Author: David Simmons

Saturday marked the last event of 2023, and it ended with a bang. It was cold, wet, and windy, but that did not stop 24 anglers from braving the elements. 5 anglers submitted a total of 9 fish over 30”. Austin Blauser was able to secure a first-place finish and the Big Fish pot of $120 with a massive 50” Muskie. Austin generously donated the Big Fish pot back to the club. Austin will also be presented with a first-place plaque at our awards banquet in February 2024. Congratulations on your 50” monster and thank you for your generous donation, Austin.

 

Great job to the following anglers who also caught and submitted fish during the event.

 

Austin Blauser – 50”

Justin Harbin – 47.5”, 38.5”, and 38”

Alex Turner – 46”, 41”, and 40”

Mark Herring – 45.5”

Kirk Adkins – 40.5”

 

Thank you to everyone who came out to fish, including those that donated extra money to the Minnow Fund. We hope to see everyone at the awards banquet in February 2024, and look forward to another great year of fishing.

 

As the air and water temps start to drop, and trees start to change colors, Fall has finally arrived here in Ohio.  While some anglers start hanging up their rods and winterizing their boats, muskie anglers chuckle knowing this is one of the best times of the year to be on the water.   We welcome the empty lakes with open arms, and what better way to end the tournament season than at West Branch, one of Ohio’s top muskie lakes.  As the fish prepare for the long winter months ahead of us, they should be feeding heavily, providing even more opportunities to hook into your new personal best muskie.  So, what are you waiting for? Head on over to our online registration now and come enjoy an awesome day of muskie fishing.

 

This is a single day event which will run from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, Saturday.  The angler who submits the longest musky of the tournament will be declared the winner.  The 1st place winner and any ties will receive trophies at our 2024 Banquet.  The winner of the Big Fish pool will be based on the longest fish turned in amongst all Big Fish pool entrants and will receive all Big Fish pool money.  Ties will not be broken; the prize pot will be split evenly amongst tied entrants.  All fish must be submitted to the Tournament Director by 6:30 pm at the West Ramp (Rock Springs Road) picnic table located in the car parking lot parallel to the Ramp Access Lane or via the cell phone number provided the night before the event.

 

You can register for the event 1 of 3 ways:

• Register online at
  • Event Registration
  • The online registration includes payment thru PayPal.
• Via postal mail
  • OHMC, 17712 Edgewater, Lakewood, Ohio 44107
• In person
  • Saturday morning from 6:30 am to 7:00 am at the West Ramp (Rock Springs Road) picnic table located in the car parking lot parallel to the Ramp Access Lane.

Once registered, you can launch from any public launch.

The entry fee will be $20 with an optional $5 Big Fish entry pool.  Proceeds of this event will help fund the OHMC’s contribution to the Minnow Fund and any extra donations are welcomed!  The statewide Minnow Fund is an integral part of the overall success of Ohio’s Muskie program.

We look forward to seeing you all there!

Here are the rules for the event.

Lunge Fest 2023 Rules and Regulations

 

New for 2023 and going forward:

• ALL fish mush be photographed on a bump board.
• A to-be-determined identifier released the night before the start of the event must also be present in each photo. It will be found on our social media so be sure to follow us on Facebook (Ohio Huskie Muskie Club Inc) and on Instagram (@ohiohuskiemuskieclub). The identifier must be printed off or handwritten. No fish submissions with a virtual identifier will be accepted (i.e., cell phone image of identifier, edited images overlaying identifier, etc.).
• Fish submissions not on a bump board or without the correct event identifier present in the picture will be disqualified.

 

Now that Fall is just around the corner, so is our 11th Annual Minnow Fund event held at Leesville Lake on Saturday, September 9th.  Leesville Lake is the home of Ohio’s muskellunge broodstock from which eggs are collected every Spring to be raised in our hatcheries until they are ready to be stocked back into the 9 muskie program lakes throughout the state.  We invite you to join us on this beautiful lake for a fun day of muskie fishing while raising money to help feed all the future giants in our hatcheries.

What’s better than a day filled with muskie fishing, warm food, and great conversation?!  Keith from South Fork Marina has generously offered to keep the restaurant open for our fish check-in.  OHMC would also like to offer each registered angler a $5 credit towards any food purchase.  So, please join us and support our awesome sponsor, South Fork Marina, and share some fish stories with other like-minded anglers.

This is a single day event which will run from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm, Saturday.  The angler who submits the longest musky of the tournament will be declared the winner.  The 1st place winner and any ties will receive trophies at our 2024 Banquet.  The winner of the Big Fish pool will be based on the largest fish turned in amongst all Big Fish pool entrants and will receive all Big Fish pool money.  Ties will not be broken; the prize pot will be split evenly amongst tied entrants.  All fish must be submitted to the Tournament Director by 6:00 pm at the South Fork Marina Restaurant Deck or via the cell phone number provided the night before the event.

You can register for the event 1 of 3 ways:

• Register online at
  • Register Here
  • The online registration includes payment thru PayPal.
• Via postal mail
  • OHMC, 17712 Edgewater, Lakewood, Ohio 44107
• In person
  • Saturday morning from 6:00 am to 6:30 am at the South Fork Marina Public Launch parking lot.

Once registered, you can launch from any public launch.

The entry fee will be $20 with an optional $5 Big Fish entry pool.  All proceeds of this event will help fund the OHMC’s contribution to the Minnow Fund and any extra donations are welcomed!  The statewide Minnow Fund is an integral part of the overall success of Ohio’s Muskie program.

We look forward to seeing you all there!

Here are the rules for the event.

Minnow Fund Rules and Regulations

 

New for 2023 and going forward:

• ALL fish mush be photographed on a bump board.
• A to-be-determined identifier released the night before the start of the event must also be present in each photo. It will be found on our social media so be sure to follow us on Facebook (Ohio Huskie Muskie Club Inc) and on Instagram (@ohiohuskiemuskieclub). The identifier must be printed off or handwritten. No fish submissions with a virtual identifier will be accepted (i.e., cell phone image of identifier, edited images overlaying identifier, etc.).
• Fish submissions not on a bump board or without the correct event identifier present in the picture will be disqualified.

 

What a beautiful weekend for a two-day muskie tournament on Piedmont Lake! We had 41 anglers hit the water in search of some Ohio giants. 20 fish were submitted with Phil Jarvis catching the biggest one of all measuring in at 45.5” to just edge out Mike Ayers’ 45.25” muskie. Phil took home a cool $200 cash for winning the Big Fish pot. Young Kenna Harmon came prepared to take on Goliath and showed us grown-ups how it’s done as she put a 39.25” and a 39” muskie in the boat to claim 1st place in the Main Event! Dave White also landed two muskies, (38.75” and 33”), to take 2nd place. Congrats to Kenna and Dave who will be awarded plaques at this year’s OHMC banquet.

Also catching fish; Brad Evans 33”, 33”, and 31”, Donnie Gutshall 42.75”, Jeff Ferjutz 41.25”, Scott Donohew 40.25”, Jerry Rice 39.25”, Rick Thorp 37.75”, Tyler Lynn 36.75”, Chris Truax 33”, Gordon Lynn 32.5”, Derek Halas 31”, Richard Daniels 30.5”, and Jessie Wolford 30.5”. Great job to all who put fish on the board this weekend! We would love to share any additional pics of your catches and you can send them to us on our social media accounts.

But…it wasn’t just a weekend of fishing. Around 20 anglers joined around the grill Saturday afternoon to share fish stories and a perfectly cooked shore lunch. Jerry surprised us all with not just his lure making skills, but his grilling skills as well. Thanks for jumping in there and running the grill, Chef Jerry, and thanks to everyone else that helped set up, tear down, and those that brought side dishes.

The Grand Prize Raffle was also drawn during the luncheon. Congratulations to Carlton C for winning a 1 week stay in the North Fork Marina Studio cabin, 1-day guided fishing trip with Ohio Muskie Guide Service, custom rod by Charles Alexander, Shimano Tranx reel, Muskie Bumper measuring board, and a tackle box full of muskie baits.

Thanks to all who attended and be sure to mark your calendars now for our next event at Leesville Lake on Saturday September 9th.