Category: Events

The 2015 OHMC Fall Outing was held on September 26^th and 27^th at Piedmont Lake. With the Super-Blood moon approaching, and the stable overcast weather, it had all the anglers excited as we began to gather on Friday evening. It is always a great time when our club assembles for an outing and as usual, there was laughter, stories, and smiles both early and often. The weather was ideal as we enjoyed moderate daytime temperatures near 68 degrees and cool evenings suitable for enjoying a nice campfire. The water temperatures were fairly steady at near 71 degrees and there was no rain during the event.

Registration was held on Saturday morning from 6:30 until 8:00 and the fish began to fill our nets soon thereafter. Some anglers had success trolling while yet others were able to get slimed with a casting technique. There was a feeling of inevitability about the bite, as almost everyone seemed even more optimistic than usual. As the day progressed, it was evident that the optimistic outlook was not out of line. Around 6:00 PM, most participants began showing up at the marina area in anticipation of the now famous steaks that our club enjoys during the events.

The owner of Cross Bone Baits, Jerry Rice, fired up the grill and once again put his masterful grilling skills to work with the assistance of Trustee Rick Simpson. We also had Trustees Tim Smith and Phil Ringenbach making fresh french-fries. Thanks to them and all of our trustees that came to the event and worked together so seamlessly; Robert and Stephanie Neville, Mike Reed, John Ringenbach, Fred Lederer, and Jeff Ferjutz. It is a great honor to work with such a wonderful group of dedicated individuals.

As has become customary, the steak dinner had many pleasant surprises. There was so much good food and deserts to eat, and for that I must thank the members that were thoughtful enough to bring the wonderful goodness that my taste buds enjoyed. After dinner we drew our winners for the raffles. The 50/50 was won by Fred Lederer, the rod and reel combination was won by Jeff Clark, and the Lure board was won by Richard Pfeister. In addition there were quite a few nice baits in the general raffle section and most members took home a prize.

By Sunday afternoon we all assembled for a tally of the final results. We had 38 anglers register for the event and 34 fish caught. The fishing was as good as advertised as Piedmont continues to shine every time we have an event there. It also helps when team Harmon shows up; As they did in this year’s summer contest the father and son team of Chuck and Chad Harmon once again put on a clinic. This time Chuck was able to secure a first place finish with 7 fish caught, while Chad enjoyed a second place finish with his 7 fish caught. They will be presented their trophies at our annual awards banquet in March of 2016. The Big fish for the event was a beautiful 45 incher caught by Matt Clark who was rewarded with a $165 prize for his angling success.

All fish reported are as follows: Chuck Harmon (35.00”, 32.00”, 30.00”, 33.5”, 41.00”, 39.00”, 37.50”)(66.00 Points); Chad Harmon (30.50”, 33.25”, 35.50”, 32.00”, 33.00”, 32.00”, 40.00”)(54.25 Points); Jerry Rice (35.00”, 39.25”, 37.00”)(33.25 Points); Paul Anderson (30.00”, 34.00”, 36.00”)(22.00 Points); Matt Clark (45.00”)(19.00 Points); Phil Ringenbach (44.25”)(18.25 Points); Fred Lederer (37.25”, 30.50”)(15.75 Points); Charles Neville (30.00”, 36.00”)(14.00 Points); Kevin Proffit (38.00”)(12.00 Points); John Ringenbach (38.00”)(12.00 Points); Philip Jarvis (36.50”)(10.50 Points); Rich Daniels (35.00”)(9.00 Points); Greg Starkey (32.00”)(6.00 Points); Chuck Land, Sr. (31.00”)(5.00 Points); George Kokournakis (31.00”)(5.00 Points).

Thank you to everyone that came out to fish and support the club. Without our membership, we don’t exist, and I truly appreciate everyone that shows up at these events. Good luck fishing for the remainder of 2015.

Our 2015 official club events are now completed and we had a great year. The fishing at West Branch for the Minnow Fund Event was good, Alum Creek treated us nicely for the Spring Outing, Leesville was nice to us for the Nite-Bite, and Piedmont shined on us for both the Summer and Fall outings. Our club does support the Hawg Hunt Hoedown at West Branch organized by Mr. Guy Bechter as an unofficial end of season get together. Please consider coming out to fish with us on November 14^th.

The 45^th annual OHMC Summer Contest was held on July 11^th and 12^th, 2015 at beautiful Piedmont Lake.  We had 55 anglers register and a total of 40 fish caught including 9 huskies.  The water temperatures ranged from 74 to 84 degrees while the air temperatures were from 60 to 84 degrees.  Most participants came in on Friday or earlier and did some pre-fishing.  Much of the talk on Friday evening was centered on what type of jigging would produce the winning combination.  Some felt that trolling would be the best strategy, while yet others remained steadfast in their belief that a casting approach would be best.

As the sun rose on a wonderful Saturday morning, the rain from the previous evening had vacated and we were left with bluebird skies to greet us.  Registration finished up by 8:00 and many persons headed over to the marina to partake in a buffet breakfast.  With full bellies, the boats left the docks and there were fish in some nets within minutes.  After completing the cleanup, I approached the dock where my boat was tied up and witnessed a club member fall in the water while attempting to tie up at the fuel dock.  Luckily, there was also a marina employee there and soon he and I had pulled the member to safety.  Having done my good deed for the day, I felt like perhaps a Karma fish might come my way.  Perhaps it will, but not on this trip.  I felt fortunate to be able to assist and I know if the tables had been turned that I would have been in safe hands.

We had a couple of new club members that do not have the proper motor on their watercraft to be able to fish Piedmont, but they were interested in attending the event.  I coordinated with other club members and found them some seats.  This type of kindness by our club members is one of the things that make me most proud to be associated with OHMC (“To promote good sportsmanship and brotherhood among men, women, and children.”).  Special thanks go out to the two club members that generously took out two of our newest club members for a day on the water, OHMC Treasurer John Ringenbach and OHMC Member Sam Reichenbach.  You both are truly kind gentlemen that I am fortunate to call friends.

The fishing reports on Saturday were mixed with most boats struggling for a pattern, while a couple of boats seemed to be on their game.  There was talk of clothes hangers and aliens, questions about the dates on the trophies, Beagles and Dachshunds everywhere you looked, and much laughter.  Jerry Rice of CrossBone Baits brought some inventory and there were quite a few other bait deals going on as well.  Jerry also serves as our club grill master and as has become customary, he came in early Saturday evening, fired up the grill, and proceeded to serve up some fantastic steaks for our cookout.  Members brought spring rolls, freshly cooked corn-on-the-cob, blueberry muffins, banana bread, cookies, cake, hot rigatoni, coleslaw, potato salad, macaroni salad, and several other goodies.  Yes, we ate well again!

After dinner, several boats, including myself, headed back into the darkness for a bit of night fishing.  Every boat that went out that evening caught fish.  The big fish for the event was caught during that time by club member Seth Ferrell.  His 48.50” behemoth netted him a cool $230 side pot.

As night turned to daylight, everyone was back on the water and the fishing seemed to improve compared to the previous day.  Quite a few members caught fish on Sunday, and the total number of fish reported demonstrates how great the fishing can be at Piedmont.  We all assembled on Sunday afternoon for the awards, door prizes, and raffles as well as to see just how many fish the Harmons’ had caught and what type of rod and reel Anna would win this time.

Our raffle winners were as follows;  Anna Land won the rod and reel; Rich Daniels won the Lure board, Paul Shepard won the 50/50 ($66), about 30 door prizes were handed out to attendees; and the Grand Prize was won by Marc Arena, owner of Red October Baits.

Our trophies were handed out to the event winners as follows:

First Place: Chad Harmon (30.50”, 31.00”, 32.00”, 33.50”, 35.25”, 37.00”, 43.00”)(60.25 Points)

 Second Place: Chuck Harmon (32.50”, 33.00”, 31.00”, 43.50”)(36.00 Points);

Third Place: Rich Welk (42.00”, 43.00”)(33.00 Points)

Anglers that reported fish are as follows:

Rick Simpson (35.50”, 45.75”)(29.25 Points); Phil Cummings (38.75”, 42.00”)(28.75 Points);  Fred Lederer (33.00”, 44.50”)(25.50 Points);  Loryn Wyeth (37.00”, 38.00”)(23.00 Points);  Seth Ferrell (48.50”)(22.50 Points);  Ray Elkins (35.50”, 37.25”)(20.75 Points);  Elmer McClure (31.50”, 40.00”)(19.50 Points);  Carolyn Lent (34.00”, 36.00”)(18.00 Points);  Jerry Rice (42.00”)(16.00 Points);  Syl Trunkett (39.00”)(13.00 Points);  Kevin LaRoche (38.50”)(12.50 Points);  Matt Clark (38.00”)(12.00 Points);  Troy Oliver (37.50”)(11.50 Points);  Paul Shepard (36.00”)(10.00 Points);  Jason Chamers (30.00”, 32.00”)(10.00 Points);  Tim Smith (34.50”)(8.50 Points);  Mike Sandridge (33.00”)(7.00 Points);  Kevin Proffit (32.00”)(6.00 Points);  Jenna Lederer (31.50”)(5.50 Points)

Thanks to all our trustees for everything you do to make these events go smoothly and thank you to everyone that came out to support our club.

The Ohio Huskie Muskie Club hosted our 2015 annual Division Day and Spring Outing from Friday, June 5^th through Sunday June 7^th, at Alum Creek Reservoir.  Festivities kicked off on Thursday with a boat axle replacement for Past President Fred Lederer.  His weekend would get better!  On Friday Morning, Members of the Outdoor Writers of Ohio, The Ohio Division of Wildlife, and the OHMC, all met at the Boat ramp for a day of Muskie fishing.  Soon, an error on my part by having brought the wrong supply tote, created an opportunity for the strength of our Board of Trustees to be displayed.  Everyone came together to get a list of needed items, and Trustee Stephanie Neville stepped up to get us re-stocked in time for lunch.  As I have indicated in the past, our club is truly blessed to have such a great group of trustees.  Thank you all.

With the glitches behind us, we hit the water and the nets started getting wet immediately.  We had four guests boat their very first muskie, including one tagged fish from the emigration study.  During Division Day, we had 11 OHMC members serve as guides for 9 Division of Wildlife personnel and 3 writers.  There were a total of 9 fish caught by 9 different guests.  After the fishing concluded, we all enjoyed a grilled lunch and a mutual Thank you from each group.  Our winner this year was Dan Kovalaske, the Castaila Fish Hatchery Coordinator.  Dan caught his first muskie, which was a 42” fish, while being guided by club member Phil Cummings.  Congratulations gentlemen!

The weather for all three days was just dandy as we enjoyed our first rain-free Spring Outing in many years.  The air temperatures ranged from 55 to 80 degrees with a mix of clouds to sunny skies.  Our Spring Outing event was conducted simultaneously with a Muskies Inc. Chapter 41 event and both groups enjoyed the atmosphere of cooperation.  With a medical emergency by a club member on the water, many persons came together and got him transported to the hospital where he was treated and released the same day.  Thanks to everyone that helped, it’s nice to know that our membership will drop everything to help a friend in need.

Our clubs had a joint shore lunch together which was catered by a local Boy Scout troop and they did a fantastic job!  We had burgers, brats, corn, cookies, brownies, and many other tasty treats.  Later, in the evening, we had our steak fry and once again, Jerry Rice did a fantastic job cooking all of our steaks.  We enjoyed 16 oz ribeyes and some of the best coleslaw I have had in a long time (Thanks Holly)!  Tim smith cooked us fresh corn-on-the-cob and some members that traveled from more than 4 hours away, took time to bring us side dishes.  Thank you to everyone that contributed to a wonderful meal.  We conducted our traditional raffle prize drawings afterwards and our winners were as follows:  Seth Ferrel won the Rod and Reel, Rick Simpson won the Lure Board, and Doug Miller won the 50/50.

We had 45 persons sign up and had 22 fish of 30” or greater turned in.  We also had many sub-30” fish caught and at least 3 of those fish were successfully scanned with PIT tag readers.   When the results were in, they showed that Fred Lederer had put on a clinic.  He boated 4 fish to take 1^st place.  Lou Spezio won 2^nd place and the big fish side pot.  Congratulations to our winners, they will receive their trophies at our annual awards banquet next March.

All fish caught are as follows:  Fred Lederer (32.50”, 34.25”, 34.50”, 36.00”)(33.25 Points); Lou Spezio (41.00”, 43.00”)(32.00 Points); Elmer Heyob (38.75”, 40.00”)(26.75 Points); Anna Land (30.00”, 33.50”, 38.00”)(23.50 Points); Bronson Gundlach (35.00”,38.00”)(21.00 Points); John Ringenbach (39.00”)(13.00 Points); Rick Simpson (31.50”, 32.00”)(11.50 Points); Cliff Honeycutt (35”)(9.00 Points); Jack Moga (34.75”)(8.75 Points); Holly Neville (34.00”)(8.00 Points); Tom Watson (34.00”)(8.00 Points); Jeff Ziol (32.00”)(6.00 Points); William Neville (31.00”)(5.00 Points)

Thank you to everyone that came and I hope to see you all next month at Piedmont.

 

 

2015 Minnow Fund Muskie Outing Summary:

68 Anglers Registered
29 Fish Caught

$2,091 event profit.

Youth Big Fish: Jake Wickline (36.00”)
First Place: Chuck Kuhlman (36.00”, 39.00”,43.00”) (40.00 Points)
Second Place: Patrick Vogel (36.00”, 37.00”, 39.50”) (34.50 Points)
Third Place: Steve McCloud (32.00”, 35.00”, 36.50”) (25.50 Points)
Big Fish (Tie): Chuck Kuhlman (43.00”) and Jack Moga (43.00”) ($275.00 Each)

Friday Night: Beverages and Registration
Saturday Morning: Breakfast and Registration
Saturday Evening: Dinner & Door Prizes with DNR Personnel.
Sunday Afternoon: Awards, Door Prizes, Raffles for Rod & Reel, 50/50, Lure Board, and Baits.

All Fish Caught:
Chuck Kuhlman: 36.00” and 39.00” and 43.00”
Patrick Vogel: 39.50” and 37.00” and 36.00”
Steve McCloud: 32.00” and 35.00” and 36.50”
Kevin LaRoche: 38.00” and 38.00”
Sylvester Trunkett: 39.00” and 37.00”
Jack Moga: 43.00”
Scott Hale: 34.50” and 33.00”
Chuck Land, Sr.: 41.25”
Jeff Clark: 40.00”
Guy Bechter Jr: 31.00” and 33.50”
Chris Silverthorn: 37.75”
Phil Ringenbach: 37.00”
Ken Miller: 37.00”
David Zimmerman: 36.50”
Jake Wickline: 36.00”
Patrick Andino: 33.00”
Elmer Heyob: 32.75”
Jeff Ferjutz: 31.00”
Bob McCloud: 30.50”

Thank you to everyone that came out to support the event, to those that donated to the event, and to those that dedicate their time to run the event. This does not happen without your participation and it is truly appreciated. Also, thank you Rosie, Syl is a lucky guy to have such a great gal.