Photo courtesy of Forrest Fisher
Fish Hunter Sportfishing first mate, Chris Kempf, says, “Wind and waves greeted guests of the Easter Lake Erie Charter Boat Association as they met at the Clarion Hotel pavilion for a fishing trip to discuss Lake Erie conservation issues and tourism. The fishing is always good and will be better tomorrow.”
It was a day of collaboration and shared insights as representatives from a variety of conservation groups, including the NYSDEC from Albany and Buffalo, Lake Erie fisheries management groups, county and state legislators, outdoor communicators, and others gathered with charter captains from the Eastern Lake Erie Charter Boat Association on Wednesday.
The focus of the day was on walleye fishing and discussions about Lake Erie’s natural resource benefits, regional economy and tourism.
Jim Steel, Eastern Lake Erie Charter Boat Association president, and his lovely bride, Diane Steel, treasurer of ELECBA, provided a warmhearted welcome that included Tim Hortons coffee and donuts as guests from all parts of New York state traveled to the Clarion Hotel pavilion on Chadwick Bay for a day of walleye fishing on fish-filled Lake Erie.
Charter boat captains with larger boats shared their time with the guests, explaining where the fish are, the fishing gear and how much fun it is to catch and eat the tasty walleye.
I was paired with New York State Conservation Council President Chuck Parker aboard Fish Hunter Sportfishing Charter with Captain Jim Plinzke and first mate Chris Kempf. Plinzke’s 26-foot Sea Swirl with a 5.7-liter Volvo engine and 9.9-horsepower Mercury trolling motor was perfect for the task. Some 15 other fishing guests did likewise with other USCG-certified charter captains, including Dream Catcher Sportfishing, Wave Tamer Sportfishing, Infinity Charters, Pole Dancer Sportfishing and others.
Photo courtesy of Forrest Fisher
Eastern Lake Erie Charter Boat association President Jim Steel, left, and Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel greet invited guests to discuss Lake Erie, fishing and tourism at the Clarion Hotel.
Mother Nature prevailed with other notions than sportfishing. As we left the harbor, the rising sun in the eastern sky created the perfect backdrop for vivid rainbows of colored spray. The boats chugged into a prism of waves that quickly grew from 2 to 4 feet to 4 to 7 feet in less than an hour. The charter captains kept everyone safe and returned to the harbor before 9 a.m. The adventure of the morning was over, but yet more excitement in plain table talk among the managers of the Lake Erie fishery was about to begin. Heart-to-heart discussion about lake access, funding, tourism, economic boost options and related topics ensued, all in waiting for lunch set for noon.
Andrew Nixon, Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau executive director, greeted the group of local, regional and statewide leadership, acknowledging ELECBA for providing a hands-on, meaningful venue for attendees. Steel introduced others from the Chautauqua County and Erie County Fish Advisory Boards, which provided some of the funding for this event, as well as the legislative representatives in the audience.
“When it comes to fishing, when 40 boats come here to qualify for a national tournament, we want 200 boats in the future. Our commitment is to invest in the (Dunkirk) harbor, Lake Erie access and the fishery to make sure it is vibrant,” said Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel, dressed in his fishing clothes. “On behalf of myself and our staff here in Chautauqua County, special thanks to the captains and this ELECBA organization for helping us keep our economy rolling.”
A rousing round of applause followed.
“This event provides an opportunity for organizations from several venues to cross tables without borders,” said Steel.
Rich Davenport from the Erie County Fisheries Advisory Board requested all in attendance to recall the early days of the 1950s and ’60s and pollution.
“People don’t know, but about a month ago, USA Today printed an article declaring Lake Erie as the No. 1 lake in the United States,” Davenport said. “I want everyone here to think about that because 54 years ago, Time Magazine declared Lake Erie dead. Now, 54 years later, with the help of our NYSDEC, and with everybody in this room — especially the fishermen — we helped to turn this thing around.
“Every year, we write a better chapter for the fishery, the related wildlife and tourism. That fishing license helps to fund all of this help. It’s an additional incentive to be here, to fish here, and to enjoy the fun here,” Davenport added. “I want to ask all of us here today to get behind promoting the fishery, not just for the economic benefit, but for the funding to continue to make it better.”
Steel gave Davenport a gold star for talking less than three minutes, followed by rousing laughs and applause.
“Thanks to funding that we have received, there are a lot of new changes coming to Dunkirk and the waterfront: new docks, new lighting, new electrical services, improvements to the hotel grounds,” said Vince DeJoy, Dunkirk director of planning and development. “Next year, the National Walleye Tour will return in August 2025. They spoke with us when they were here last, and we listened. They told us we need more boat trailer parking, more launch access and other things. Mayor Kate Dobias asked me to express her gratitude for this event to ELECBA and all the charter captains and guests.”
Steel introduced Keith Tidbull, a Cornell University professor from Seneca County in Central New York, who is part of the leadership for the New York State Conservation Council. He explained that the NYSCC is the oldest conservation group in New York, representing all the sportsmen in the state. Their job is to apply and influence the wise use of our fish and wildlife and, in conservation efforts, help to spread the good news statewide about good things like what is happening here in Chautauqua County.
Several other speakers joined the round table of the Clarion pavilion venue.
Gotta love the outdoors.
CALENDAR
Aug. 7-18: Erie County Fair, Hamburg; visit the Conservation Building to see live fish, animals and conservation ideas for building bluebird box nests.
Aug. 9-11: Sportsman’s Rendezvous, Cattaraugus County Fairgrounds, 501 Erie St., (Route 353), Little Valley, $5 admission, info: 716-474-7251.
Aug. 13-14: Meet with Rich Lazarczak and the Cattaraugus County Trappers in the Erie County Fair Conservation Building for a free gift for kids (cured fur piece).
Aug. 15: Southtowns Walleye Association, monthly meeting and Kids Day event, 5895 Southwestern Blvd., kid’s crafts and learning stations: 6 p.m., general meeting: 7 p.m.
Aug. 16-17: Innovative Outdoors Walleye Challenge, Dunkirk Harbor from HQ at the Clarion Hotel Gazebo, $500 entry/team; info: Jim Steel, 716-481-5348 or visit https://innovative-outdoors.com.
Aug. 17: Roger’s Bird-Day Bash, noon-4 p.m., in the lodge at RTPI, tickets $20; Includes all-day admission to RTPI.