The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Fall Brawl hooks walleye anglers
In the Fall Brawl walleye tournament, it’s difficult to tell who’s more hooked — the fish or the anglers.
The largest fishing contest of its kind in the world is happening now in northern Ohio.
The basic rules are simple: Pay $30 to enter. Go fish Lake Erie. The fattest walleye wins.
Keeping it affordable, accessible and honest has become a formula for success for the tournament organizers.
For participants, the six-week hunt for the great weight walleye is fun.
And for some, it can be an obsession, because anyone who signs up can win.
“It’s a tournament derby for everyone, not just those elite professional fishermen out there, because everybody has a chance,” said Frank Murphy, tournament president and coordinator.
“All the other events are, whoever’s got the most glitter on their boat (wins),” said Craig Lewis, owner of Erie Outfitters, 5404 E. Lake Road in Sheffield Lake.
Lewis’ bait and tackle shop is the Fall Brawl weigh station.
“This event is for anybody that wants to go out and give it a little bit of effort; they’ve got a fair shot,” he said. “It could be anybody. That’s what’s great about it.”
Meet the Fall Brawl
The 2020 Fall Brawl runs six weeks, Oct. 16 to Nov. 29.
It’s the 10th version and the biggest yet.
Murphy and Lewis are the self-described “grunts,” who work with a squad of helpers to make the Fall Brawl happen.
That group includes datamaster Susan Alber, who keeps the records straight.
Murphy credited his wife, Diana, for challenging him to “kick this thing up a little bit” with bigger prizes, sponsors and marketing.
The 2020 Fall Brawl has 12,087 adult participants from 33 states.
If they all got together in one place, they would outnumber the population of the city of Vermilion.
We, the fisher people
The Fall Brawl might be described as the people’s tournament.
In the world of fishing contests, the $30 entry fee is cheap.
Female anglers are welcome, and they do join in.
There is a separate children’s division that Lewis and Murphy say is special
for at least two reasons.
The Brawl gets youngsters to spend time with family, outdoors and away from the lure of cell phones, Murphy said.
“I like the idea of the kids being out there, something different,” he said.
The youths get photos in front of the sponsor banner just like adults.
Lewis posts many pictures online.
“It’s pretty exciting for a lot of them,” Lewis said. “The unique thing about it is, the everyday guy gets a little fame just by catching the right fish.”
No boat necessary
In autumn, walleye are voracious and follow shad, their food fish, into the shallower waters near shore.
So close that shore casters or “rockhoppers” can catch big fish from piers, Murphy said.
For the Fall Brawl, that means anyone can win — professionals, amateurs, women, men, the angler
who logs 42 days on a boat or 42 minutes on a breakwall.
“It switches back and forth,” Murphy said. “Obviously, I think there’s more people out in boats covering more water in an area than shore guys, but I’ve had shore guys cash a check, too.”
The week of Nov. 9, a majority of people in the top 20 or 30 were fishing from shore, Lewis said.
“Truly, anybody can win it,” he said. “That’s what makes it cool.
“The guy on the pier can win it, the guy in a boat can win it.”
Buy in, pay out
As for prizes, in Fall Brawl 2020, the first place winner gets a choice of a fishing boat.
The second place prize is the fishing boat that the first place winner doesn’t pick.
Third place prize is $75,000; fourth place nets $65,000.
The lowly angler stuck in fifth place will scuttle off with a mere $55,000.
All for catching a big fish — and for keeping it honest.
Honesty is the best policy
With those prizes on the line, Murphy and Lewis acknowledged some anglers are tempted to cheat.
So, the rules are few but firm.
Lewis and Mike Chaffin, clerk and chief helper at Erie Outfitters, measure walleye weights.
Winners must pass lie detector tests to collect a boat or check.
Murphy noted some years, “winners” who failed the polygraph, didn’t get paid.
It may sound extreme, but many anglers like being able to trust the tournament results, Murphy and Lewis said.
“It’s actually helped us because people know if they rightfully win, they’re
going to rightfully win,” Lewis said.
More than just fishing
The Fall Brawl has grown to become like another fishing season for northern Ohio.
Lewis and Murphy described how the tournament has altered the economy for marinas and hotels from Cleveland to the Lake Erie Islands.
Families plan fall getaways for the Brawl.
Anglers and charter captains keep their boats at the dock instead of pulling them out after Labor Day.
The Brawl has dozens of business sponsors, led by Valley View-based lubricant maker B’laster Corp.
It raises money for scholarships and charities, something the Brawl organizers are most proud of, Murphy said.
It has its own line of fishing lures, men’s and women’s clothing, even rhyming slang circulating online.
Fish on!
On Nov. 10, Chase Rockafellow, 11, spent the day with his father, Andrew, on Lake Erie with Reel Warrior Sport Fishing charter service.
The pair traveled to Ohio from their hometown of Charlotte, Mich.
Back at Erie Outfitters, his 7.84-pound walleye was about a half pound behind the fish leading the youth division.
“You were close,” Andrew said.
“Just not close enough,” Chase said.
“That’s all that matters, you were trying and had fun,” his father said.
“It was my first time ever fishing down here, and I had a great experience,” Chase said.
That tournament walleye was not the only one going home in the cooler.
Nick Lary, from West Middlesex, Pa., brought in his walleye to weigh; it was 8.53 pounds.
A first-time Brawler, Lary said he first heard about it through the fishing community, but did not sign up till 2020 because he usually spends the fall hunting.
“It just takes one lucky bite,” he said. “One right bite.”
On Nov. 10 and 11, Lary visited Huron to jump on a buddy’s boat.
Although he had time scheduled for family, work and bear hunting, Lary said he hoped at least one more trip to Lake Erie.
“When you’re talking that much money on the line, how do you not?” Lary asked. “Like I said, you’re one bite away. One bite.”