Arguably the biggest fishing tournament to ever take place in the area will be going on at the Allegheny Reservoir this Friday and Saturday.
The Master’s Walleye Circuit will host an event here for the first time.
The “Kinzua Waters” are home to several walleye tournaments each year, but the Master’s Walleye Circuit kicks things up a notch. Many of the premier walleye anglers throughout the country fish the Master’s Walleye Circuit trail.
The Master’s Walleye Circuit tournaments are open to the public. Entry fees are $650 per two-person teams. Each team can weigh in up to five fish each day. The heaviest two-day combined weight wins the event.
Most anglers will agree that the competition couldn’t have come at a better time. Mid-summer is one of best times to fish the Allegheny. The bite should be at its highest level, which should bring in some great baskets of walleye.
Many local anglers break the Allegheny Reservoir down to two sections (Seneca Indian Reservation section and Pennsylvania section). Most would agree the New York state side seems to be more tournament productive than the Pennsylvania part.
“The reservation is the most fished area, but it is so unpredictable depending on weather conditions since the river input controls the water clarity in that section,” said Gary McLaughlin, a local angler who will compete this weekend.
“The reservation also has the most potential for numbers of fish except for the unknown or untapped Pennsylvania section, which most people don’t know or have not pursued its deep water bite.”
In a typical tournament setting on the Allegheny, the fish will be caught using two different tactics, jigging and trolling. Most of your jiggers seek out small areas of structure using jig-baits. Those who are trolling tend to use a bottom bouncing/live-bait rig method and usually cover larger areas to catch walleye.
“We plan on fishing the Allegheny the same way we fish a lot of other bodies of water,” noted Ron Gordon, from Michigan.
Gordon has fished the Master’s Walleye Circuit trail for more than a decade and is considered to be one of the elite anglers in the country.
“We are looking forward to this tournament. Our first day of pre-fishing went very well. This is a beautiful area,” Gordon added.
Although the best anglers in the country are here to show their skills, Bradford resident Doug Yohe believes the locals have a small advantage.
“The advantage always goes to the locals,” Yohe said, who has fished several Master’s Walleye Circuit events.
“But you can’t forget that this is a temperamental lake and someone from out of town could trigger some bigger fish by doing something different and win the thing.”
Yohe has had a lot of success on the Allegheny and just because the competition may be at a higher level, he doesn’t plan on changing his tactics.
“My primary method on the Allegheny is to use smiley blades with slow-death style hooks tipped with night crawlers,” Yohe said. “I’m going to try and get five fish by doing this, then I may pull crankbaits to try and catch bigger fish.”
The locals know the trolling bite is always hot in July, but you can’t count out the jiggers, according to Yohe.
“A good jigger could easily win this tournament,” Yohe noted. “The way the bite has been, jigging may be just the way to go.”
Although the Allegheny is home to both the Pennsylvania and New York state record walleyes, it’s not known for bringing in big weights. Yohe thinks anyone who catches one or two big fish will likely win.
“Anybody, anywhere at anytime can pull in a big one, which makes this thing up for grabs,” said Yohe.
Lewis Run resident Brock Haven, who also has some Master’s Walleye Circuit experience, plans on changing his tactics in order to find some bigger fish.
“We will mainly pull night crawler harnasses, but I also plan on going into Pennsylvania using lead core and planer boards to try and catch some bigger fish that are suspended,” Haven noted.
Haven believes a tournament this size can make things a bit crowded on the water.
“In some places you may be fishing bumper-to-bumper,” Haven added. “It’s good to have a few secret spots in mind.”
Haven also thinks preparation is going to be a big key to win the event.
“I plan on fishing about every day this week in hopes of getting a pattern together,” said Haven.
Lastly, a Master’s Walleye Circuit event not only benefits local fishermen, but the Bradford area should see an economic boost this week as well. Hotels, grocery stores and bait shops should all see a spike in sales.
Dick Slaven from Slaven’s Country Cupboard in Bradford has already seen an increase in his camp rentals this week.
“Our camps are booked up,” Slaven said.
Slaven is also expecting bait and tackle sales to go up as well.
“We made sure we stocked up on everything in hopes for a good week,” Slaven said. “We are definitely expecting an increase in sales.”
