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Local bass tournament news, results

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<p>HARVEYS LAKE &#8212; The little fish dangles on the line of her kid-sized rod, the rippled water creating a postcard backdrop, and Brooke Reilly, all of 7, defines the allure of Harveys Lake through the ages.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a great place to have fun and share memories.&#8221;</p><p>Standing nearby with a fishing pole of his own, grandfather John Calomino vouches for her claim. When he was younger, he came to visit friends, skim the water on a jet ski, or take a boat out and drop a hook for the afternoon. Now, at 57, he relaxes at dock&#8217;s edge with Brooke &#8212; who, he notes, has been casting a line &#8220;since she could hold a pole.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;About five years,&#8221; she chirps in.</p><p>Five years?</p><p>Well, multiply that by 45 and you&#8217;ve got roughly how long sojourners have chilled out on the shores of this natural glacial lake, Pennsylvania&#8217;s largest by volume. (Conneaut Lake, near Erie, is bigger by surface area.) It&#8217;s a recreational hot spot that arguably became Luzerne County&#8217;s most popular borough.</p><p><strong>If you build it</strong></p><p>Named for Benjamin Harvey &#8212; who discovered it in 1781, according to the <a href="http://www.harveyslakepa.us/" target="_blank">borough website</a> &#8212; Harveys Lake quickly became a mini-resort for settlers in the Wyoming Valley, with hotels cropping up in the 1800s.</p><p>As F. Charles Petrillo recounts in his <a href="http://harveyslake.org/" target="_blank">history-turned-website</a>, the waterway made it big after Lehigh Valley Railroad purchased the lake and the Wilkes-Barre Railroad in 1887.</p><p>Iron Horse tycoons had a penchant for punching up profits by developing new destinations, and the lake proved prime property, quickly sporting a picnic ground, a dock large enough to handle a 70-foot boat, and a train chugging up and down the Back Mountain, loaded with visitors.</p><p>A dance pavilion and carousel were added, followed by a roller coaster, other rides, a restaurant, beach houses and a canoe and boat-rental site.</p><p>In the 1930s John Hanson took ownership of the rides, setting the stage for what would become an eponymously named amusement park, while others had begun staging swimming races &#8212; precursors to what would become the Wilkes-Barre Triathlon.</p><p>Despite all this use, Harveys Lake did not become the borough of Harveys Lake until incorporation in 1968, a move that, according to the borough website, was spurred in part by the need for a sewer system to clean up what had become heavily polluted water.</p><p><strong>Getting hooked</strong></p><p>It&#8217;s June 21, opening night for Duke Dalley&#8217;s three-month bass fishing tournament, one of several such multi-week events held annually at the lake. Some 25 contestants already have been competing for about two hours trying to land the largest fish for that Wednesday evening, and Dalley is setting up with his grandson Tyler, 14, for weigh-ins.</p><p>Soon, boats will get cranked out of the water and onto trailers, and contestants will line up with their prize catches flopping about in plastic bags full of water.</p><p>The crowd will include non-fishing family and neighbors who stop by for the socialization. The chatter will be that of old friends, not fierce competitors hoping to win the weekly prize money. Many intend to come back multiple times in an effort to catch enough large fish to build up a cumulative weight to earn a spot in the tournament finale, where the biggest fish of the night will earn someone a $1,200 prize.</p><p>But for now, Duke and Tyler sit and wait, both readily confessing a love for the sport.</p><p>&#8220;I fish five days a week,&#8221; Duke says the way most people talk about donning work clothes. Then the smile turns sly.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s never about the fish.&#8221;</p><p>What <em>is</em> it about?</p><p>&#8220;Peace and tranquility,&#8221; he replies. &#8220;I come out here when there&#8217;s no one around.&#8221;</p><p>Duke, 64, twists in his folding chair just enough to point beyond the boat ramp sloping into the water at the state Fish and Boat Commission launch.</p><p>&#8220;If you look straight down that lake, right where that dip in the mountain is, that&#8217;s right where the sun comes up in the morning, and I like nothing better than being in the water and watching that sun come up,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s the most peaceful thing.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Being there</strong></p><p>Those who are old enough might lament the growing privatization of what once seemed a thoroughly public lake.</p><p>Beach front has been consumed by private homes ringing much of the lake. Hanson&#8217;s Amusement Park rides were auctioned off in 1984. The Bud Light Amphitheatre, an outdoor concert arena, opened on the grounds in 1992, hosting some big names, but it closed after the 1998 season.</p><p>Even the venerable Wilkes-Barre Triathlon, which has attracted world-class talent, took a hiatus this year, though organizers vow it will be back bigger and bolder in 2018.</p><p>And the road snaking around the water, Lake Drive, has become busy enough to make the popular hiking, jogging and cycling loop risky when drivers let attention slip. There have been a few serious accidents in recent years, including the hit-and-run death of 31-year-old triathlete <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/486683/harveys-lake-dui-hit-and-run-homicide-suspect-weeps-during-testimony" target="_blank">Paula Jones</a> in 2015.</p><p>Still, the borough seems to work hard at remaining a welcoming place, and it&#8217;s not all about the water &#8212; even if borough boundaries clearly outline the rough shape of the lake.</p><p>Grotto Pizza has held Christmas tree parades and entertainment events. The borough is a regular host to charity runs and walks, dances and yard sales. Dalley and others run weekly bass tournaments all summer. Sunset Beach recently hosted an arts and antiques festival.</p><p>&#8220;Harveys Lake is the gem of the Back Mountain,&#8221; Police Chief Charles Musial said with no small pride.</p><p>And while it may be viewed as an epicenter for water sport, recreation and low-key entertainment these days, Denise Sult offered a simpler reason for her 44 years of living in a home off the shore. As surely as fishing is not just about the fish, Harveys Lake is not just about the lake.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s very peaceful here,&#8221; she said, smiling.</p><p><strong>Now, serenity</strong></p><p>Brittany Gunshore and David Koons make leisurely arrangements for an evening on &#8220;sit on top&#8221; kayaks as they prep a pair of fishing rods.</p><p>&#8220;You know what they say,&#8221; Gunshore says, smiling, as she runs a line through the guides. &#8220;A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work.&#8221;</p><p>Gunshore notes she just finished two years at Johnson College of Technology in Scranton and came to the lake &#8220;to chill out a little&#8221; before considering new possibilities. A Harding resident, she fondly recalls many visits to the lake, including the days &#8220;we swam at Sandy Beach before the weeds took over.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Now it&#8217;s weedy beech,&#8221; Koons said.</p><p>&#8220;Harveys Lake is a place of serenity,&#8221; Gunshore says almost wistfully, &#8220;a place to come to get your mind off the day.&#8221;</p><p>Koons, a towering man compared to his fishing partner, snaps two parts of a double-bladed oar together and offers a simpler take on the lake.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s just a fun place to go and fish.&#8221;</p><p>He stashes a pack of cigarettes into the small storage compartment in the aft of his craft &#8212; a notable contrast to the gear bag bungee-strapped to Gunshore&#8217;s kayak &#8212; and quips that &#8220;I travel light.&#8221;</p><p>And then Gunshore glides the bow of her little boat into water glistening in the evening light, settles into the seat and paddles off, with Koons soon following, into serenity.</p><p><ins>For other local news stories, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/category/local" target="_blank">click here</a>.</ins></p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Brooke Reilly, 7, and her grandfather John Calomino fish from the dock at the state Fish and Boat Commission launch on Harveys Lake. (Aimee Dilger | Times Leader)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL070917harveys-Lake1-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Brooke Reilly, 7, and her grandfather John Calomino fish from the dock at the state Fish and Boat Commission launch on Harveys Lake. (Aimee Dilger | Times Leader)</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL070917harveys-Lake3-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Locals David Koons and Brittany Gunshore paddle on Harveys Lake for an evening of leisurely fishing. (Aimee Dilger | Times Leader)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL070917harveys-Lake3-3.jpg</photo1><caption1>Locals David Koons and Brittany Gunshore paddle on Harveys Lake for an evening of leisurely fishing. (Aimee Dilger | Times Leader)</caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL062517bass-tourney2-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Duke Dalley measures Greg Mitulski’s bass on the opening night of a 12-week, Wednesday night tournament at Harveys Lake. (Aimee Dilger | Times Leader)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL062517bass-tourney2-3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Duke Dalley measures Greg Mitulski’s bass on the opening night of a 12-week, Wednesday night tournament at Harveys Lake. (Aimee Dilger | Times Leader)</caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_harveyslake-7-9-17-3.jpg">
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<div class="neCaption">Anglers compete in a Wednesday evening bass tournament on Harveys Lake. Several fishing tournaments are held each summer on the lake. (Aimee Dilger | Times Leader)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL070917harveys-Lake2-3.jpg</photo4><caption4>Anglers compete in a Wednesday evening bass tournament on Harveys Lake. Several fishing tournaments are held each summer on the lake. (Aimee Dilger | Times Leader)</caption4><photoCredit4></photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta></subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>ABOUT THIS SERIES</strong></p><p>Throughout the year, the Times Leader is looking at life in two dozen Luzerne County communities in a feature called &#8220;Hometowns.&#8221; The series is running in alphabetical order in print and on our website at <a href="www.timesleader.com/tag/hometowns" target="_blank">www.timesleader.com/tag/hometowns</a>. Today: Harveys Lake. Next up: Hazleton/West Hazleton on July 30.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><videoMeta><p><table class="mceItemTable" style="border:none;width:98%;"><tbody><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoID:</td><td id="videoid" style="width:50em;font-size:90%;">egPIl1-LYrk</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoType:</td><td id="videotype" style="font-size:90%;">YOUTUBE</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">URL:</td><td id="url" style="font-size:90%;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egPIl1-LYrk</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Embed String:</td><td id="videoembedstring" style="font-size:90%;">&lt;iframe width=&#8221;560&#8221; height=&#8221;315&#8221; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/embed/egPIl1-LYrk&#8221; frameborder=&#8221;0&#8221; allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Caption:</td><td id="videocaption" style="font-size:90%;">Hometown Series Harveys Lake</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Credit:</td><td id="videocredit" style="font-size:90%;">Aimee Dilger</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Position:</td><td id="videoposition" style="font-size:90%;"> </td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="margin-top:10px;font-size:70%;color:#555;">(use the &#8220;for files&#8230;&#8221; link above to associate attached files with this source)</p></videoMeta></div>

Luzerne County hometowns: In Harveys Lake — fishing, boating and memories