The concept is simple. A team of women is put together, and the entry fee is paid at $250. If one of the ladies knows someone with a boat, they can use that for the morning. However, there are numerous boats standing by to volunteer and help with this charity event.
The Reel Alewives of WNY took top honors in the 2019 Reelin’ for a Cure tournament in Lake Ontario.
In the 1980’s song “Girls just want to have fun,” Cyndi Lauper belts out her anthem tune about coming home in the morning light and phones ringing in the middle of the night. In the 2019 version of “girls wanted to have fun,” they were getting ready to hit the water on Lake Ontario before sunrise to participate in the 4th Annual Reelin’ for a Cure ladies fishing tournament held out of the ports of Wilson and Olcott in Niagara County, NY.
“After we had a record 21 boats last year, I was hoping for 25 last year,” said Stephanie Pierleoni of Newfane, NY, the brainchild for this all-woman team fishing contest. “Instead, we jumped to 36 boats competing in this fun contest, while raising a record amount of money for a cancer-related cause.” That’s a 71 percent increase with no signs of slowing down for 2024. The scheduled date for this year is August 16, the first day of the Fall Lake Ontario Counties (LOC) Trout and Salmon Derby.
Last year, the winning fish for the 18-day LOC Derby was caught the same day as the Reelin’ event—out of Olcott no less at 33-1/2 pounds. So, yes, it is possible to be in both events and have a chance at winning an extra check for $25,000.
Fishing has long been a passion of Pierleoni’s. She grew up enjoying the popular pastime with her family as a youngster and she married one of the top charter captains on the Great Lakes, Capt. Vince Pierleoni of Thrillseeker Sportfishing. “It’s in my heart and soul to get more women into the Lake Ontario fishery,” she said. “Not just for this event. I love sharing my fishing passion with other females. The excitement in the Town of Newfane Marina was crazy the morning of the event and it was great to see so many people involved. It was overwhelming for me to see 36 boats in 2019 and I have already been contacted by 4 more teams for this year.”
Fish-N-Chics led by Stephanie Pierleoni, her husband Capt. Vince Pierleoni, their dog, Chinook and teammates.
It’s not just a local event either. The tournament saw teams from West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania and all over New York to participate in this unique event. It’s not showing any signs of slowing down as women (and men) rally to become involved. After what we’ve seen so far this year, people will be ready to let their hair down and have some fun on the water.
The concept is simple. A team of women is put together, and the entry fee is paid at $250. If one of the ladies knows someone with a boat, they can use that for the morning. However, there are numerous boats standing by to volunteer and help with this charity event. Men can be part of the boat and assist with the rigging but it’s up to the ladies to catch the fish.
Of course, the cause is another huge driver for participation. Every year, the tournament chooses a cancer-related benefactor to receive funds from this charity event. Last year, it was “Hope for Two,” a support organization for women who are pregnant and have cancer. Patty Murray, who started the group, told people at the awards ceremony in Olcott how they help those women emotionally and place them in contact with other women who have gone through the same cancer fight.
The Honorary Survivor last year was Karen Evarts of Olcott, who owns and operates The Boat Doctors with her husband Jim. “Cancer has touched all of our lives in one way or another and it’s brought many of us together through this tournament,” she told the gathering along the lake. “This event is a celebration of life.”
When the female teams brought their coolers to the scales at the Lions Club Pavilion in Krull Park, Olcott, it was amazing the amount of energy that was there. Every team weighed in by weigh master Connie Adams of North Tonawanda received a big round of applause from the gallery and team members were as excited for a 25-pound Chinook as they were for a 5-pound coho; a 100-pound 6-fish tournament limit or someone just bringing a single fish to the scales. These types of events can really get your adrenalin flowing and it showed with every fish being weighed.
The first team to weigh in was the Reel Alewives of WNY, a group made up of current and former Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) employees. They were fishing aboard the White Mule, a 36-foot Tiara captained by Bob Cinelli of Newfane. The first fish weighed in was 25.33 pounds, a king salmon. The crowd went wild! As the other 5 fish were put into the weigh basket, these ladies were holding their breath. Six fish is the limit for this tournament, allowing teams to bring their 6-best fish to the scales.
“The weight is 114.89 pounds,” said Adams. “Excellent catch!” Of course, she said that for all the coolers that came to the scales, an ambassador for this fishery as she compliments the beauty of these fish more than anything. Scoring, based on 10 points per fish and a point per pound, gave the crew of Jen Dunn, Shannon Dougherty, Ann Swanson, Jacquie Walters, Jen Pettitt, Karen Cinelli and Angie Driscoll a total of 174.89 points. As luck would have it, that score would hold up through the weighing in of 35 other teams.
As Dr. John Syracuse, the emcee, shouted the team names over the PA system, they brought smiles to the folks in the gallery. Names like Nauti Nurses, Skippers for Nippers, Asleep at the Reel, Reel Pole Dancers and Reel Housewives of Orleans County were called to the stage. Others gave pause as some names carried special meaning like Fishin’ for Remission, Offshore Therapy and Reel Warriors.
“It was awesome to see so many women out there fishing,” said Karen Cinelli of Newfane, another lady passionate about fishing who also married a top charter guy in Capt. Cinelli. “My father used to take me fishing and hunting when I was very young. I loved it then as much as I do now. He exposed me to a world that I would not have otherwise known. I fished Lake Ontario as a child and when I was old enough, I started to work as a first mate on different boats. I was out there doing what I loved doing. There were never very many women fishing back then. This is great.”
“I can remember when I first met Stephanie,” reflected Karen Cinelli. “It was awesome to meet another woman who was actually as passionate about fishing (and as competitive) as I was. It’s amazing how she took a passion for fishing, combined it with a passion for wanting to help cancer patients, and got more women involved in fishing at the same time. Thank you for creating Reelin’ for a Cure!”
Ann Swanson caught the biggest salmon of the tournament at 25-1/2 pounds, part of the Reel Alewives of WNY team.
Cinelli is now a Hospice RN. She doesn’t have as much time to fish as she once did. And she doesn’t get to hear as many success stories about the cancer survivors. This gathering truly is a celebration of life. It’s about what we can accomplish when we all band together. It’s about sharing our natural resources…and our lives.
“I can’t tell you how refreshing it was on that Friday morning for me personally to see so many women out there enjoying the sport of fishing, and, to hear all the treatment success stories,” said Cinelli. “Congratulations to the teams for their efforts during a rough day on the water,” said Pierleoni. “Thanks to all of the teams for toughing it out during some adverse conditions. Not once did I hear any complaints; it was all cheers and excitement at the weigh in. It made me smile.”
When the weigh in was over with, it was a good old-fashioned cookout in the park and an informal awards ceremony. In the end, everyone was a winner and they were already talking about next year.
It’s important to share this fishing resource with the ladies, at a time when the numbers of angling participants are dropping. Nearly 150 female anglers competed in the 2019 event.
Yes, the girls had plenty of fun on the water. The date for this year’s tournament has been set, August 16, 2024. Mark it on your calendar. There’s plenty of room for more teams. There’s room for more laughing, too. Check out the tournament’s facebook page and the website.
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