Two days of trolling and tested techniques put Kevin and Zachary Novak, a father-son fishing team at the top of the competition in the Masters Walleye Circuit Championship. The competition which took place in Henderson Bay near Watertown netted the team from Clarendon a hefty $9,000 for reeling in nine Walleye Pike with a combined total weight of 67 pounds. "We have a cottage in the area and fish there quite a bit and decided this year to test our skills against the big guys," Kevin said. "We've fished in quite a few tournaments but not all that many are this close to home." The key, Kevin said, was finding and keeping the fish. "They move around a lot." The fish were caught in 18 feet of water on Lake Ontario in an area the "size of a boat ramp," he said. Zachary, 16, has been fishing since he was old enough to hold a pole, his dad said. "We have pictures of him when he was still in diapers, holding a Snoopy fishing pole." Kevin said that Zach is an avid fisherman and that the two of them spend quite a bit of time on the water honing their techniques. The first day of the two day competition, the pair netted four Walleyes and five on the second day. "We used the same presentations both days," Kevin said. "We worked in the same area, using different trolling techniques with crank baits and an in-line planer." What's up next? Kevin said there is another tournament in Dunkirk in August and if they do well there they could qualify for next year's championships. |
