A Chronicle of Pre-Derby Day Activities, as told by Theresa Taylor…

THREE A.M. – The alarm rings in tune with the snoring of my sneaky dog, lying next to my bed. Glad it finally sounded off as I hardly had any sleep.

I think I am more excited for the day than any of the contestants, who by the way are still sleeping—dreaming of the future fish they will mysteriously yarn out of a hole drilled somewhere on Raquette Lake.

(Their locations are a tightlipped secret until they set up, and their bait and lures are even more of a secret.)

5 A.M. – I’m at the fire hall. Registration table is set, coffee is brewed and I am in search of the four-slot toaster of which one half works and the other half doesn’t and cannot be sawed off.

But, as they say in Raquette— if it works, even a little bit—it’s a keeper!

Get a start on homemade sweets and other morsels, along with the soon-to-be breakfast sandwiches that are awaiting the blanched bacon I left behind in my fridge in Long Lake.

Start grilling English muffins and bagels as I never did find the half-working toaster.

I compliment myself with unprintable wording on forgetting the deli wrap paper that is still sitting on the porch at my house.

5:15 A.M.– Do a bathroom check and turn on the overhead lights in the truck bay. Salty tire tracks are all that remain in memory of the fire trucks and ambulance that have been removed and dispersed around town to warm, available garages.

Start assigning numbers to those who pre-registered at The Tap Room—our local information office and community center, as well as hotel, eating establishment and UPS and Fed Ex drop off when they can’t find you or your home.

5:20 A.M. – First vehicle pulls in the fire hall lot and parks in front of the sign that says something like: Do not Block the Doors, No Parking, and Violators will be Shot without Explanation. Registration begins at 6 a.m., so at 5:23 a.m. two men enter with cheery greetings, wishing me well and just wondering what time registration is…

5:35 A.M. – Beeba, Mike’s brother, enters the fire hall, looks about, checks his watch and asks if there is any chance that Daylight Savings Time got moved to January 28th?

With coffee just about coming out my nose in response (because I do find him quite amusing) I finish up registration for contestant #20-something and run to the kitchen to remove a Cajun bagel from the frying pan before the smoke alarm goes off in the fire hall of all places.

5:45 A.M. – Take delivery of everything I packed into vehicles but remained at my house, along with what I remembered I forgot. And Mike’s brother Garby is at the registration table with Beeba, cheerily handing over contestant #40-something his (hopefully) lucky number of the day.

6:30 A.M. – Beeba and Garby are setting up the weighing station and sheepishly confess they cannot seem to locate the length board amongst the pile of supplies and bells and whistles the Town of Long Lake helps us with.

I fire up the broom and run to The Tap Room where Penny helps me load up with the length board and a few other needed items.

As we open the back hatch, I look at the length board and weigh basket I had loaded the night before.

Penny giggles and takes the Tap Room board back inside and offers me help if I need anything else. Thank you, Penny. Have you found my brain?

The day continues, with 82 adult and 17 junior contestants bringing in their catches to be weighed and entered on the board.

Mike’s brother Kevin drills a release hole and makes a few trips on his trusty snowmobile to check on contestants and take a few pictures.

Mike’s sister Cindy comes in from Indian Lake with Mike’s two nephews Richard and Joe, who head right out to the lake to try their luck for 2012

Cindy unloads the cookies and bars she made in case the supply was getting low. After all, just about anything is mighty tasty dipped in hot chocolate.

Stan Holowinski appears and offers to ride the lake for photos, but we are pretty set so he and Beth will be back for the ending to help with the door prizes and whatever else is needed.

Wayne Kavanaugh shows up with the payout envelopes and helps for a few hours, volunteering to do the dump run the following morning when he sees me cleaning some perch.

Mike Burke rolls in with the door prizes that he and Lew Harrington shop hard and wise for at a recent show.

With all they unload to the fire hall corner, we begin to run out of room! Mike and Lew have done a great job shopping and we wonder how they got it all back in one truck. (This leads to a funny story of grown men—all the way from Buffalo—surrounded by lots of fishing merchandise and very little space.)

There’s a two-man shanty, a one-man shanty, and a pullover-seated shanty. An Ice Armor suit, lots of jigging poles and tip ups, gloves, lures and a myriad of ice fishing equipment.

Cindy and I cook up some hot dogs and a couple of pans of sausage, ground beef, homemade sauce, stir in some ziti and smother the whole thing with as much mozzarella and parmesan that will fit in the pan.

After Cindy makes some popcorn and yet another pot of coffee, we prepare for the final weigh-in rush and the return of hungry people.

Liz Forsell appears with a smile, and with her lovely lobster hat intact she starts to squeeze money out of anyone who looks like they have a dollar left in their pocket for the 50/50 drawing.

Karen Lamphear takes pen in hand to write down any last minute changes, the big door prize winner, and if possible, some fourth place envelopes.

—

The Fish & Game Club would like to thank The Town of Long Lake for their donation towards the prize money and use of equipment, Tioga Construction Company (Mike worked for them right up to his sickness) for their generous donation towards the event, and all the locals who came out of the woodwork to help behind the scenes.

Also, the Norris Family for all their efforts and the great memory board with pictures of Mike that they share during the event, Mike Burke and Lew Harrington for their pinching and stretching of the Club’s money and for getting great door prizes, and Liz Forsell for bleeding everyone present dry to raise over $400 for the 50/50 raffle.

 

The winners of the tournament were:

ADULT DIVISION

Salmon: 1. Peter Jones of Baldwinsville – 2.64 lbs. and 19 3/4”; 2. Bill Callahan of Indian Lake – 2.47 lbs. and 19 7/8”; 3. Craig Merritt of Remsen -2 .08 lbs. and 18 1/2”

Lake Trout: 1. Lew Harrington of Long Lake – 2.96 lbs. and 21 3/8”; 2. Andi Smaila of Poplar Point – 2.91 lbs. and 21 1/8”; 3. John Greanes of Averill Park-2.74 lbs. – 21 1/2”; 4. Mike Cornelia of Rochester – 2.59 lbs. and 21 1/2”

Brook Trout: 1. Ben Daskiewich of Boonville – 1.26 lbs. and 15 3/4”; 2. Jamie Roblee of Blue Mountain Lake – 1.05 lbs. and 14 3/4”; 3. Tom Myers of Albany – 1.04 lbs. and 15 5/8”; 4. Jamie Roblee of Blue Mountain Lake-.43 lbs. and 10 3/4”

Perch: 1. Rachel Pohl of Raquette Lake- 1.25 lbs. and 13 1/8”; 2. Scott Harrington of Camillus – 1.25 lbs. and 13”; 3. Adam Haight of Brooklyn – 1.19 lbs. and 12 1/2”

JUNIOR DIVISION

Salmon: 1. Joseph DeShaw of Indian Lake – 1.95 lbs. and 19”; 2. Jens Bartel of Old Forge – 1.78 lbs. and 19 1/2”

Perch: 1. Matt Andre of Old Forge -1.41 lbs. and 13 3/4”; 2. Savannah Lamphear of Springfield, NH – 1.07 lbs. and 13”; 3. Savannah Lamphear of Springfield, NH – .92 lbs. and 12 1/4”; 4. Noah Lamphear of Inlet – .89 lbs. and 12 1/2”

Brook Trout: 1. Noah Lamphear of Inlet – .91 lbs. and 13 1/2”

Lake Trout: 1. Ethan Bush of Long Lake – 3.38 lbs. and 23 1/4”; 2. Savannah Lamphear of Springfield, NH – 2.39 lbs. and 21”