Best days likely just ahead for 'Fall Brawl'

The eighth annual walleye derby known as the "Fall Brawl" is underway on Lake Erie, with a wider range of sponsors and more prizes than ever available to the winners this year.Even though the contest started on Oct. 19, the winning walleye normally is caught late in the derby each fall. Last year, Matthew Branigan landed his 31½-inch, 14.97-pound winning walleye, the derby's all-time largest, on Dec. 1.As of Nov. 6, the top five leaders were: Jacob Detweiler, 11.790 pounds, 31.57 inches; Greg Wargo, 10.705 pounds, 28.5 inches; John Below, 9.950 pounds, 28.5 inches; Shawn Good, 9.880 pounds, 30.75 inches; and Michael Bechtel, 9.865 pounds, 28 inches.A record 6,337 participants signed up for the tournament from more than a dozen states. More than 50 sponsors are offering services, merchandise and cash.The grand prize is a fully equipped 21-foot Warrior boat, 300hp Evinrude motor and E-Z Loader aluminum trailer package worth an estimated $100,000 for the person registered in the derby who checks in the heaviest walleye by 8 a.m. Dec. 2.Second through fifth-place prize money is $44,000, $33,000, $22,000 and $11,000, respectively, with all top winners required to pass a polygraph test to collect.A youth division will reward a 17-under winner with a new 16-foot Hewes Craft boat, 40hp Honda motor and trailer package worth approximately $20,000.Walleyes come in close to shore to feed upon the massive schools of bait fish that congregate there to feed and take advantage of any slightly warmer water that lingers from tributary streams or other discharges into the lake as winter approaches.This annual fall feeding frenzy, along with developing eggs growing larger within the female specimens, create walleyes of trophy proportions. These fish continue to grow through the winter and spring until spawning.Lake Erie has a number of strong year classes, particularly the 2003 and 2007 hatches that are now each capable of weighing well into the double digits.When fishing from a boat, all anglers must be registered for any fish caught on board to qualify for entry into the contest. Shore anglers are also eligible to register individually for the derby and many of the largest walleyes are taken from the banks all along the Ohio shoreline and Lake Erie Islands.Crank baits are the lures of choice this time of year, whether slowly trolled from a boat or tossed from the shorelines. Some popular designs are produced by Reef Runner (Deep Diver 800 Series), Rapala (Husky Jerk, Thunderstick Deep), Bandit (Walleye Deep), Smithwick (Perfect 10 Rogues) and Bomber (Deep Long-A).All fish to be submitted into the derby must be scored at Erie Outfitters, 5404 Lake Road in Sheffield Lake. The winning fish are based upon total weight but will also be measured to the nearest 1/8-inch to serve as a method to separate ties.There will be an awards party at St. Vladimir's Grand Hall in Parma on Friday, Dec. 7, with advance ticket purchase recommended. The full set of rules, registration form, sponsor list, prizes and other information is available at lakeeriefishingderby.com.My own records support a strong correlation between my best night catches of walleyes on Put-in-Bay with the coincidence of the moonrise time in close proximity with sunset during a full moon.All things being equal, such as the absence of wind storms, muddy water, etc., if I were going to pick the best times to expect to catch some evening walleyes, my peak fishing effort would be:From 30 minutes before sunset until an hour after the 5:47 p.m. Nov. 23 moonrise30 minutes before and after sunset and again 30 minutes before and an hour after the Nov. 24 moonrise at 9:36 p.m.30 minutes before and after sunset and again 30 minutes before and an hour after the Nov. 25 moonrise at 7:32 p.m.30 minutes before and after sunset and again 30 minutes before and an hour after the Nov. 26 moonrise at 8:36 p.m.The fish will be active then, with the variable being: Where is it that they will come to shore? Hopefully, it is where you choose to try.An additional trigger to moonrise time for increasing fish activity is when a front is coming through that changes the barometric pressure. I didn't see a difference whether it is moving up or down. If it was moving — and so were the fish!Jerry Gladieux of Northwood with a trophy walleye from the Islands area during a recent fall trip.