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In 2021, the lucky ladies of “Team Eye-Candy” won a random draw to pick a winner of the Sunset Bay Shootout when the tournament was canceled due to weather. Captain Kim Skoczylas is pictured with the trophy.
Conversations are rampant every trip to the boat launch; anglers going out and coming in. Active casual talks are the norm. Did you catch any? Good size? Where did you fish? What did you use? What color? How deep did you fish? East or West? How fast did you troll? What is the water temperature there?
Fishing knowledge is an absolute game changer for any angler looking to reel in the big one. At every fishing excursion, there is excitement in the air as anglers with their boats and top-notch fishing gear gather at the launch site, swapping stories and tips in colorful and animated language. The marina is buzzing with chatter, except when the “lady anglers” are present — then everything shifts to being prim and proper, but rest assured, they are master interceptors of the juiciest information. These ladies have the uncanny ability to decode, streamline and execute fishing plans like no one else, and they often share the goods if you’re in the know. It seems the world of fishing has always been this way — my sister was hooked, my wife outfishes me (shh, it’s our secret), and even my mom was a post-World War II fishing aficionado. The thrill of the catch never fades, especially with these remarkable women leading the charge. So, has fishing ever been more exhilarating? I think not.
Last weekend, everyone nearby observed USCG Certified Master Captain Kim Skoczylas effortlessly maneuvering her 31-foot Tiara into a slip at the Sunset Bay State Park Marina. As she expertly navigated the boat, her three friends aboard stood ready with ropes, their 12 rods and reels overhead, and later they all posed with a nice catch of walleyes for a photo. Their successful fishing trip left other anglers a bit empty handed and curious about their secret to fishing success.
All the ladies wore big smiles, which indicated they had a great time. Captain Kim mentioned, “It was a brief trip. We were conducting a pre-tournament fishing checkup for the Sunset Bay Walleye Shootout. There’s over $500,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs.” They were surprisingly open to sharing a lot of details, but not everything.
Starting from Cattaraugus Creek at Sunset Bay, they trolled west in 75-80 feet of water, using five to 10 colors of 27-pound lead-core line with 50-foot fluorocarbon leaders for their stickbaits. They prefer using the Woodstock lead core line, which they’ve trusted for years. (I must be out of the loop, as I’ve never heard of this brand). There’s always more to learn.
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Master Captain Kim Skoczylas says “Team Eye-Candy” is ready for the next Lake Erie walleye fishing derby. Skoczylas says she caters to lady fishing trips from Sunset Bay State Park Marina.
The captain noted, “We had the most success with the 8-color line, dipsey divers, and a few on the downriggers. The rigger lines were only 25 feet from the Black’s rigger releases.”
In those moments, it was evident that the girls were knowledgeable about their fishing tactics and knew what to share and what not to share. I received a lot of valuable but familiar information, and it was all beneficial. That’s what secrets are for … after winning the next contest tomorrow.
“How did they learn so much about fishing?” They were enthusiastic about the Southtowns Walleye Association and how they found tips and other angler secrets to try from there. The seminars, pre- and post-meeting discussions at clubhouse meetings (second Thursday of each month, 7 p.m., 5895 Southwestern Blvd., Hamburg), and other conservation events there. Good stuff.
I just came across some fascinating fishing tips and techniques. Captain Kim shared some valuable insights, revealing that they prefer using Long-A Bomber lures, particularly the old ones, as well as Bandits and custom lures like those made locally by Dennis Pillard Lures. They have had great success with colors like pinks, purples, and chartreuse, but they couldn’t reveal the exact hot color at that moment due to an upcoming tournament. Dennis Pillard Jr. won the Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club tournament last year with his Pillard Pro-Stick lure, the kind these ladies like to use. Hmmm.
Captain Kim smoothly transitioned “Pillard lure colors” to discussing their fishing setup, revealing that they ran Dipsey-Divers back 134 feet on a 1.5 index, one on each side with an 8-foot leader. Interestingly, they have an intriguing superstition of never setting the divers to a number that ends in zero, and it has brought them good luck. Never question good luck. They also use Torpedo downrigger weights, setting the downriggers to 50 feet. Additionally, they have a Fish Hawk thermal sensor and speedometer on one of the downriggers to monitor underwater information, which helps them determine the boat’s running direction and adjust their fishing strategy accordingly. It’s incredible how the underwater conditions can significantly differ from surface conditions.
They also mentioned that they like to use 3-D worm harnesses from the riggers and dipseys, and stickbaits from the lead core lines, running four lines on each side. Surprisingly, they run a total of 12 lines on each trip and rarely encounter tangles. When I made a comparison to stacking dishes in the dishwasher, Captain Kim gamely responded, “It’s much more fun!” They further discussed the regulations, noting that while some tournaments have line limits, they are allowed to run 12 lines during open fishing. However, in adherence to NYS law, they stick to a limit of three lines per angler. There is an incredible wealth of knowledge from these ladies for any fishing enthusiast.
They have fished since 2020 as the “Eye-Candy” Team. These “women-winners” often discover tournament cash and gear at the end of events they fish. Are they lucky? Yes. They have “positive providence” going their way. Sheer luck is hard to find, but when you got it, you got it.
In 2021, a crazy storm occurred during the Sunset Bay Shootout and the tournament was canceled for safety. But here’s the kicker, the tournament organizers did a random draw to pick a winner, and guess who won? Yep, the Eye-Candy ladies got it. And there is something about them never ending on a zero? Whatever that means, it’s all adding up to some seriously good karma for these awesome anglers.
Want to learn how to fish like a girl and fill your cooler? Captain Kim runs that big boat with a restroom from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. with up to six lady passengers (paying guests can be guys, too) for $700 a trip. That includes fish cleaning. Add in a 20% tip; most folks use that standard, and the total is $840 for a hopeful limit of walleyes headed to the freezer. That’s only $140 per passenger for a completely fun-filled day of fish-catching and freezer food for a long time. No stress. No gear issues. No engine problems. Did you know that just one rod-reel rig with lines and leaders and lures has a cost of about $350. They run 12 of them. See what I mean about value? You can contact Captain Kim Skoczylas at 716-864-2938 (Ultimate Adventure Sportfishing).
Look for them next weekend at the Sunset Bay Walleye Shootout. The weigh-in is open to the public and is held on the beach with a vast, colorful stage, fish-minded announcers and all the fun hoopla from the porch at Cabana Sam’s. Last year, Wes Bartoo of Team Crazy Eyes with a five-fish bag of 35.27 pounds won it, with Randy Jaroszewski of Team Ice Breaker in second place with 34.78 pounds and Edgar Trent in third from Team Erie-Eyes of Ohio with 34.61 pounds. Ounces matter. Less than 1.5 pounds separated the top 10 teams for the big cash. Visit https://walleyeshootout.comto learn more details. There are 200 teams allowed in the tournament event; weigh-in begins at 4:30 p.m. right outside Cabana Sam’s Restaurant on the beach.
Gotta love the outdoors.
CALENDAR
July 14: Chautauqua Lake Bassmasters-Summer Bass for Cash. Open Tournament, Long Point Marina, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., $200/team entry. Info: 716-708-0330.
July 19-20: Sunset Bay Walleye Shootout, $500 entry, $500K prizes, six fish bag/one day, Info: Captain Don Ruppert, www.walleyeshootout.com.
July 27-28: Bart’s Cove Walleye Dual-2, Integrity Walleye Series (IWT-2), Dunkirk Harbor, three fish bag/day, two days, Info: Mark Mohr, 716-998-9871.
Aug. 2-4: 20th annual Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club Walleye Tourney, $300 entry, Dunkirk Harbor, NCCC club weigh in each day, three fish bag/day, three days of fishing. Info and registration, contact Zen Olow, 716-640-2776.