Daily News Staff Writer

The Ludington Gander Mountain Offshore Classic committee breathed a sigh of elation on Friday night as 217 boats registered for the Saturday-Sunday portion of the salmon tournament.

Fears over dropping participation due to weather concerns, gas prices, Internet rumors about trap nets and a dozen other concerns were put aside as 58 boats registered for the pro division of the event, 19 boats registered for the big fish division and a whopping 140 boats signed up for the amateur portion of the tournament.

“We’ve exceeded our goal, which was 200,” committee member and charter captain Jim Karr said. “We were concerned about those issues and that the economy in Michigan isn’t as good as the rest of the country, but seeing the confidence in this event really reflects on the efforts of this committee. With the participation and our title sponsor of Gander Mountain — this is definitely going to anchor us as the premier port and the premier tournament.”

Friday’s meeting followed a flawless day of fishing that involved 85 boats in the Bud Light Ladies Pro-Am and 50 young people in the West Shore Bank Youth Classic, bringing participation for the weekend to an all-time high.

Last year’s Ladies and Youth events were canceled due to high winds and waves, but the weather and the fish cooperated to make the 2004 events a success.

After all the boats with youth anglers came in at noon, Katie LaChance of Grand Rapids stood head and shoulders above the rest with her 23.95-pound Chinook salmon, caught aboard the Numenon with her father, Steve, who won the big fish division last year with a 29-pound king.

Katie got the thrill of being interviewed by Ludington native and Michigan Out-of-Doors television host Jimmy Gretzinger. The $1,000 savings bond from West Shore Bank didn’t diminish her smile any, either. The top 25 particpants were awarded savings bonds that should reach maturity in 6-8 years.

Katie, 10, said she had been salmon fishing “many” times and Friday’s whopper was her biggest yet. Steve said the fish hit on the first line they put in the water somewhere north of the pierheads.

“It fought less than the other fish we caught,” Katie said.

Steve said the fish hit on a white rotating flasher and a green fly. Katie’s younger sister Marie caught a 13-pound salmon.

Rachel Gentry of Ludington, fishing aboard her uncle Danny Gentry’s boat, took fifth place with a 19.9-pound king. Doug Gentry, Rachel’s father, said the three kids on the boat battled a total of seven salmon.

“I didn’t think it was that big a fish when it hit,” Doug said. “It took us a while to get it in — she kept right on reeling though.”

Doug said he had to help Rachel reel in the fish, but that was completely within the rules of the event, which simply focused on giving kids a fishing experience.

The Miller family of Grand Rapids planned their vacation around the event and said that the $25 Gander Mountain gift card alone made the $25 entry fee a worthwhile expenditure.

Doug Miller said his son and daughter enjoyed the trip on the family boat, Fear Knot, which isn’t even equipped with downriggers. That didn’t stop eight-year-old Jay from reeling in a five-pound king that hit on an orange fly fished behind a Dipsy Diver.

“I asked him if he needed help and he wouldn’t let me,” Doug said.

Gretzinger fished aboard the Finsation with captains Kraig Anderson and Kevin Laaksonen and five children for a segment that will air on Michigan Out-of-Doors in two or three weeks.

“We had a great time,” Gretzinger said. “The kids were great, the weather was great. There were only two kids big enough to hold the rod by themselves so we’d have one kid pumping the rod while another kid was reeling.”

Gretzinger’s co-host, Jenny Olsen, was scheduled to fish last year’s Ladies Classic and enjoyed fishing this year’s 84-boat event aboard Karr’s Therapy Too.

“That’s pretty cool,” Olsen said. “The ladies I went with, none had even fished the Great Lakes in their lives. They all did awesome.”

Olsen said Karr trained the crew at the start of the event by having them take turns netting a coffee cup tied to the fishing line.

The Ladies Classic rules called for a five-fish limit to be reeled in and netted only by female crew members. Men were allowed to drive boats and set lines.

The Pentwater-based boat Sportsmen took home the top prize in the Ladies event, with female crew members Kim Peck and Stacey Buck successfully handling a “triple,” or three fish on at once.

“We wound up throwing one rod into a holder and I caught the 21 pounder,” Peck said. “(Buck) got hers in and I got the other one.”

The team caught 11 fish and weighed in five that tipped the scales at more than 70 pounds.

Capt. Brent Daggett said the team used white and green rotating flashers and flies in a metallic and a green pattern off Big Point Sable.

Onekama-based Sandpiper III was second in the professional division as Anne Bentley and Department of Natural Resources employees Michelle Wiegand and Sandy Matzke caught 69 pounds of fish in waters north of Ludington.

Ludington’s Dreamweaver III was third, as Linda Parliament and Laura Bogner took turns reeling in the 22.7-pound big fish for the women’s event. Rotating flashers and flies in the green-and-yellow “Mountain Dew” pattern were productive for the team. Ludington charter Capt. Pat Thiel said his team, which finished fourth, also did well on white flashers and green flies fishing waters north of Ludington.

The Amateur division was won by Grand Rapids anglers aboard the Pentwater-based boat Ahab’s Revenge. High Hopes placed second and 10th-place boat Bandito won the big fish award with 19.80 pounds.

Karr said the Ladies event came off without a hitch and he was pleased to almost double the participation in the event over last year’s numbers.

“That many boats was almost double what we had last year, even though we weren’t able to run it,” Karr said. “Our total marketing effort had a lot to do with it, but the other thing was how well we’ve been able to put this thing together in the past couple years.”

Today’s events center around the weigh-in, as all 217 boats will have to be inside the pierheads by 2 p.m. and at the weigh-in pavilion by 3 p.m. Interested spectators will be treated to a long line of boats from the north pierhead light all the way to Waterfront Park as the boats come in. Other events include the bands Common Grounds and Lou Thunder and the Rainmakers at the pavilion at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. respectively. Sunday’s events center around the awards ceremony which is at 3 p.m. at the tent in Waterfront Park. A children’s jump house will be on site both days from noon-4 p.m.

bmulherin@ludingtondailynews.com