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http://posttrib.suntimes.com/sports/others...ub-classic.html

We can’t seem to shake the easterly component to the winds, which have dominated our weather for weeks. Otherwise, conditions look decent for the the 38th annual Hoosier Coho Club Classic this weekend out of Michigan City.

The club bills it as “the greatest salmon tournament on the Great Lakes.’’ More than 75 teams from all four Lake Michigan states are expected.

Earlier in the week, several fishermen reported a nice band of fish from Michigan City to St. Joseph, Mich.

“I anticipate some nice chinook catches over the weekend,’’ emailed Brian Breidert, Lake Michigan fisheries biologist. “Last week they did pretty well also. It was a little rough but big fish (13 pounds plus) were caught. Lake trout are being caught on the Indiana shoals out of East Chicago. Overall most of the fishing is taking place within 5 miles of shore. This is good to see at this time of the year.’’

Boats blast off at 7 a.m. each day from the pier head, then return by 1 p.m. The final weigh-in begins at 2 p.m. Sunday at the big tent in Washington Park.

Top prize is $10,000 in the pro division, $2,500 in the amateur and $1,250 in the 24U (boats 24-feet or less).

There’s also a summer festival (mcsummerfest.org). For information on the Classic, go to hoosiercohoclub.org.

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http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/20...b0406466317.txt

Great weather on tap for the Classic

By Mike McKee
Outdoors
Published: Monday, May 7, 2012 4:20 PM CDT
Salmon snapping, a mild forecast and Classic weekend in Michigan City.

What else could a Lake Michigan angler ask for?

And, by the way, good riddance to April.

After wonderful weather in March, Lake Michigan was fishable barely 15 days last month. Both weekend fishing contests prior to the Classic were held in miserable conditions.

Around 70 fishing teams, including entrants from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin are expected for the 38th annual Hoosier Coho Club Classic (see www.hoosiercohoclub.org for details).

At stake are all-important brag rights as well as $50,000 in cash and merchandise prizes. First place pays $10,000 in the Pro division, $2,500 in the Amateur and $1,250 in the 24U (boats 24-foot or less in length) division.

Thousands more will be up for grabs in Big Fish, 333 and 2ndChance events within the Classic.

And television cameras will be rolling as Michigan City will again be the opening show in the 13-part, 333TV series which airs in January, 2013.

Local boat Break Time, captained by Jim Bellman of Bremen, Ind., will be one of the three participants with television crews riding aboard this weekend.

The fishing was shaping up just fine during the week.

Classic participants were scouring the lake for hotspots through the week — and finding them. Reports of limit catches of chinook, coho and lake trout were coming from depths of 45 to 200 feet of water, which is less than one mile to 20 miles from the Michigan City lighthouse.

The public is welcome to ogle the big fish weigh-ins which take place immediately after the 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. fishing periods at the big tent in Washington Park.

The awards ceremony starts at 2 p.m. on Sunday with Mayor Ron Meer congratulating the winners in the inaugural Coho Capital Derby (see www.michigancitylaporte.com for details),.

The CCD is sponsored by the LaPorte County Convention & Visitors Bureau and is free and open to public. The contest started April 1 and concludes at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Leaders in the two $500 overall categories for salmon and trout are a 17-pound, 13-ounce salmon and 17-14 trout. Week 5 leaders were both under 16 pounds.

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http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/laporte...823af4002c.html

Break Time crew wins Coho Classic in Michigan City

May 06, 2012 8:30 pm • By Brian Vernellis brian.vernellis@nwi.com, (219) 933-3370

Hoosier Coho Club Classic lures hundreds

MICHIGAN CITY | A crew competing for the first time in the pro division netted the $10,000 championship Sunday during the Hoosier Coho Club Classic.

Break Time, captained by Jim Bellman, beat out 30 boats in the pro division this past weekend, thanks to a strong second-day haul. Overall, 66 boats competed in the 38th fishing tournament.

The Coho Club Classic has been a staple in Michigan City since 1975, making it the oldest among 16 salmon and trout tournaments along Lake Michigan.

Bellman and his crew pulled in 105.8 pounds Sunday to jump into first place and beat captain Wally Laaksonen and his Blue Fairways crew by 10.15 points.

Participants were allotted points for the number of fish caught and the weight of their catch, which had to include some salmon and a limited number of lake trout.

"Everybody worked together," said Steve Lillich, a Break Time crewman. "We stuck with our program from Saturday and stayed where the fish were. We were real confident with our spread."

Defending champion Larry Richmann sat in first place after Saturday's opening round, with a score of 203.45 and 103.45 pounds taken.

But Richmann's strong start faded by Sunday, leaving him in third place.

"You have to be able to adapt to different situations," said Mike Dombrowski, another Break Time crewman. "Every day out there is different.

"It changes hourly out there, and you really have got to pay attention to your surroundings, what the sky is doing, what your water looks like, the current."

Captain Jeff McGovern and his crew on King's Ransom won the amateur division with a point total of 376.20, edging second-place finisher Mike Kistler and his Joanie II crew by half a point.

Michigan City Mayor Ron Meer said he believes the tournament can be the center of a great tourist promotion. Meer spent his youth fishing Lake Michigan with his father, watching the competitors fan out across the lake.

"It's something that Michigan City can promote," Meer said. "We were branded the Coho Capital of the Midwest back then, and I recently suggested that let's rebrand this again as the Coho Capital of the World.

"Nobody else is claiming it, and the fishing is good here. I think you're going to see this grow."

Fred MacDonald, founder of the fishing publication Tournament Trail, praised the tournament for its longevity.

"They're the No. 1 tournament on the lake," MacDonald said. "They started it a long time ago, and they're still doing it. I admire that."

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http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2012/0...c8672960530.txt

‘Break Time’ takes home Coho Classic top prize

Morgan Smith and her grandfather Jim Bellman with whom she has been fishing for 10 years, hold a big replica of a real check for $10,000 Bellman and the crew of his boat, Break Time won for taking first place in the Hoosier Coho Classic fishing tournament Saturday and Sunday.
By Deborah Sederberg
Staff Writer
Published: Monday, May 7, 2012 5:06 PM CDT
MICHIGAN CITY — The figurative tides of Lake Michigan did turn on fishermen on Sunday, the second day of the 38th Annual Hoosier Coho Club Classic Pro division, just as Mike McKee, the club’s secretary Saturday said they might.

Saturday’s first-place boat, Captain Larry Richmann’s Just 1 More II, fell to third place by Sunday afternoon.

And the second place boat on Sunday afternoon, Captain Wally Laaksonen’s Blue Fairways, jumped a whopping six places. At the end of fishing on Saturday, Blue Fairways had been in eighth place.

And the big winner in the Pro division was Captain Jim Bellman’s Break Time, which amassed a total score of 402.20 points and a prize of $10,000. On Saturday, Bellman’s boat was in second place.

What was his secret?

“A great crew,” said his smiling crew member Mike Dombkowski.

Indeed, Bellman did thank his crew, which included Eugene Janezich, Steve Lillich and Steve’s son, Owen, Morgan Smith and Marvin Fuller.

He also thanked Michigan City Mayor Ron Meer, for supporting the tournament and the Hoosier Coho Club, sponsor of the two-day tournament.

“And I thank God,” Bellman added, quietly.

Bellman, who is from Bremen, has been fishing with crew member Morgan Smith for 10 years now. She is just 14, an eighth grader at Bremen Middle School and the owner of Morgan’s Tackle Company, a business in which her grandfather, grandmother and mother also are active.

Meer, who helped to distribute checks to winners, said he has fond memories of fishing Lake Michigan on his father’s boat.

“In those days (the 1970s and 1980s),” he said, “Michigan City was known as the Coho Capital of the Midwest. But now we want to be the Coho Capital of the World.”

The weather held off for the tournament. A bit of thunder tumbled from the skies at about the time the boats were returning for the weigh-ins.

Some 69 boats with crews of five or six people participated in the weekend event.

McKee said fishermen donated Saturday’s catch to the Shriners, who will divide it among the Shriners Hospitals. The fishermen kept the Sunday catch.

After the donated fish were cleaned and then frozen, McKee said, “The Shriners received 3,000 pounds of salmon and trout filets.”

Coho Club Classic winners

Winners in the 38th Annual Hoosier Coho Club Classic:

• In the Pro division, first place went to Jim Bellman, Captain of Break Time. Prize money, $10,000.

• In the Amateur Division, first place went to Jeff McGovern, Captain of King’s Ransom. Prize money, $2,500

• In the 24U Division (for boats 24 feet and under), first place went to John Messina, Captain of Nail Bender II. Prize money, $1,250.

Coho Capital of the World results

Winners of the Coho Capital of the World fishing tournament sponsored by the La Porte County Convention and Visitors Bureau, which began April 1 are as follows:

• Week 1 and overall winner of the Big Salmon contest was Scott Ross, 17.13 pounds. Week 1 Big Trout winner was Michigan City Police Corp. Greg Miller, 12.14 pounds.

• Week 2 Big Salmon winner was Fred Fonnell, 15.8 pounds. Week 2 Big Trout winner was Scott Ross, 12.5 pounds.

• Week 3 Big Salmon winner was Jerry Elenz, 17.6 pounds. Week 3 Big Trout winner was Larry Richmann, 17.14 pounds

• Week Four Big Salmon winner was Logan Wesseudorg, 16.3 pounds. Week 4 Big Trout winner was Jerry Elenz, 11.12 pounds.

• Week 5 Big Salmon Winner was Scott Redar, 15.7 pounds. Week 5 Big Trout and overall winner was Adam McGugin, 19.3 pounds.

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Good times all around at Classic

By Mike McKee
Outdoors
Published: Friday, May 11, 2012 5:07 PM CDT
Comfortable weather, keen competition and a siege of salmon made for a terrific Hoosier Coho Club Classic in Michigan City last weekend.

A trio of first-time champions were crowned, led by Jim Bellman and crew aboard Break Time, which claimed the $10,000 Pro division top prize.

Bellman, who docks in New Buffalo, overcame last year’s champ Larry Richmond, Jr., (Just 1 More) of Michigan City, who held the lead after Saturday. That made three consecutive days on top of the Classic Pro’s for the Just 1 More team as they led both days of the 2011 Classic before finishing in third after Sunday.

Blue Fairways (Wally Laaksonen) from Ludington, Mich., the 2010 champ, finished second.

Click here to find out more!
The Just 1 More team led a strong showing by Michigan City boats in the Classic, which attracted 71 entrants including top anglers from each of the four Lake Michigan states.

Fuzzy Bear (Carl. Stopczynski) fourth, Pulchritude (Mike Hampel) fifth and Fire Drill (Mike Kail) in sixth allowed local teams to claim four of the top six spots.

Additionally, Michigan City captain Scott Ross (Off the Hook, 11th place) had the heaviest catch of the weekend in the Pros with 107.7 pounds (10 fish).

And local boat My Tyme (Bill Dodrill) landed the biggest fish of the contest — a 19.3 laker — and claimed the 333 championship (best 3 fish) with 46.3 pounds, which was good for over $2,000 in combined winnings.

The Amateur division was as tight as tight can get when dealing with big fish. The top three places were separated by less than one pound.

King’s Ransom (Jeff McGovern) from Portage held on for the Am win after registering a whopping 112-pound catch on Saturday.

Peel ‘N Good, captained by Eric Peele of Ludington, Mich., topped the 18-team 24U division (boats 24’ or less).

Complete standings are at www.hoosiercohoclub.org.

Tons of eager-biting chinook filled the 10-fish per day limit along with a smattering of huge lake trout. Well over 8,000 pounds of fish crossed the scales. Limit catches were registered by nearly 90 percent of the boats with many landing 20-plus salmon during each six hour fishing period.

Chinook from four to 14 pounds were chomping a variety of spoons and flies set from 40 to 70 feet down in depths of 70 to 150 feet of water. The biggest lakers were taken even deeper in the water column, mostly on flies behind paddles and rotators.

It was great to see Mayor Ron Meer out front promoting the Michigan City fishery by opening the Friday night Captain’s meeting and handing out awards on Sunday.

The Classic fishing tournament, which is a Summer Festival event, provides a boost to the local economy ahead of the summer tourist season.

Nearly 50 teams (4 to 6 anglers each) were from out-of-town and spent thousands of dollars on fuel, food, lodging and more in LaPorte County during the week..

And as always, the all-volunteer Hoosier Coho Club tournament committee turned in a flawless performance, which make the event very enjoyable for the participants and keeps them coming back.

Coho Capital Derby

The free, no-registration-required derby, sponsored by the LaPorte County Convention & Visitors Bureau, began April 1 and concluded May 5. Cash prizes of $500 were awarded for the heaviest salmon and heaviest trout overall as well as $100 weekly awards.

The biggest salmon was the first fish weighed on April 1 - a 17-pound, 13-ounce chinook caught by Scott Ross and the biggest trout was the last fish weighed on May 5 - a 19-3 lake trout taken by Adam McGugin.

Also of note, the Week 1 winning trout, a 12-14 laker, was caught by Greg Miller while casting for smallmouth bass.

CCD final results: Week 1, Scott Ross, 17-13 salmon, Greg Miller, 12.14 trout. Week 2, Fred Fonnell, 15.8 salmon, Scott Ross, 12.5 trout. Week 3, Jerry Elenz, 17.6 salmon, Larry Richmann, Jr., 17.14 trout. Week 4, Logan Wesseudorg, 16.3 salmon, Jerry Elenz, 11.12 trout. Week 5, Scott Redar, 15.7 salmon, Adam McGugin, 19.3 trout.