Friday June 8th started out like any other day for father/son team Wayne and Zack Kunow and friend Kevin Meyerhoff. Wake up, get packed and get on the boat, nothing out of the ordinary; until they threw the cast net for a few bunker and pulled in over 100 fish for bait. Wayne said he’s never seen anything like it and didn’t expect to get so many. For the day to start like that, they knew it had to be a good sign.
So now that the group had the bait, it was time to go fishing. They made moves for a known “cow” location that they thought was a “secret spot”, until they pulled up and were greeted by 20 other boats in the area. “We knew where the hump was, no one else was on it” said Wayne. They readied the lines, each with a fresh live bunker on the end waiting to get engulfed by a large bass.
Before going further how about a little background on the guys. They have been fishing the Striper Cup for 3 years now, and have only weighed in 1 fish, a 25-pound fish caught by then 9 year old Zack. When asked why they fish Wayne replied “it’s added excitement to the fishing, it really gets Zack and me into it, we both know the fish on the end of the line could be the fish of a lifetime.” The trio does everything together from camping to hunting and of course fishing. Zack had been into fishing since he was a 3-year old youngster. “Zack and I do everything together” said Wayne, “we hunt and fish with Kevin.” That right there shows one thing the Striper Cup is all about, camaraderie, family and enjoyment.
So now back to the fishing. The days leading up to June 8th were slow and reports were grim. That didn’t matter to these guys. The bait hadn’t been in the water more than 15 minutes when the line started screaming off the reel. Zack was quick to jump on it but luck was not on his side with the first one of the day. For the next 45 minutes, Zack would be battling a bad case of motion sickness, but once the reel started to scream at him again, he was right there on it and soon had his personal best fish in the boat. Not only was this fish his own personal best, it was the best fish ever caught in the family. When asked about it, Zack could only say he had a really great time, but his face showed pure excitement.
So what inspires you to fish the Striper Cup? Is it family time? Chance at some of the prizes? Added excitement? Let us know, show us your fish, tell us your story! You just never know what could happen during The Cup!
Congradulations!!!!! Nice fish