A few more teams were able to figure the fish out by Saturday, avoiding the skunk, but some of the leaders had a hard time finding the bigger fish two days in a row.
Team 54, led by Captain Don Burgun, moved up into first place with another heavy trio of walleyes totaling 24.85 pounds. Fishing with his partners Craig Kawski and Darren Freling, the team landed seven walleye in 120 feet of water while fishing out of Barcelona. Burgun’s group found towing worm harnesses behind big dipsey diver presentations to be effective.
Colin Gawronski’s Team 56 settled in to the second position for the second straight day. Along with Colin, Gary Andzel and Tom Kawski returned to their hot spot west of Dunkirk trolling in 80 feet of water to put together another three-walleye total, weighing 21.01 pounds. Gawronski landed the second-heaviest walleye of the day and of the tournament with a 9.52-pounder that gave tournament leader Paul Soper Jr. a few anxious moments.
Soper, who captains Team 80, moved up from the No. 16 spot all the way up to No. 9 with a day-two total weight of 19.71 pounds and the heaviest walleye of the tournament so far weighing in at 9.57 pounds. Soper’s team fishes out of a mid-sized aluminum boat and had to fish with the waves early in the morning until the lake layed down. His hog attacked a watermelon-colored worm harness presented on 10 colors of lead core line.
Team 70, led by Captain Dennis Allen, moved up into the No. 3 spot. Allen also landed the third-heaviest walleye on Saturday, weighing in at 9.23 pounds. Team 68, led by Captain Gregg Marzec, jumped up five notches into the No. 5 position. Marzec was fishing west in 98 feet of water. His team used its fourth man, Gary Malecki, to substitute for team member Russel Lamacchia on Saturday. Their largest walleye for Saturday weighed 8.98 pounds, taken on a challenger stick bait.
Mike Munson dropped a few places Saturday. Munson had to leave the water earlier than planned and his buddies moved into some heavy fish shortly there after. Team 50, led by Captain Herb Schultz, also moved up five positions for a two-day total weight of 38.80 pounds. Team 79, led by Captain Dennis Buczkowski, made progress Saturday, moving up 11 notches to the seventh spot.
Team 35, led by Don Rupert, moved up a notch to position No. 8 for a two-day total of 37.85 pounds. Team 7, led by Phil Ames, jumped up 16 spots to No. 11 spot. For most of Saturday they held the heavy box of fish position but as the day progressed they dropped. Fishing with Jerry Malecki and Randy Harringer, they used worm harnesses in Blueberry muffin pattern towed on dipseys, jets, lead core and down riggers to land five good-sized walleye including an 8.77-pounder.
See DERBY, Page B6
The heaviest box of fish for Saturday, caught by Captain Bob Rustowicz, posed no threat to the team leaders because Friday Bob and his crew, made up of son Robert and daughter Rose, had mechanical trouble with their boat. Rose Rustowicz landed a 9.07-pound walleye which was the fourth-heaviest fish of the day. The team’s three-fish total weighed in at 25.81 pounds for a better-than 8-pound average.
Team 11, led by Dwayne Bobik, has been landing some nice steelhead trout along with their walleye. Saturday was no different and they landed a dandy brown trout also. Friday, they had to change their lure pattern because they were landing so many steelies.
Captain Dan Korzenski, along with Ed Ruge and Edward Kaye, landed 12 walleye, several steelies and a laker all taken on various 3-D worm harnesses, which were the sponsor lures Saturday. The team wase fishing west in 80-to-90-feet of water using riggers, lead core line and dipseys.
There were five 9-pounders landed on Saturday including a 9.02-pound walleye by Dennis Gaul. There were nine 8-pounders taken, 18 seven-pounders, 16 6-pounders, five 5-pounders, seven four-pounders ,three 3-pounders and three deuces entered for largest fish on Saturday.
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