“We had 43 anglers who logged more than 180 smallmouth,” said Dan Foley, director of the Great Miami Riverway. “We’re definitely going to do this again, and we hope that it builds in popularity with each new tournament.”
Those doing the fishing were able to use an app called I-Angler to log the fish they caught and record measurements while still on the river. The combination of technology and fishing was “a pretty good combination,” said Foley, who noted that fishing is a good outdoor activity during the age of the COVID-19 pandemic because it is perfect for physical distancing needed to slow spread of the disease.
The electronic app also made a fishing tournament along a 99-mile stretch of river more do-able, because those doing the fishing didn’t have to travel to a location to record their catches.
Aaron Huber of Dayton won two of the tournament’s three categories — the Top Slam division, for the total length of five fish, and tying for the Biggest Smallmouth Bass, with a fish 19 inches long.
Huber, who grew up fishing the Great Miami, said, “It’s a great river with some of the best fishing around. This tournament was really fun to be in, kind of motivated me to get out there and keep catching fish, and it was well-run.”
Devin McRae tied Huber in the Biggest Smallmouth Bass category. Prizes included a $100 gift card from Fisherman’s Quarters in Dayton for the Top Slam, and $50 gift cards for the single biggest smallmouth. Thom Nabholz, who fished in the Tipp City area, won the 12-and-under category also won a $50 gift card.
In the Top Slam category, fewer than 3 inches separated the top three finishers in the tournament where participants released the fish they caught.
“The June Fishing Challenge was meant to connect people to the Great Miami River and highlight the tremendous fish diversity that exists in the river, and also that the Great Miami is Ohio’s best river for smallmouth bass fishing,” Foley said.
The median fish caught was 15 inches, with the biggest being 19 inches.
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