Fish.
Eric was recognized by the late Jerry Duffield as one of the best muskellunge anglers in West Virginia. The Memorial Muskie Tournament carries that obsession forward — every June, on the waters he loved.
The fish of 10,000 casts, in Eric’s memory.
Each June since 2013, anglers gather across West Virginia for the Eric Workman Memorial Muskie Tournament & Youth Tournament. The tournament is held over two days in the main division and a longer window in the youth division, with an awards banquet that fills out at two hundred guests strong.
Every dollar of net proceeds goes back into Eric’s West Virginia — forage minnows for state hatcheries, transmitter and tracking studies, equipment for biologists, and access improvements at fishing points across the state.
2015 Tournament Winners
Twenty‑six anglers landed thirty‑nine qualifying “Eric Fish” across eleven different West Virginia waterbodies in 2015.
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1
Daniel HaddoxMain division · 5 muskies185″ total
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2
Justin LuskMain division · 5 muskies175″ total
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3
Jonathan HornMain division146.5″ total
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John FoutyBiggest fish45″ muskie
2015 Youth Division
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11–14
Scottie Cobb11–14 age group38.5″ muskie
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10−
Eli Wilmoth10 and under28.5″ catfish
Tournament history
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2013Inaugural
The first Eric Workman Memorial
Eric’s family, fellow troopers, and the West Virginia muskie community came together for the inaugural memorial tournament — establishing the format that still defines the event today: catch‑and‑release, a strong youth division, and a banquet that fills the room.
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20142nd Annual
A statewide event
In its second year the tournament expanded across new West Virginia waterbodies, with sponsorship from regional outfitters and growing youth participation.
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20153rd Annual
154 anglers · 39 “Eric Fish”
Daniel Haddox’s 185‑inch stringer took first; thirty‑one young anglers joined the youth tournament; and net proceeds funded $3,000 in minnows for state hatcheries plus a pair of Smith‑Root electro‑anesthesia gloves for the WVDNR.
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20164th Annual
A growing tradition
The fourth annual tournament continued to grow the foundation’s contributions to muskellunge fishery research, scholarships, and drug‑free youth programs.
The water, the work, the people.
