Saturday started out as a 50-plus degree day and the ice coating Otisco Lake was still thick enough to hold the weight of a man.
And that’s just what it did on March 7 as several fishermen took to the ice in the 3rd Annual Alvord House Fishing Derby. The competition began at 12:01 a.m. Saturday and weigh-in time was held from 1 to 4 p.m. back at the bar on Main Street in Marcellus.
Out at the lake, singing birds, water flowing beneath the ice and passing traffic mixed with the gentle sounds of derby-goers’ quiet in conversation. The occasional hollering of a fisherman interrupted nature’s music as catch was being reeled in.
Fisherman Gary Sweet said his team headed out on the ice around 6 a.m. where they stayed until packing up to take their trout to be weighed about eight hours later. Of the 29 two-man teams, Sweet and Bob Feeter’s team “Hardwater Anglers” placed third in the brown trout category. Their 22-inch catch weighed in at four pounds, 12 ounces.
According to Tournament Director Walt Kemblowski, each team was allowed to bring in two fish. Derby participants were on the hunt for tiger muskies and brown trout and each team paid out $40 to be in the competition.
“It’s a 100 percent payback to the fishermen,” Kemblowski said.
There was a split for the teams with the first place muskie and trout, as well as a Calcutta prize for those putting money on each team. Team “Young Guns,” Michael Tross and Brian Boise, took the prize by wagering on team 24-pound, while Glenn Faber won it for the trout category when team Yeti pulled in a six-pound, 11-ounce and 24.5-inch brown trout.
Kemblowski, who has been ice fishing since he was 6 years old, and his partner were up and out on the ice at about 4:30 a.m., but were unable to catch anything.
Father-son team 24-pound saw a different result when Steve Hitchcock reeled in a 17-pound, eight-ounce tiger muskie that measured 40 inches. Hitchcock, teamed up with his dad, David, said it’s the biggest fish he’s caught, and he’s been fishing since he started walking.
“When you catch it, the adrenaline’s great,” Hitchcock said.
The fish had already run out all of the line on his reel when Hitchcock started bringing him in. Until the fish was peering through the hole in the ice, which was between 12 and 14 inches thick, the team wasn’t sure just how big he was.
Team 24-pound was honored with first place in the tiger muskie category and was followed by team H2 whose fish was 11 pounds, five ounces and 36.5 inches long.
Coming in first in the brown trout category, team Yeti member David Palen said the bait used by him and teammate Pete Church, along with friends Bill Kocher and Brian Murphy, was supplied by Bearwood Bait and Taxidermy. Kocher and Murphy caught a three-pound, 13-ounce brown trout that was 20.5 inches.
Between the two teams, they have placed in three derbies this winter.
Third Annual Alvord House Fishing Derby results
Tiger Muskie category:
First place: 24-pound, Steve and David Hitchcock — 17 pounds 8 ounces, 40 inches
Second place: H2, Walt Humphrey and Haberin — 11 pounds 5 ounces, 36.5 inches
Third place: Drop A Line, Marty Kelly and Vaughn Tracy — 8 pounds, 33.5 inches
Brown Trout category
First place: Yeti, Pete Church and David Palen — 6 pounds 11ounces, 24.5 inches
Second place: Crack-A-Noon, Scott Wise and Jim Havey — 5 pounds 2 ounces, 22 inches
Third place: Hardwater Anglers, Gary Sweet and Bob Feeter — 4 pounds 12ounces, 22 inches
Calcutta winners:
Tiger muskie: Young Guns, Michael Tross and Brian Boise
Brown trout: Glenn Faber
The results for the Village Tavern Decade Derby are:
Tiger Muskie
First: Kevin Leo, 16 pounds 2 ounces
Second: David Hitchcock, 9 pounds 12 ounces
Third: Bob Haberer, 9 pounds 1 ounce
Brown Trout
First, second and third: Scott Wise 5 pounds 1 ounce
Perch
First: Jim Spillet, 1 pound 3 ounces
Second: Jim Rowe, 1 pound 3 ounces
Third: Dave Palen, 14 ounces
Lunker Saturday Kevin Leo
Lunker Sunday Scott Wise
Thanks to all the sponsors that made this derby a success:
The Village Tavern
Nojaims
Alvord House
J and J Pizza
Daniels Grill
D & R
Nightingales Mills
Main Street Pharmacy
Marcellus Key Bank
Bass Pro Shops
Lupini Construction
Calley’s hardware
Otisco Lake Marina
Gander Mountain
Express Mart Marcellus
