Aria Furlong shows off the first-place kids’ division winning perch that she caught during the 2023 Long Lake/Lake Eaton Fishing Derby. (Provided photo — Long Lake Fish & Game Club)

LONG LAKE — The Long Lake Kid & Adult Ice Fishing Derby is a go today, despite the warm winter wreaking havoc on ice around the North Country.

Long Lake Fish and Game Club President Bruce Jennings said that the bays of Long Lake and Lake Eaton both have between 10 and 12 inches of ice, more than enough to support the small local tournament of 30 to 40 anglers. The derby used to be split between kids and adults, the adults fishing in February and the kids taking to the ice in March. Now the tournament is combined, as recent years have left March’s ice unfavorable.

“Even now we’re getting a little nervous once in a while,” Jennings said.

But thanks to a recent bout of cold weather, the ice is looking good.

Last year, Marty Pierce caught the winning fish during the Long Lake Kid & Adult Ice Fishing Derby, which weighed in at 13.63 lbs and 39 inches. The event drew 15 junior participants and 34 adults, and a total of 23 fish were weighed in for the competition.

Kids brought in a total of 11 Northern pike, while the adults weighed in with a total of 12 fish. Lake Eaton produced five land-locked salmon and two rainbow trout. Pike numbered a total of five entries. No lake trout were caught at Lake Eaton in 2023.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation lists 3 to 4 inches of solid ice as a general safety guideline for foot travel. Ice becomes acceptable for snowmobiles and ATVs at 5 inches, a car or small pickup from 8 to 12 inches and a medium truck at more than 12 inches.

The tournament takes place just one week after one of the largest derbies in the state, Tupper Lake Sportsmen’s Club’s Northern Challenge, was canceled due to unsafe ice on Simon Pond. Last weekend, the ice was between 3.5 and 6 inches. This led to the first ice thickness cancellation in decades.

For a tournament as small as Long Lake’s, that thickness might be manageable. But for the Northern Challenge, which frequently draws over 1,000 anglers, many with snowmobiles and ATVs, at least 12 inches of ice is needed.

In Lake Placid, the much anticipated CAN/AM Pond Hockey Tournament, which was expected to take place on Mirror Lake, was moved to the state Olympic Speedskating Oval this weekend. Leading up to the tournament, many locals speculated on whether the ice would be thick enough for pond hockey, especially because the end of the week brought more sun and daytime temperatures nearing 50 degrees.

Even though Mirror Lake had a lot of water from melting ice on it Friday morning, pond hockey players started out on the lake but moved to the oval in the afternoon. According to Olympic Center General Manager Chadd Cassidy, CAN/AM officials decided to move because of the condition of the ice, not its thickness.

On Wednesday, North Elba Park District Manager Matt St. Louis reported that Mirror Lake had around 9 inches of good ice and his crew is waiting for 12 inches to open the Lake Placid Toboggan Chute on Parkside Drive, with a goal set for Presidents Day weekend. The ever-popular dog sledding on Mirror Lake is in full swing, with activity being seen on Thursday and Friday from Brewster Park.