Wayne County Pro-Am Results and Challenge Cup
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Candy is Sweet for Pro Titles;
5 More Minutes, Dodger Win Am Titles |
| By Bill Hilts, Jr. The “Candy” Fishing Team out of Rochester made the right move by targeting numbers of fish and chased brown trout just west of Sodus Bay to take the fishing trifecta and win the Professional Division of the AES Somerset/Maui Jim Lake Ontario Pro-Am Salmon Team Tournament out of Sodus Bay (Wayne County), the East Challenge Cup (combining Oswego and Wayne tournaments) and the overall Lake Ontario Challenge Cup (Niagara, Orleans, Oswego and Wayne counties) last Sunday. The team was led by Capt. Andy Sykut of Webster, owner of Andy’s Candies. Brown, like chocolate, was the lucky color all the way around for the team. In the Amateur Division, it was the Five More Minutes/Sigg’s Riggs team that won the Sodus Bay tournament July 19-20, also giving them enough points to take the East Challenge Cup (between Wayne and Oswego tournaments). However, it was the Dodger team, led by Jim Skolny and his son, Dave, of Manchester that took the overall Lake Ontario Challenge Cup title for their first time ever. The “Candy” team, in addition to Sykut, was made up of Gary Begy of Rochester; Guy Witkiewitz of Ontario; Andy Kupferschmid of Kendall; and Roy Letcher of Olcott. They headed four to six miles west of Sodus Bay and never broke 70 feet in two days of fishing, concentrating with spoons in the 60 to 70 foot range. A mix of Dreamweaver, Northern King and Michigan Stinger spoons – including superslim wonder bread and chicken wing patterns – did the trick. They ran their baits between 40 feet down and the bottom. They were one of five pro teams that limited out on the first day; catching nine the second day to take the title with a score of 351.23 points. Scoring is based on 10 points per fish and a point per pound. No pro limits were caught the second day. Identical fish totals were also recorded by Randy Calas’ Sure Strike Team out of Webster and their total wasn’t far off the mark, collecting 344.74 points over the two days. They finished in second place among 37 professional teams. Third place went to Fishin’ Magician with 287.15 points. Fourth was Rebel Charters led by Jerry Felluca of Hilton with 275.41 points. Team Savant Spoon/Fishing Fantasy was fifth with 249.26 points. To see the total rankings, check out the 2008 Challenge Cup Standings page on this site. Consistency paid off for the 5 More Minutes team as they were the only amateur squad among 27 teams to score six fish limits both days of the Sodus event. Their two day total was 198.94 points, besting the Lucky Enuff team with 166.93 points. The Lucky Enuff squad ran out of luck after the first day when they led all comers with a score of 126.72 points. Third place went to Oh Baby with 164.98 points. Fourth place went to Thompson Contender with 162.72 points; Cold Water Affair was fifth with 150.54 points. |