Retired Charter Captain Bob Rustowicz shares a photo of a prize walleye catch from the recent Sunset Bay Walleye Shootout in Hanover. Rustowicz will be fishing the Barts Cove Integrity Walleye Series this weekend from Chadwick Bay in Dunkirk.
Submitted Photo
Greeted by hundreds of walleye angler fans, local TV station interviews, the mayor of Dunkirk and the Steel Outdoors Group TV Show cameras when the National Walleye Tour visited Chautauqua County in Dunkirk to fish Lake Erie for its championship back in 2022, the NWT is coming back for more.
In 2022, John Hoyer won the big first prize worth $129,489 with 102.33 pounds of walleye for three days of fishing. Hoyer, from Wayzata, Minnesota, reported catching all of his Lake Erie fish during the competition days using a Berkley “Champ” Swim-jig rigged on a quarter-ounce Berkley Fushion-19 jig head. When the fish got “cranky,” as he called it, he would down-size it to a jig-head with a nightcrawler.
“The crawler actually saved my tournament because it helped me catch most of my quality fish, including the 11-pounder,” Hoyer said.
All of his baits were fished on Fenwick rods with Abu Garcia reels. His daily catch weights were 39.81 pounds, 30.79 pounds and 31.73 pounds, not bad for five fish.
The last of four qualifying events for the 2025 NWT regular season will return to Dunkirk, bringing with it a significant economic boost. Local businesses, from hotels to restaurants, will benefit from the influx of visitors. Local fishermen will be able to speak with national sponsor groups visiting the area with the NWT. Kids of all ages who love to fish can share conversations with walleye pro anglers to learn more about tackle, special gear, and secrets for dropping a line to fool a wily finny fish called “walleye.”
The NWT Tour schedule will feature four regular-season walleye fishing events on some of the best tournament walleye fisheries in the country at a time of the year when the fishery for the chosen competition sites should be in high gear for those waterways. The 2025 season will kick off April 24-25 on the Missouri River in Bismarck, North Dakota; then on May 22-23 head to the Mississippi River in LaCrosse, Wisconsin; then to Lake Huron at Alpena, Michigan, for a July 10-11 event; and finally on Aug. 7-8 to Dunkirk, to fish Lake Erie in the last of the four qualifying events. From these four events, the top 40 qualifiers earn the right to fish the championship event held in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Sept. 3-5, 2025.
The NWT event pairs professional anglers with amateur co-anglers by random draw to fish for cash and gear prizes. This unique format not only provides amateur anglers with the opportunity to learn from and fish alongside seasoned professionals, but also offers them a chance to win attractive prizes. Professional registration fees for the four regular season events is $7,000 total for the pro anglers and $2,000 for co-anglers. There are angler-of-the-year awards, many other contingency prizes, and other exciting gear giveaway prizes to competitors. Visit https://nationalwalleyetour.comfor fact sheets, photos and official rules. The National Walleye Tour is part of the Outdoor Team Works family of fishing tournaments. It is supported by Bass Pro/Cabela’s, Nitro Boats, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats and many others. Follow “NWT” on Facebook for 2024 live-stream action and more info.
For this year, event No. 4 of the NWT in Lake Skakawea near Garrison, North Dakota, set for Aug. 1-2, 2024, will conflict with the 20th annual Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club Lake Erie Walleye Tournament here at home in Dunkirk set for Aug. 2-4. The NCCC Tournament, a beloved local tradition, offers a unique opportunity for local anglers to showcase their skills and compete for cash and gear prizes.
“The NWT event has separated several teams that usually fish the three-day NCCC event, but that 92 teams are presently registered, and there is room for a few more late entries,” said Zen Olow, NCCC tournament director.
The registration fee for the three fish/per day, three-day event is $300 per team. Contact Olow at 716-640-2776 to learn more.
Gotta love the outdoors.
CALENDAR
July 27-28: Bart’s Cove Walleye Dual-2, Integrity Walleye Series (IWT-2), Dunkirk Harbor, three fish bag/per day, two days, $500 entry/team; Info: Mark Mohr, 716-998-9871.
Aug. 2-4: 20th annual Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club Walleye Tourney, $300 entry/team, Dunkirk Harbor, NCCC club weigh-in each day; three fish bag/per day, three days; Info and registration, contact Zen Olow, 716-640-2776.
Aug. 16-17: Innovative Outdoors Walleye Challenge, Dunkirk Harbor from HQ at the Clarion Hotel Gazebo, $500 entry/team; info, contact Jim Steel at 716-481-5348 or visit https://innovative-outdoors.com.