State agency lists fishing tournaments on website

SANDUSKY — Anglers have a new way to find out about fishing tournaments taking place in Ohio. And with fishing an important part of the Sandusky area's tourist scene, local hosts for fishing tournaments have a new way to publicize their events. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has announced a new website to publicize and schedule fishing tournaments. It's located at fishtournaments.ohiodnr.gov. Although the site is new, Ottawa County events already are listed at the site. No Erie County events are listed yet. Jason Werling, Sandusky Recreation's superintendent told the Register on Tuesday that he hadn't heard about the new website. "I will let our tournament directors know this is a resource they may want to look at," Werling said. While fishing tournaments directors are invited to create an account and log in to post information about event, fishermen do not have to log in and can simply search the site for fishing tournaments. Searches can be focused to find events in specific bodies of water, including Sandusky Bay and the Portage River area of Lake Erie. Anglers also can search for species of fish they want to catch and by specific times on the calendar. Tournaments occurring at ODNR access areas must be scheduled using the new online system, the ODNR says. Approval emails will be sent out by email, replacing daily use permits sent out on paper. The department wants tournament directors to use the site to report results, including the number of people taking part, the number of boats and details on fish that were caught. That information is useful for fish scientists working for the Ohio Division of Wildlife, state officials said.