Ohio Angler Lands 10 Pound Smallmouth on Lake Erie! (ON THE WATER VIDEO)

Potential Ontario Record!

By Luigi De Rose  

Photo: Ohio Department of Natural Resources

The November heat wave has kept bass guys on the water but Gregg Ghallerger of Fremont, Ohio might be the luckiest to venture out. He might be the luckiest angler ever if his mammoth 10.15lb Lake Erie smallmouth meets official criteria and becomes the new Ontario record. 

On November 3, 2022, Gregg and his son Grant ventured from across Erie into Canadian waters near Pelee Island. After landing the 23.75-inch smallmouth on a drop-shot and eight-pound test they headed back to connect with the Ohio DNR for an official weight and measurement. 

Naturally, the story of the potential Ontario record circulated late Thursday online. Internet warriors have been flooding chatboards debating the merit of Gregg’s catch. The questions and debates raged, several questions emerged: was the fish released? Can a released bass be considered a true record? How old was it? 

To celebrate the catch, Ross Robertson of Big Water Fishing sits down with the Gallergers and relives the epic catch. 

2015 Bass Pro Shop BASS Northern Open Lake Erie Day 1: Reault Rules with 25lbs!

Rough Seas Sink Many Anglers.

By Craig Lamb

bass press release

Reault steals the show with 5 pounds!
(Photo BASS)

SANDUSKY, Ohio — David Reault of Livonia, Mich., battled against the wind Thursday to take the lead in the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open presented by Allstate on Lake Erie.

Reault has 25 pounds, 9 ounces with a lot of close company behind him. Bassmaster Elite Series pro Derek Remitz is second with 24-4, and New Jersey pro Pete Gluszek is third with 23-1. Charlie Hartley, another Elite Series pro from Ohio, is fourth with 22-4.

The 20-pound mark set the benchmark for success. The Top 19 anglers have bags at or exceeding that mark, with the next 10 anglers with 19 pounds or better.

Reault, a real estate broker, is a part-time tournament angler with expertise fishing for smallmouth on the Great Lakes. He is unsure of duplicating his success on Friday to make the Top 12 on Saturday.
 

2015 Rayovac FLW Series Northern Division Lake Erie Day 1: Rhode Cracks 23-10 for Lead!

Big water equals big smallmouth. Johnston closer to AOY.

by David A. Brown

FLW PRESS RELEASE

He was hoping to preserve a special spot for later in the event, but when Jared Rhode realized he had to hit the sweet stuff, the fat smallmouth therein did not let him down. Sacking up a limit of 23 pounds, 10 ounces the pro from Port Clinton, Ohio, grabbed the day-one lead at the Rayovac FLW Series Northern Division event on Lake Erie.

“I have a spot where I’ve been catching quite a few fish, but I went there this past weekend and they weren’t there,” Rhode says. “I wanted to try to avoid fishing there today, in hopes that I could save my best spot.

Local knowledge propels Jared Rhode into lead.
(Photo: FLW)

“I fished elsewhere and I only had three bass, so I went to my best spot and caught them very quickly. There seems to be quite a few fish there and there are no other boat around, so I’m very excited about tomorrow.”

Fishing in the general vicinity of Pelee Island, Rhode’s first spot was shallow — about 10 feet. According to Rhode, this spot had kicker potential, but the fish didn’t cooperate.

“I only fished where I started for 10 to15 minutes because I could tell they weren’t there,” he says. “Once I went to my main spot offshore, I had my limit by 9 o’clock in the morning and I had most of my weight [shortly thereafter].

Fine levied at Northern Open

By B.A.S.S. Communications
Sep 2, 2011

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Nate Wellman, winner of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open on Lake Erie last week, has been penalized for rules violations during the tournament.
B.A.S.S. officials today released the following statement:

“Bassmaster Elite Series angler Nate Wellman has been fined and placed on a one-year probation due to violation of B.A.S.S. tournament rule 3(vii), which prohibits ‘suggesting to another competitor that he violate these (B.A.S.S.) rules.’ After an investigation, B.A.S.S. officials found that the outcome of the tournament and the final results were in no way compromised and did not result in changes to the final standings of the Bassmaster Northern Open on Lake Erie. The fine monies will be donated to the Ohio B.A.S.S. Federation Nation to support its conservation efforts.”

Bassmaster Bass Pro Shops Northern Open Northern Open #2 Day 3: Wellman Wins!

Wellman captures Erie Open, fulfills goal of reaching ClassicBy

By: David Hunter Jones

Bassmaster Press Release

Aug 27, 2011

SANDUSKY, Ohio -- Nate Wellman has had a dream since he was 12 years old: to fish in the Bassmaster Classic.
Since then, he’s strived to make that dream a reality by trying to qualify through the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens as well as the Bassmaster Elite Series, but before today, he’s always come up short.


Well Worth the Wait.
(Photo:  Seigo Saito BASS)

 With his win on Lake Erie, he’ll be able to live out that dream this February on Louisiana’s Red River at the 2012 Classic.
The victory was even more special because Wellman had never won on his home water of Lake Erie despite compete on the lake for more than 10 years.
 “I can’t even explain what this means to me. To come here and win means an awful lot, but to get to go to the Classic means the world,” he said.
Wellman narrowly missed a spot in the 2011 Classic with his third-place finish in the 2010 Northern Opens point standings. Only the top two anglers advanced.
Along with the Classic berth, Wellman also takes home a fully-rigged Nitro boat with a 225-horsepower Mercury outboard and nearly $9,000 cash. His Day Three catch weighed 18-4, giving him a three-day total of 63-11and almost a two-pound margin of victory.

Bassmaster Bass Pro Shops Northern Open Northern Open #2 Day 2: Wellman Still on Top!

Wellman keeps lead but Devries' 26-7 puts him in hunt

 

Erie Beasts!
(Photo: Seigo Saito BASS)

By David Hunter Jones

Bassmaster Press Release

Aug 26, 2011

SANDUSKY, Ohio -- Weights soared on Day Two of the 2011 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open on Lake Erie as the winds calmed and gave anglers access to more areas.
On Day One, there were six anglers who cracked the 20-pound mark, with Nate Wellman’s 22-4 topping the list. Friday, 15 anglers crossed that mark, with John Devries tallying an astounding 26 pounds, 7 ounces of smallmouth. However, Elite Series pro Wellman managed to retain his lead with a catch of 23-3, giving him 45-7.

“I pulled up to where I left ’em biting yesterday afternoon, and it was awesome,” Wellman said. “In my first three casts, I caught two fish, and I was throwing 3-pounders back before I had a limit.”
“I ended up leaving there with four fish. But, they were even more loaded up on my third spot. Between the two of us (Wellman and his co-angler), we probably caught 70 bass there.”
Wellman lost several fish that he estimates would’ve given him another two pounds or so. He also says that the spot is replenishing every day. Going into the event, Wellman had 12 areas he planned to fish, but he’s only hit five of them so far.

Bassmaster Bass Pro Shops Northern Open Northern Open #2 Day 1: Wellman on Top!

By David Hunter Jones

Aug 25, 2011

BASSMASTER Press Release

Wellman leads day 1!
(Photo: Steve Bowman BASS)

SANDUSKY, Ohio -- Lake Erie’s highly-mobile smallmouth bass had much of the field scrambling for bites on Day One of the second 2011 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open, but several pros were able to adapt and crack the 20-pound mark.
No one was more surprised at leader Nate Wellman’s weight than Wellman himself.
“My weight was a complete shock. I really thought I had 18 pounds, but as I got to the scales, they felt a lot heavier,” he said. “But, I’m sure glad they put on that weight.”
In practice, Wellman found two areas that held fish bigger than the ones he caught today, but they weren’t home when he arrived this morning, so he fell back on Plan B.