Maryland East Division

Conowingo Reservoir Recap

On August 6th, 2005 we had 30 teams from the Maryland – East division of The Fishers’ of Men National Tournament Trail compete on Conowingo Reservoir launching out of Dorsey Park. This body of water which sits on the Maryland / Pennsylvania border is the last pool of the Susquehanna River before it dumps into the Upper Chesapeake Bay. Traditionally a good “numbers” body of water with an equal mix of largemouth and smallmouth, the heat of 2005 took its toll on both anglers and fish as only 1/6 th of the field recorded limits of 5 bass at 12+ inches. The entire field managed 49 bass for just 67.36 pounds with an even mix favoring largemouth just barely 27 to 23.

The adult / junior team of Mike and Austin Neary, fresh off their hiatus due to baseball season conflicts, claimed the $1144.00 first place prize money by securing an 8.96 pound bag, bolstered by the biggest smallmouth of the tournament at 1.85 pounds. Tim Kowalewski and Steve Patrick from New Jersey earned the runner-up 2nd place prize money of $788.00 with their weight of 8.58 pounds, anchored by the biggest largemouth of the event at 2.43 pounds. Placing third with 7.10 pounds and putting an absolute lock on their 2005 “Rookie of the Year” status was the team of Frank McNulty and Tom Wewerka. Right behind them in 4th position was Frank’s boys, Eric and Brian McNulty with 6.44 pounds. Their consistent finishes all year long have them in third place in the coveted year end points championship race! Finishing in 5th with the final limit of the day, all 5 smallmouths, weighing in at 5.49 pounds, was the team of Fred Gerring and Bruce Ostrowski. Getting the final check for their 6 th place finish was Raymond Jachimski and Wayne Marchini with 3 bass at 4.47 lbs.

Placing in the horrible position of “one out of the money” was Greg and David Wilder although their consistent finish on a brutal day kept them in 2nd place overall in the 2005 MD-EAST Points Championships race. Finishing 7th was James Brown and Richard Cox, giving them the overall points lead going into the final event and hoping to earn the free slot to the National Championships. In 8th place was Brent Thackston and Don Carter, 2004’s “Comeback Team” of the year while Mike Ortel and Matt Wagenfer placed 9th. Rounding out the top ten and taking an almost insurmountable lead as the number one 2005 Adult / Junior team was Tom and Jimmy Rufenacht.

The final tournament of the circuit season for the Maryland – East division will be September 3rd, 2005 on the Upper Chesapeake Bay launching out of Dundee Creek marina. All the information for this event can be found at our national website www.FOMNTT.com under the Schedules tab or for more detailed information, at http://www.sfvu.com by double clicking on the FOM logo, then hitting the MD-East button.

I want to personally express my gratitude to Jim Herr and all his staff at the Herr’s Snack Factory, the nations largest privately held Christian run snack manufacturer, for providing our meeting place as well as sponsoring our meal of pit roasted chicken, baked beans, coleslaw, macaroni salad and a myriad of homemade desserts personally catered by Jen Kiebler and Diane Hager. As is always the case with any Fishers’ of Men event, we were excited about the opportunity to gather together for an awesome night of food, fellowship, pre-tournament planning, door prizes and powerful testimony. A special thanks to John Fields who provided our gospel message on the topic of “Off Limits”. He related how God and the Devil have different areas in our lives and actions that we have free will to honor the “off limits” rules just like we all have in tournaments. 18 individuals were so moved by the message that they were motivated to proclaim a renewed commitment to return to God and follow Jesus in all areas of their lives!

We would like to recognize the special efforts of Rob Hager, our assistant director as well as Tim Chadwick and Joe Tomaloff for helping with set-up and tear-down. Thanks also to Ginny Woolens for being the face for Herr’s Snacks at our pre-tournament meeting and helping to make things run so smooth!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our primary national sponsors: Triton Boats, Mercury Outboards, Strike King Lure Company, Kistler Custom Fishing Rods and Presnell Plantation Services.

The Maryland - East division is blessed to have the following regional divisional sponsors: Call Dan at Sport Fishing Ventures Unlimited, now one of the nations largest independent tackle dealers specializing in only Christian manufacturers. (877-898-5818) Apply for your FOM membership discount at http://www.sfvu.com and you will get 15% off everything at their discount online store for as long as you are a FOM member. Call Chad at Halls Marine (570-546-2310) for your new Triton bass boat, whether it is fiberglass or aluminum. These guys rank as one of the nations premier dealerships and when you meet and talk with Chad and his staff, you will immediately know why! Ask him for the special Fishers’ of Men discount on your next Triton boat purchase. Again, a special note of thanks to Jim Herr of Herr’s Snacks as well as Trey at Kistler Custom Rods, Gary at Solar Bat Polarized Sunglasses, Troy at Mizmo Tubes and Lizards, Tom at RoboWorm & Zipper Finesse Handpoured Soft Plastics, Sam at Penetrator Slick Coated Tungsten Weights, Joe at Secret Weapon Spinnerbaits and Buzzbaits and the National Promotions Team at Choice Hotels and Cracker Barrel restaurants.

I would also like to thank our other National Sponsors which include: Gary Yamamoto, Spike-It, Marshall’s Marine, Castrol, V&M Plastics, Motor Guide, Keel Shield, Solar Bat, Stanley Jigs, Lowrance, The Original Fish Formula, Dual Pro Chargers, Keep Alive Oxygen Infuser, Deka Marine Master Batteries, Jacob’s Glass, FishingWorld.com, X-Tools, The Spot Remover, All-Terrain Tackle, Hot Rods Marine Care and Bass Rx.