Locals sweep tournament on Lake Erie

William Powell

August 05, 2008 11:33 pm

— For only his second year in competitive fishing, 2008 has been a special time for Saegertown resident Todd Pavlik and his team, Pacific Time Sport Fishing.
This past weekend, Pavlik’s team finished first out of 21 boats in the professional division of the 2008 Erie, Pennsylvania Sport Fishing Association Walleye and Steelhead Pro-Am in Erie.
“It was very rewarding,” Pavlik said. “It is an honor to beat some of these guys that I looked up to over the years.”
Although he has been fishing on Lake Erie for over 20 years, this is Pavlik’s first season competing in the professional division at tournaments.
Pavlik’s teammates for the EPSFA Pro-Am were Alex Basko, Chris Chiesa and Brett Miller.
The tournament was a two-day event with a 17-fish limit each day. Teams could catch up to 12 walleye and five steelhead.
Winners were determined based on a point system. Each fish was worth 10 points and each pound of fish was worth one point. Pavlik’s Pacific Time team caught a winning total of 33 fish, weighing 208 pounds.
According to Basko, the team far surpassed its expectations heading into the tournament. Basko and Pavlik fished together in the EPSFA Pro-Am last year and finished 11th.
This year their goal was to finish in the top 10.
“We didn’t think we’d win anything,” Basko said. “You never go into these tournaments thinking you’re going to win, but you give it a hell of an effort.”
The Pacific Time team caught the maximum number of fish on Saturday, but was in second place heading into Sunday’s final round.
Pavlik and his teammates came one steelhead short of the maximum on Sunday, and they didn’t think they would have a chance to win.
“On the second day, not having our limit, we thought we’d be in the top five maybe,” Basko said.
Because the tournament had a rule against communication between competitors with cell phones or VHF radios, Pavlik’s team didn’t know how the other teams were doing until the weigh-in.
It came as a bit of a surprise when they found out they had finished first.
“We were shocked,” Basko said. “Not being able to communicate made it exciting. We never really knew where we stood.”
In addition to winning the EPSFA Pro-Am, Pavlik’s Pacific Time team finished fourth out of 36 teams at the 2008 EPSFA Walleye Challenge.
By placing well at both EPSFA events, Pacific Time Sport Fishing earned the EPSFA 2008 Team of the Year Award.
“There are some really good fishermen you are competing against,” Pavlik said. “When you can walk away with first place and team of the year, it’s really rewarding.”
And Pavlik’s success at the EPSFA events was no fluke. His team also finished third out of 80 boats at the Spring Scotty Salmon Tournament on Lake Ontario.
At the Orleans County Pro-Am, Pavlik’s team won the Atomic Big Fish award for landing the largest fish caught at any of the four tournaments in the Lake Ontario Pro-Am Series.
Pavlik’s lunker was a king salmon that weighed 30.12 pounds.
Pavlik said it’s the thrill of competition, rather than the prize money, that drives him to fish competitively.
“You can’t quit your day job at this level, it’s all about bragging rights,” Pavlik said.
“I do it to gain the respect of other fishermen. The competition is a lot of fun.”
Pavlik recently obtained his captain’s license, which authorizes him to lead guided fishing trips in Pa. and Ohio. He also has a Web site, pacifictimesportfishingcharters.com.
“By placing well in these tournaments, that will be good for my business, because it shows people I am able to catch fish,” Pavlik said.
Pavlik’s team wasn’t the only local squad to place well at the last weekend’s EPSFA Pro-Am. Matt Cannon, a fisherman from Conneaut Lake, finished first in the amateur division.
Cannon was unavailable for comment Tuesday.
“Crawford County just crushed all the competition out there,” Basko said.

Powell is a junior at the University of Missouri.