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Saranac Lake Classic fills ice derby void

Holding a northern pike, Skye Beaudoin was the cutest photo winner over the weekend in the Saranac Lake Classic ice fishing derby. (Provided photo)

SARANAC LAKE — An ice fishing derby was held in and around Saranac Lake over the weekend to fill the void left after the annual Colby Classic was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Although no one is looking to replace the Saranac Lake Fish and Game Club’s Colby Classic, which had been held during the first weekend of March for 36 straight years until this winter, the new derby — the Saranac Lake Classic — went so well, it might also turn into a local tradition.

“I hope Colby Classic is back next year,” said Jon Gorgas, who co-organized the Saranac Lake Classic with Doug. “But we had so many people telling us this was great and they’d like to do it again. We had a fun time putting this togther and we had fun fishing over the weekend.

“I think we might do something like this again next year,” Gorgas continued. “We could have it on a different weekend.”

The Saranac Lake Classic began Friday and ended on Sunday and offered cash prizes for the top three catches in northern pike, trout and perch categories. Eligible fish could be caught on any body of water located in the Saranac Lake Central School District.

Brett Wimsatt displays his winning northern pike that netted him $100 for first place over the weekend in the inaugural Saranac Lake Classic ice fishing derby. (Photo provided)

The event drew 85 participants, including 20 in the 16-and-under youth division.

Prizes of $100, $50 and $25 were awarded to the top three entries in each category, and the winners were determined by the length of the fish.

Less than three inches separated the top catches for northern pike. Brett Wimsatt got the win with a 34.75” pike, Matthew Tanzini was runner-up with a 33″ catch and Ross Friend placed third at 32.25.”

The winner in the trout division measured 25.5” and was caught by Jeff Santoro. Ed Griffin placed second at 20.5″ and Michael Morehouse finished third with a 15.5″ fish.

The perch division was for youth only. Walter Pelletier won with an 11.5” perch, Knaullyn Durfee placed second with an 11.25″ catch and Eva Phillips was third, also with an 11.5″ perch.

Instead of having a central area where fish were brought to be recorded, participants measured and entered their catches with the FishDonkey app. A huge benefit in using the app was after fish were measured, they could be returned to the water. In fact, the derby doled out $50 each to the largest fish released in the northern pike and trout categories. Tanzini’s second-place 33″ pike turned out to be worth two prizes as it was the largest released fish in that division.

In addition to payouts for the winners, numerous other prizes were awarded during the derby, with many of those coming from area sponsors who stepped up to help. Not only was the derby successful in drawing solid numbers for a first-year event, it also served as a fundraiser that brought in several hundred dollars for both the Saranac Lake and Bloomingdale volunteer fire departments.

Gorgas provided a brief summary of how the weekend played out on the ice.

“The weather was tough Saturday, but some decent fish were entered,” he said. “Sunday was nicer and the leader board was more active. We ended up with 23 pike entered, most of which were released. Only a few trout were entered. Perch division was competitive with the winner coming in the 11th hour and a tie for second.

“Almost universal positive feedback on the derby and how the app worked,” Gorgas added. “We were happy to give out 35 prizes, of one type or another.”

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