While practicing for an upcoming charity event, a western New York State woman landed 9 enormous brown trout. The biggest weighed 27 pounds and was the largest fish she’s caught in her lifetime.
Francine Alberson was fishing with her stepson Capt. Rich Brant, a charter caption from North Tonawanda, New York. The two were warming up for Lake Ontario’s Reelin’ for a Cure (RFAC) tournament, an all-ladies fishing tournament, that raises money for women fighting breast cancer. After a week of strong winds that pushed cold water in tight to shore, the captain-stepmother team headed out in Brant’s 20-foot Lund to scout for fish. They were targeting 50 feet depths west of Wilson with downriggers and spoons, when a fish hit a Michigan Stinger Pickle Seed Spoon trolled 50 feet behind the downrigger ball. The team already had caught 8 fish with a ninth trout hit at a depth of 35 feet. That brown turned out to be the 27-pounder.
Lake Ontario’s Reelin’ for a Cure (RFAC) tournament begins on Friday, August 19. The all-ladies fishing teams compete to catch the most fish and/or the biggest fish during a 6-hour tournament that runs from 6 am and Noon followed by a 1 pm weigh-in at Krull Park. Good luck to all anglers, with a shout out going to Cap’n Brant and Francine, with hopes you get back on those big browns.
