Seventy-eight total veterans (some captains, some shore-help, all Great Americans), were treated to a mixed morning of sometimes peaceful, other times wet and wild fishing, camaraderie and a great lunch with prizes and awards. This was our biggest veterans event since our inception in 2020. That is 22 boats this year after the elusive cisco.
First place- Team “Eye Tried” with a 29.42lb box. That is the Pecar Clan that has been working their way to 1st place all season long, and they made it…on our last friendly competition of the year. Congratulations Tom, Tom II, Brenda, Jesse Packer, Bill Hardy and Bob Polsen on the big beautiful Angler Quest.
Second place- Team “Pure Angling” with Captain Tyler Smith, veterans Robert Moeser, Tom Sylvester, Gail Johnson and Larry Roszczewski bagged a “close to first” 28.22 lbs.
Third place- went to Team Wicked Tails with a 16.56lb box. A steep drop from 2nd to 3rd in weight here, but still quite a ways above the average box of cisco for the morning. (10lb average box weight.
In other categories, big cisco went to Team Golden Hour Outdoors (Josh Keena and Jenn Boyce) with a behemoth 4.36lber.
Big salmon went to Team Reel Deal (Bernie Hennig) with a 9.76 lber
Big laker, and big 1-man limit overall box went to Team Pure Angling (9.84 laker, 46.88 big box).
Big Sponsors are the businesses below who give us everything we need to make these events fun, exciting, and get people outside! Go take your business to:
Dreamweaver Lures (all season big-water), TCH Gear (all season inland lakes), Equitable, Advisors Financial (Jerome Hartl), Buc’s Bait (thanks Dennis!), Sweet Shannons BBQ and Ice Cream, Cellar 152 Elk Rapids Restaurant , Pine Hill Nursery
ABC Warehouse electronics Traverse City, Do A Little Good -Williamsburg, Freedom Hunter veterans organization, Mclean’s Home Center Kalkaska, Michelle Spillane - Elk Rapids publicity, Fredrickson Excavation Services, Danes Dirt Works
And when you see them, thank these selfless friends that work (and I mean work) to put these events together…Maxine and Matt Marciniak (goodness gracious), Tom Brown (professional organized scrounger), Kevin and Lynn Craven (hard labor), Bob Samuel (Corn Cooker King), Greg and Carla Fredrickson (Action Makers), Bernie Kores (head-chef), Ken and Jim Fassett (see it-move it), and Trever Danes (group moral and morale support) and all the NWMI Fishing Club leaders and helpers out there that I am forgetting.
