A $1,500 check was presented by representatives of the Fifth Annual Walleye Ice Fishing Tournament to the Great Sacandaga Lake Fisheries Federation for fish stocking this fall. The Walleye Challenge, this year was held on held on January 26, on the Great Sacandaga Lake. Event Coordinators Lou Stutzke (Owner of Fuel-N-Food of Mayfield), Hank “Beaver” Ross and Fulton County Director of Tourism, Gina DaBiere-Gibbs, presented the check to Randy Gardinier of the Great Sacandaga Lake Fisheries Federation at a recent ceremony at the Fulton County Visitors Center in Vail Mills.
The tournament registered 1500 fishing enthusiasts with approximately 54% of participants from outside of Fulton County including participants from seven states. The event has sold out in each of the five years it has been held. Besides cash prizes for the heaviest fish caught in each hour (between 7:00 AM and 3:00 PM), there were several door prizes awarded throughout the day, and two four-wheel recreational vehicles and a snowmobile were given away to three of the participants.
The 2014 Walleye Ice Fishing Tournament is scheduled for Saturday, January 25, 2014. Anyone interested in adding their name to the event’s mailing list is asked to call the Fulton County Tourism Department at (518) 725-0641 or to send a request via e-mail at info@fultonmontgomeryny.org.