LOTSA Club tournaments successful, Reel Impact tourney, DMAP permit deadline

The Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association held an intra-club tournament last weekend that proved another successful business.last Saturday at 20:00^th In the annual LOTSA Big King Salmon Contest, Bob Harcaro of Bangor, Pennsylvania, along with his Sweet Jane team (which includes his brother Mike), caught the largest fish of all, a 25.82-pound salmon. They used NK Green Dolphin Spoons to hoist the fish between Wilson and Olcott in 225 feet of water. Captured at diver’s No. 2 setting 165 feet away. The Big King enters the weekend in 11th place on the Summer LOC Derby leaderboard.

The club’s 3-2-3 contest saw 3 fish caught in 2 days with 3 winners, and Robert Schneider of Massachusetts and the Royal Flush Team (along with his son Devon Glynn) won the trio with an impressive total of 69.19 pounds. Schneider found large temperature variations at depths of 60 to 80 feet and 210 feet off Wilson. Flashers and cutbaits paid off on Saturday, producing two 23-pound kings. Runners-up were Matt and Mark Dunne, and the streaker team of Doug Parker Sr. and Jr. They fished off Wilson in 400 feet of water using 300 and 400 foot copper lines with meat and fly rigs behind flashers, catching a total of 62.09 pounds of salmon and producing Big Boy.

leading with 13^th The annual Kurt Meadow Memorial Three-Fish Contest held last Friday had a total weight of 56.28 pounds by the Gary House and Red Dawn team from Hamburg. There, too, Streaker finished second with a 54.74-pound salmon. Friday’s big shot was Lockport’s Marty Polovic and his four-man Polish team of king salmon weighing 23.7 pounds. A total of 48 boats entered the competition. For more information, please visit www.lotsa1.org.

The second annual Reel Impact Fishing Tournament for PUNT Childhood Cancer Cooperation and Dreaming is scheduled for August 4th on the Lower Niagara River outside of Lewiston. The tournament consists of up to 15 anglers paired with a local charter captain to earn points for each bass or pollock catch.

Proceeds from this goodwill event will be donated to West New York families facing childhood cancer diagnoses through special programs offered by Catching Dreams and PUNT. Boat sponsorship includes fishing for up to 3 anglers, breakfast and lunch, gift bags, and a ‘snack’ box for your fishing adventure. Other sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, contact Captain Ned Librock of Catching Dreams Charters at 870-5326.

Fall hunting season is not far away. The State Department of Environmental Protection announced that lifetime licenses and tags will be mailed, and reminded landlords that they must apply for a special Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) tag by August 1.

DMAP offers landowners the opportunity to receive additional deer tags without antlers (if eligible). This tag can be issued to licensed recreational hunters for use on property during hunting season. Deer damage can be devastating to some agricultural areas and this is one way to manage deer herds in some areas.

To be eligible for a DMAP permit, landowners or their designated agents must apply by August 1 stating why they need these special permits. Properties registered in reforestation, unique natural areas, and custom deer management categories must meet minimum square footage requirements or submit a written management plan with their application. If approved, the DMAP permit is valid for three years. However, annual reporting of these permits is required for continued eligibility. Follow the link at https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/dmapappl.pdf to get the application. For more information on DMAP and to see if you are eligible, please visit https://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/33973.html.

The Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club, known simply as ‘Con Club’ around the fishing circles, will host the popular Walleye Derby on Lake Erie outside Dunkirk from August 4-6. Only the first 100 of his entries are eligible, and the event typically sells out every year.

The premise of the contest is simple. Every day, the team only in New York waters he can catch three big fish. Each day he handles the big fish and the whole weight separately, plus he calculates the total weight for the three days combined. For registration, please contact us at 640-2776 or 366-8836.