BROCKPORT — Chuck Sabatose has always had passion and prowess for fishing, as he has traveled the country competing in tournaments for the past 20-plus years.
Sabatose, who has competed on professional circuits in the past, noted he enjoys any type of fishing, but is particularly keen on walleye fishing.
His drive for walleye fishing has led him to compete in the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s National Team Championship several times over the last 20 years, most recently this past month.
Sabatose competed in the National Championship along with his fishing partner Frank Mausser of Sharon on Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh, WI. from Sept. 24-26. The duo placed 20th after competing with fishermen from across the country.
He noted there were more than 200 two-man teams competing, as everyone is guaranteed fishing on the first two days, then the top-25 are taken for day three.
“If you make it in the top-25 you are considered All-American and you get a ring. It’s a pretty big deal to make it,” Sabatose said.
Sabatose and Mausser did just that.
They were in 6th after day one and 10th after day two to earn a spot in the final day of fishing, which saw them place 20th overall.
He noted that while Mausser is his fishing partner now, they used to compete against each other in tournaments.
“I used to fish the circuit with my cousin John, and we always fished against Frank (Mausser). And, he was a great fisherman,” Sabatose said. “It just ended up that we became fishing partners, and we probably will be forever.”
While Sabatose has qualified for the national tournament almost every year since first qualifying 19 years ago, he noted his full-time job prevents him from competing some years.
Sabatose, a 6th grade math teacher at Brockway, said he hopes to return to the pro circuit after retirement. But for now, his teaching comes first.
He noted his love for fishing started at a young age, something he is working to instill with his students after creating a fly fishing club with a few of his fellow teachers.
“Growing up it was my dad and my grandfather that got me into fishing and I’m so glad they did because that’s something I think a lot of younger people need to do,” Sabatose said.
“We are trying to get kids interested in fishing, because it’s something we are losing, the number of people fishing is going down every year.”
Sabatose spent time on the Masters Walleye Circuit from 2003 where he competed against the top fishermen from around the country, but as he stated, does not have the time at the moment to be a full-time member.
“When I am teaching is when a lot of the (pro circuit) tournaments are held,” he said. “I can hit some of them, but it’s not worth it to fish just one or two of the tournaments because you can’t even make the championship unless you fish in all of them.”
Walleye fishing has always stood out to Sabatose because it is one of the most challenging fish to catch and is extra rewarding because it is one of the best tasting fish.
Sabatose, who worked at Owens-Brockway before becoming a teacher, credited his co-worker Gary Bundy for getting him in to walleye fishing.
“He (Bundy) used to love to walleye fish and I started going with him and he got me hooked on it,” Sabatose said. “I just loved it from the very start, it was only a couple years later that I bought my first boat.”
Sabatose then competed in his first walleye tournament in the mid 1990s, which was hosted by Cabela’s on the Kinzua Reservoir. He finished sixth and has been hooked ever since.
He noted he loves the challenge of fishing for walleye and also loves competing against some of the top anglers from around the country.
“I’ve been all over the country fishing for walleye, so I’ve gotten to see all these different walleye lakes and all the different techniques required, so it has been really rewarding,” Sabatose said.
With Sabatose and Mausser finishing 20th at this year’s national team tournament, they have qualified for the 2021 tournament on Lake Huron in Michigan.
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