The Tournament Team
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Captain Nick Rusin “Capt.”
Nick got his start fishing for Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon at the age of 16 in the lake’s tributaries. This passion led to the need to chase them all year round. For 11 years, he has been out mastering the craft of finding Lake Ontario trophies, with the last 5 years being out over 300 hours per year! You will find him at the helm analyzing the Humminbird electronics, FishHawk probe, and the lake’s currents to figure out where the fish are. He is also known to work the back of the boat when Dave and Garrett let him back there.
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Dave Bonnell “Mr. Consistent”
We met Dave on our third ever tournament as he was placed on our boat as an observer. He was a riot to be with and showed he could definitely fish, so we had asked him to fish with us. He has been on team Rigged for 5 years now, mastering the tried and true methods of targeting Lake Ontario Salmonids. You will find him at the back of the boat working our various rod setups and adapting to what they like each day. As he tells Nick, “It’s your job to find them, it’s our job to put them in the boat.”
Garrett Rusin “The Engineer”
Garrett has been fishing Lake Ontario the same amount of time as his brother, Nick. They started off on a small 14’ boat and that is where the obsession began. His nickname is not only that of his trade, but of his personality and mindset. He is always looking for the new secret weapon or any little edge possible to get more fish on the boat. You will find him at the back of the boat working all of our systems and working with Dave regarding specifics of our overall spread.
The Girls
We have three women that frequent tournaments with us. Wendy Rusin, Sheila Frank, and Val Corriddi. These girls are the workhorses on Rigged as it’s their job to get the fish to the net. They are our secret weapons!
Mike Cummings
Mike is our wildcard! He normally fishes on another tournament boat, but when we can snag him, we do! He is a great all-around fisherman and knows every role on the boat!
The greatest thing about team Rigged is that we work awesome together. Each person on the boat has a little different mindset and skill-set. We complement each other perfectly, and it shows in our tournament results:
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2018:
1st Place- OOO 2x2 Tournament
7th Place- Oak Orchard Open Main Event
1st place- BETS Series 1
1st Place- BETS Series 5
5th Place- Spring LOC Derby- Lake Trout
2nd Place- Overall Standings Bald Eagle Tournament Series
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2017:
3rd place- BETS Series 5
4th Place- Orleans County Fishing Derby- Brown Trout
3rd place- Sandy Creek Shootout Big Fish Friday
2nd Place- Monroe County Offshore Classic
4th Place- BETS Series 1
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2016:
1st Place- WHLS Big Water Derby- Salmon
2nd Place- Orleans County Fishing Derby- Salmon
3rd Place- King Of The Oak pt. 3
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2015:
2nd Place- King Of The Oak- Overall Standings
2nd Place- King Of The Oak pt.4
4th Place- King Of The Oak pt.2
2nd Place- King Of The Oak pt.1
8th Place- Sandy Creek Shootout
9th Place- Sandy Creek Shootout Big Fish Friday
5th Place- Orleans County Fishing Derby- Lake Trout
20th Place- Summer LOC derby- Steehead
9th Place- Wilson Harbor Salmon Slam
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2014:
2nd place- Sandy Creek Shootout Big Fish Friday
5th Place- Orleans County Fishing Derby- Lake Trout
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2013:
4th Place- Sandy Creek Shootout
8th Place- Fall LOC Derby- Steelhead division
We would also like to give a big thank you to our partners. Minion Trolling Flies, Knockout Lures, Torpedo Fishing Products, K2 Coolers, and Muddycreek Tackle have been a huge reason why we catch the fish that we do. The quality and craftsmanship in these products are top-notch, and their customer service goes above and beyond the call of duty! Click their icons below to visit their respective websites!