A few showers early becoming a steady rain for the afternoon. High 51F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..
Tonight
Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low around 45F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
The morning started off as one of the better days (weather wise) that we've had in some time. Temperatures in the high teens to low 20s, slightly overcast and almost zero wind made for a rather enjoyable way to start the day.
The only impediment tournament anglers faced, including me, were the downright terrible lake conditions. Copious amounts of snow sitting atop a healthy amount of slush and slop. These conditions seriously hampered all wheeled vehicles. Even with chains, wheelers and side-by-sides struggled to move about the Great Sacandaga Lake. Tracked wheelers and snowmobiles fared far better, but even still, traversing the surface of the lake, especially while pulling sleds full of gear, was no easy task. Go figure. The one season there is absolutely zero issues with ice thickness and ice safety, mother nature deals us one heck of a nasty hand. Nonetheless, everyone seemed to prevail over the rather unideal ice conditions.
Initially, I thought the overall bite would have been much better. Early to midweek, it was setting up to be an epic pressure forecast, but the big low pressure front came in just a smidge too fast. Friday was the hot day. Saturday's bite started off OK very early on, but by mid-morning, the pressure bottomed out and the wind direction switched due North. In my experience, this combo is never good. In all honesty, I would consider it the worst.
The board was indeed filled throughout the day, although poor conditions did reflect on the size of the fish entered. The Walleye Challenge pays seven places per hour, over the course of eight hours. Fifty-six money prizes given throughout the day for just fish prizes. Only 11 of 56 fish were over 2 pounds, and nine of those 11 were barely over. Forty-five walleyes that took money during the tournament were in the 1-pound range. That's a rather sad statistic in my opinion. I had a fabulous conversation with Brian Henry, who spearheads the Broadalbin-Perth High School walleye study in regards to this topic. There will be much more coming on this later this year in spring.
Hour 1 first-place prizes went to Jojo Insogna with a 3.15-pound fish. Hour two was a tie between John Greenhill and Steve Santamaria with a 2-pound walleye. Hour 3 went to Doug Fidler with a 2.06-pound fish. Hour 4 was Cody Milanese with a 2.05-pounder. Hour 5 was taken by Jason Kemper with a 2.10-pound 'eye. Hour six topped out at only 1.11 pounds weighed in by Chris McClean. Hour 7 saw the biggest fish of the entire tournament, a healthy 4.05 pounder weighed in by Catherine Hammons of Northville. Hour 8 was taken by Logan Burroughs with a 2.01-pound walleye.
Big winners of the side-by-side and other machines are as follows: Anthony Mullarkey of Gloversville was the first name drawn and chose the side-by-side. Devin Dywer of Johnstown and Andrew Koch Sr. of Castelton won the other two remaining 4-wheelers.
NYSDEC RELEASES HUNTING SAFETY STATISTICS FOR 2024
The NYSDEC has released its annual report documenting hunting-related shooting incidents (HRSIs) and tree stand/elevated hunting incidents, and the numbers are consistent with the low-incident rates observed across the state in recent years.
“Hunting-related incidents are preventable when hunters follow safe and legal hunting practices and proper tree-stand safety measures,” Interim Commissioner Mahar said in a press release. “Thanks to New York’s exceptional Hunter Education Program and hunters adhering to New York’s hunting regulations, requirements, and firearm safety, hunting continues to be a safe and enjoyable activity for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and visitors each year.”
The DEC documented 11 HRSIs in 2024, including four two-party firearm incidents and seven self-inflicted incidents. Unfortunately, one of the incidents was a self-inflicted fatality. Two incidents involved individuals who were not legally hunting.
All first-time hunters, bowhunters and trappers are required to successfully complete a hunter or trapper safety course and pass the final exam before being eligible to purchase a hunting or trapping license. These additional efforts to increase public awareness about hunting safety has resulted in a sharp decrease in hunting-related incidents from decades ago. For example, 166 HRSIs were reported in 1966.
The DEC also documented 11 Elevated Hunting Incidents (EHIs) in 2024, though not all falls are reported. Of these incidents, nine involved hunters failing to wear a safety harness or failing to connect the harness to a tree. Two of the falls were fatal, the others resulted in serious injuries. All incidents could have been prevented by proper use of a fall-arrest harness system that remains connected to the tree. Additional information about EHIs and HRSIs are available by visiting https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/hunting/hunter-education#Statistics.
