Pennsylvania East Division

LAKE WALLENPAUPACK RECAP

On October 29th, 2005, 16 teams from the Pennsylvania – East division of The Fishers’ of Men National Tournament Trail kicked off their 2006 circuit season by fishing on scenic Lake Wallenpaupack located in the most northeast portion of the Keystone state. With our ease-off launch from the ramp at Mangans Cove greeted by close to freezing temperatures, every team was still excited with anticipation of the heated battle for the point’s championship that would begin with this tournament event.

This body of water is a huge natural lake, largest in the state, with a good balanced population of largemouth and smallmouth and with its location so close to New York City, Philadelphia and New Jersey, it is almost impossible to fish as a tournament location during the summer, due to the pleasure boat traffic, making this event perfect for our late Fall 2005 kick-off of the 2006 circuit season.

On this day, only one team managed a 5 bass limit of at least 12 inch plus keepers while only 4 teams started the season off with an empty livewell at weigh-in. The entire field managed 28 bass, 6 largemouth and 22 smallmouth for a total weight of 66.55 pounds, making it an almost incredible 2.4 pound average per fish. Remarkably, almost every fish was reported being caught on crankbaits in the 50 degree water.

Fishing with us for the first time, the rookie team of Dave Wolak and Chris Hall proved they knew the water well as they earned almost $900.00 by placing in 1st place with their sack of 5 bass weighing in at 17.72 pounds including the biggest largemouth of the tournament at 6.61 pounds. The adult / junior team of Jason and Dillon Kesckes claimed 2nd with 4 smallmouth weighing in at 10.85 pounds, their sack bolstered by the biggest smallmouth of the tournament at 4.36 pounds. The final check of the tournament went to the father / son team of Randy and Matthew Follmer with their 4 smallmouth weighing 7.35 pounds. Finishing one out of the money was Cornell Creciun and Rick Capper in 4th place while Jason Porter and Terry Titus rounded out the top 5 positions at 5.66 pounds.

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Special thanks to Pastor Doug Ryan and Blooming Grove Baptist Church for providing our Friday evening pre-tournament meeting place as well as to Fishing Dreams Unlimited, the non-profit charitable giving foundation of Sport Fishing Ventures Unlimited for providing the meal of fried chicken and potato wedges. 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 member Elvin Martes, who provided us a phenomenal and eye opening personal testimony of how his live in the inner city of Philadelphia growing up with drugs and gangs led him to prison which led him to the saving grace of Jesus Christ thru his experience with an organization dedicated to prison fellowship. He took every excuse away from everyone in attendance as he shared both the reality of the “empty love” he found on the streets compared to the forgiving free and ever abundant love he found later in his relationship with God! His story so moved 6 individuals that they were led to make the decision to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior while 6 more were motivated enough to proclaim a renewed commitment to return to God and follow Jesus in all areas of their lives!

The remainder of the 2006 schedule for the PA - EAST division is as follows:

Beltzville Lake – April 8th, 2006

Tidal Susquehanna Flats – May 20th, 2006

Conowingo Reservoir – July 8th, 2006

Upper Chesapeake Bay (RQT) – July 29th, 2006

(For more information, make sure to visit http://www.sfvu.com/fishersofmen/PaEast2006.htm or http://www.fomntt.com or call the FOM Area Tournament Director at 410-256-2966 or e-mail him at igodwin@fomntt.com )

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 Pennsylvania - East division is blessed to have the following regional divisional sponsors:

Sport Fishing Ventures Unlimited and its non-profit charitable giving foundation, Fishing Dreams Unlimited where every FOM Member in the nation gets “members only” treatment, discounts and special exclusive items and apparel ( http://sfvu.com/sfvustore/FOMdiscount.htm ). Call Bill at one of the nations largest and finest independent tackle dealers, Anglers Paradise (877-702-2500) and if you present your FOM membership card at checkout, you will get 15% off everything in his store. 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. A special note of thanks to Brad Finch with Finch Services, your source for your next John Deere product as well as Jim Herr of Herr’s Snacks. All of these great local Christian businessman lead by example as they help support our ministry and I would ask that you consider supporting them with your next purchase.

We also want to thank Joe at Secret Weapon Spinnerbaits and Buzzbaits, Trey at Kistler Custom Rods, Gary at Solar Bat Polarized Sunglasses, Troy at Mizmo Tubes and Lizards, Randy at RoboWorm Finesse Handpoured Soft Plastics, Sam at Penetrator Slick Coated Tungsten Weights and the National Promotions Team at Choice Hotels and Cracker Barrel restaurants, all of which help support your division locally.

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