.

As with most days when the beast roars, the catch reflected the conditions of the lake. Exactly half of the field came in with zeros, while the other half, save but for the three teams with their 5-fish limits, came in with 2-3 fish short of a limit.

Day one would record the team of Scott Hewitt and Mike Petruski in the lead with 23.99 pounds followed by the four-fish catch of Jim McGowin and Bob Adler for 22.70 pounds.

Day two would be an entirely different day.

The 24 teams were elated to find only a breath of wind from the south and a flat calm lake. The teams were able to blast off at the correct time of 7:00 am. With ideal conditions most of the teams ran to the schools of fish off of Ashtabula and Conneaut. The 4:00 pm weigh-in would tell the story.

By tournament end the team of Scott Hewitt of Burton, Ohio and Mike Petruski of Cleveland would reatain their lead with a catch of 31.04 pounds for a total of 55.03 pounds. Their effort rewards them with a check for $715.00, a LEMTA bonus of $600.00, plus a Aqua-Vu underwater viewing system.

In second place after day one, Bob Adler and Jim McGowin of Niles, Ohio came up with a 31.01pound catch for a second place total of 53.71 pounds, earning them a check for $415.00, a LEMTA bonus of $200.00 and a Pinpoint 7220 imaging display.

In Third place was Sean Boutin and Dave Frey of Avon Lake, Ohio with 44.66 pounds earning them a check for $315.00 and a set of Cisco Quality Rod Holders. This win also solidified their place as Lake Erie District Team Of The Year, for which they will receive $200.00 in gift certificates from Stamina Quality Components.

They also took the big fish pool on day one with a 8.66 pound walleye earning them an additional $210.00 and the $100.00 OPTION 20 POOL.

Robert Hall of East Rochester, Ohio and Don Wood of Salem, Ohio took the fourth place honors and a check for $215.00 plus a set of Cisco Rod Holders for their 40.64 pound catch.

Day two big fish winners were Rick Cole of Elwood, Indiana and Roger Gilliam of Anderson, IN with their 9.05 pound walleye earning them $210.00.

Our 1999 circuit sponsors include:

Lake Erie Marine Trades Association, United States Fishing Association, Ranger Boats, Diehard Marine, Levi-Garrett/Kodiak, Johnson/Evinrude Outboards, Fle-fly Manufacturing, Rays Custom Tackle, Kustom Kreations, Reef Runner Fishing Lures, Church Tackle, Stamina Quality Components, Cisco Rod Holders, Akro-Mils, Snagaway Lure Retrievers, Aqua-VU, and Pinpoint Positioning Systems.