Tag Archives: Theresa Taylor

Adirondack Kids™ Fishing Derby lures 24 young anglers inaugural event

by Theresa Taylor Guest Contributor

A Kids Fishing Derby was held in Inlet on Saturday, October 6 in conjunction with the first Adirondack Kids™ Day. Twenty-four kids entered the contest, with many participating in one-on-one casting and catching classes before fishing.

They departed from the channel between Fourth and Fifth Lakes and boated to Fifth Lake where sponsors and volunteers had thoughtfully set up a dock with a tent a few days prior.

Throughout the event, kids could come and go, fishing for as long as they wanted. Continue reading →

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Lamphear Fishing Derby nets largest contestant field to date

by Theresa Taylor

The Raquette Lake Fish & Game Club, Hamilton County Federation of Sportsmen Inc. and Raquette Lake Parks & Recreation hosted the 7th Annual Lamphear Memorial Fishing Derby on Raquette Lake on May 18 and 19th. annual spring fishing derby on Raquette Lake.

Thirty eight adults and seven junior anglers competed for top places in each division with four categories: bullhead, perch, lake trout and brook trout.

The contest began at 5 p.m. on Friday and ended at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

The weather cooperated and the black flies were nowhere to be found, which made for lots of weighed-in fish and plenty of contestants happy to have not donated their blood supply.

In the junior division, Ethan Bush of Long Lake won first and second place in perch with Bryce Hutchins of Indian Lake taking third place.

Bryce won first place and second in brook trout, with brother Garret Hutchins placing third.

Corey Andrews of Whitesboro won bullhead for reeling in a 14”, 1.8 lb. monster.

Garret Hutchins placed second with 14 3/8”, 1.4 pounder; and Nicholas Branch of Old Forge was close behind when he caught a third place 14”, 1.4 lb. bullhead bending the end of his pole.

In the adult division, Jamie Roblee of Blue Mountain Lake walked away with first, second and third in lake trout.

His largest was 23” and 4.2 lbs. with the second weighing in at 4.0lbs and 22 1/2”.

Lance Pierson of Raquette Lake ran away with brook trout, also winning first second and third places.

His largest was 17 3/4” weighing 2.6 lbs., with the second being 15 3/4” and weighing 1.8 lbs.

First place in perch went to Tom Beckingham of Raquette Lake with his son Wayne Beckingham of Old Forge weighing in for second.

Lance Pierson caught the third place perch.

Lance came away with another first and tied with Ben Harrington of Indian Lake for second and third place bullhead with 14 1/2”, 1.4 pounder.

Many thanks to The Raquette Lake Hotel & Tap Room for letting Fish & Game hold the weigh-in and contest at their establishment.

Penny and Sandy even weighed in a few early Saturday morning fish!

Thanks to Fish & Game President Wayne Kavanaugh for organizing the event this year. Thanks to Parks and Recreation for taking care of the plaques and donating towards the prize money.

And a special thanks to Tom Beckingham who drummed up so many extra contestants that we had our largest number of participants in the history of the event.

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Annual Tradition: Raquette Lake Supply Community Ice/Job Harvest

by Theresa Taylor, Raquette Lake Correspondent

Photo by Theresa Taylor

Jim Dillon (who happens to be one of the nicest guys you are ever going to meet) annually throws a dart at his “pin up” oil truck calendar and whatever Saturday in February it lands closest to becomes the day of the Annual Ice Harvest in Raquette Lake.

Okay, not really.

Generally, the date of the harvest is determined by the amount of ice and the availability and proper running order of the equipment used. (Sometimes the Adirondack Museum has it on display and/or the rubber bands, bungee cords and duct tape have to be replaced.)

Photo by Theresa Taylor

Another factor is the availability of the 4th, and now 5th, generations of Dillons who along with their strappingly young and strong friends make the road trip to be enslaved for a day or two by Uncle Jim.

This year someone with the foresight of an eagle, started plowing the ice job area shortly after freeze over which kept it free of this season’s huge (note the sarcasm) snow accumulations.

This produced crystal clear (minus a few weeds) ice blocks measuring halfway to your hips (if you’re six feet tall) by a little wider than your hips (if you’ve been on this planet 50 years or more).

This is a precise measurement so as not to strain the conveyor belts or the assortment of aged workers.

The stars seemed to be lining up as the Adirondack Museum had no dibs on the ice harvesting equipment, or on Jim or any of his brothers for that matter. Continue reading →

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Anglers converge from all around for Raquette Lake’s 12th Annual Mike Norris Memorial Ice Fishing Derby

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

Noah Lamphear of Inlet

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.)

John Greanes of Averill Park

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. Continue reading →

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