Northern Challenge draws nearly 1,000 anglers
- Chad Roberts of Manchester, Vermont with his catch shortly before handing it off to the weigh station — where it was measured and then released back into Simon Pond. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)
- Jake Zugzda displays his catch shortly before handing it off to the weigh station — where it was measured and then released back into Simon Pond. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)
- Standing from left are Greg Cummings, Randi Nellis, Jake Zugzda, Melissa Perry and Ray Brownell. Kneeling are Amanda Brownell and Nick De Graff. Despite the cold, the group was all smiles at the Northern Challenge in Tupper Lake on Saturday. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)
- Kyle Lewis, of Lake George, holds his catch shortly before handing it off to the weigh station — where it was measured and released. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)
- Casey Goddeau of Plattsburgh won the $3,375 lunker pool with the biggest catch of the day: a 7.79 lb Northern Pike. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)
- Scott LaLonde awards Mike Alexander his prize money at the Northern Challenge awards ceremony in Tupper Lake on Saturday. Alexander won $50 for having the “lucky” fish during the 12 to 1 p.m. hour. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)
- Dan, Zack and Nick Daniels at the Northern Challenge in Tupper Lake on Saturday. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)
- Todd Froedtert, Jesse Streeter, Corey Wilkins, Jacob Froedtert, Devon Bercume and Tyler Froedtert at the Northern Challenge in Tupper Lake on Saturday. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

Chad Roberts of Manchester, Vermont with his catch shortly before handing it off to the weigh station — where it was measured and then released back into Simon Pond. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)
TUPPER LAKE — In the end, winning the Northern Challenge ice fishing derby came down to less than an ounce.
It was the closest margin the Northern Pike ice fishing derby has seen since its inception about 30 years ago, according to its director, Scott LaLonde. Put on by the Tupper Lake Sportsmen’s Club, the annual event takes place on Simon Pond on the first Saturday of February — provided that there is good ice. It brings people from all over the Northeast, Canada and beyond to Tupper Lake each winter.
Hearty cheers erupted from the crowd of several hundred who had gathered for the Northern Challenge’s awards ceremony when Casey Goddeau walked up to collect his $3,375 Lunker Pool prize –for the day’s largest catch by weight.
Goddeau, of Plattsburgh, got on the board early, registering his award-winning 7.79 lb Northern Pike between 8 and 9 a.m. It came down to the wire later in the afternoon when Luke Breault reeled in a 7.74 lb Northern Pike between 1 and 2 p.m. The Lunker Pool comes on top of $500 each won for having the largest catches of their respective hours.
Despite frigid temperatures stuck in the single digits throughout the day, Simon Pond was abuzz all day, with snowmobiles and ATVs zooming back and forth between the weigh station and the numerous fishing holes.

Casey Goddeau of Plattsburgh won the $3,375 lunker pool with the biggest catch of the day: a 7.79 lb Northern Pike. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)
Kurt Phillips, who made the trip from Carthage credited his father for instilling the love of fishing in him at a young age. He, in turn, got his wife hooked on the sport.
“We caught one each,” he said. “We fished the whole day, we got here at 5 o’clock in the morning.”
Phillips said the cold comes with the craft.
“You adapt to it, he said. “I mean you’ve got to make it work.”
Todd Froedtert has been participating in the Northern Challenge for the past four years. When it comes to the temperature, he said it’s all relative.

Standing from left are Greg Cummings, Randi Nellis, Jake Zugzda, Melissa Perry and Ray Brownell. Kneeling are Amanda Brownell and Nick De Graff. Despite the cold, the group was all smiles at the Northern Challenge in Tupper Lake on Saturday. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)
“The year before last was 40 below, so this is a heat wave,” he said.
Dan Daniels said he has been coming to the Northern Challenge from Plattsburgh for about 20 years.
“Seems to be a good turnout,” he said. “Good ice so I think people showed.”
“We had a good crowd,” LaLonde said. “A touch under 1,000. … It all depends on the weather and thank God it wasn’t Sunday morning.”
While Saturday was cold, it paled in comparison to Sunday morning, which saw a low of minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Tupper Lake’s Mesonet weather station.

Kyle Lewis, of Lake George, holds his catch shortly before handing it off to the weigh station — where it was measured and released. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)
The weeks leading up to this year’s Northern Challenge provided consistent cold weather for ice development. While the ice on the fishing derby’s portion of Simon Pond was thick — LaLonde said between 13 and 14 inches — surface conditions were slushy.
Safety was a priority. Even with the thick ice, a heavy presence of State Troopers and state Department of Environmental Conservation Police were stationed at the water’s edge ready to respond in case there was a fall — fortunately no such response was needed.
While previous years have seen larger derby-winning fish by weight, the pike were certainly biting. With 201 Northern Pike brought to the weigh station, LaLonde said it was among the largest, if not the largest number of fish registered — with the number of lines in the water being around average for the event.
Per contest rules, all fish were delivered to the station in water and released back into Lake Simond Pond after their weights were tallied by officials.
LaLonde said it was rewarding — after a year of planning — to put many faces to names that he had, up to that point, only known over the phone or email, prior to the event.

Scott LaLonde awards Mike Alexander his prize money at the Northern Challenge awards ceremony in Tupper Lake on Saturday. Alexander won $50 for having the “lucky” fish during the 12 to 1 p.m. hour. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)
“My favorite part is seeing everybody during awards,” he said. “They know me, they know I do that, but after so much contact over the phone, it’s fun to see their faces and interact with everyone.”
LaLonde said the days leading up to the event — and after it had officially concluded — amounted to an around-the-clock organizing effort.
“It’s crazy,” he said. “I literally go from making the last announcement to throwing on an orange vest, running up the hill and directing the traffic.”
While LaLonde said the scene may look chaotic, with a mass exodus of several hundred vehicles making their way out of a narrow side road, his decades of experience with the Northern Challenge gave him a firm grasp of the logistics.
“We’ve done this so long that I’ve got it down to a science,” he said. “We don’t complain, it’s always worth it.”

Todd Froedtert, Jesse Streeter, Corey Wilkins, Jacob Froedtert, Devon Bercume and Tyler Froedtert at the Northern Challenge in Tupper Lake on Saturday. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)
Brimming with enthusiasm, LaLonde said the planning for the 2026 Northern Challenge will get underway soon.
“Now’s a great time to plan for next year,” he said.
Around $45,000 in cash and cash value of items was awarded this year — the majority of which does not revolve around needing to procure a plump pike.
Two four-wheelers, along with a number of door prizes and 50/50 raffle awards are given out. With a registration fee of $35, many sign up to try their hand at the plethora of prizes not tied to the fish. In years of poor ice quality, these raffles still take place, with sizable crowds still turning out as a result, including last year.
Red Top Inn Motel owner Jay Chojnowski said the Northern Challenge plays a pivotal role in Tupper Lake’s winter economy.
“This is the one that brings people from all over the place,” he said. “It’s the biggest weekend in the winter. This is something that brings everybody together.”
Chojnowski said his guests this year come from as far away as Philadelphia, New York City and Boston. He said Tupper Lake’s cold climate — relative to most of the Northeast — helps to draw people from afar.
“Sometimes we are the only tournament that takes place because nobody else has ice,” he said. “It is big. It’s popular. Everybody is fully booked. I do have regulars and I’m already basically booked for next year.”

Jake Zugzda displays his catch shortly before handing it off to the weigh station — where it was measured and then released back into Simon Pond. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

Dan, Zack and Nick Daniels at the Northern Challenge in Tupper Lake on Saturday. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)