What an assortment of weather! From rather seasonable temperatures that required not much more than a hoodie, to bone chilling, below zero temperatures requiring full insulated arctic attire. Sunshine, wind, driving snow, and rain — we really had a taste of it all this past weekend at the 27th annual Fuel-N-Food three-day ice fishing tournament.
Our group fished more on the northern end of the lake, and the conditions were not awful. Despite some other areas of the lake being immersed in deep slush, there were only a few spots of difficult travel that we had to contend with. By Saturday, once the Arctic blast moved in, everything locked up really solid and travel was easy.
Our group ended up with three pike in the 38-39-inch range, but nothing over that magical 40-inch mark. Enough perch and walleyes were caught to have a fish fry to close the doors on the 2025 tournament in an epic manner.
Hats off to Louie Stutzke of Fuel-N-Food for yet again hosting one of the best ice fishing tournaments in the entire state.
The winners of the 27th annual Fuel-N-Food 3-day Ice Fishing Tournament are as follows:
Walleye: 1st: Carter Hewitt 25 1/2 inches; 2nd: Cameron Hasner 23 1/2 inches; 3rd: Brodie Savoie 23 1/4 inches; 4th: Brett Mulburger Jr. 22 3/16 inches; 5th: Larry Sinisi 21 7/8 inches; 6th: Ira Cromling III 21 5/8 inches.
Northern Pike: 1st: Josh Kirkey 44 1/8 inches; 2nd: Dustin Delaney 44 inches; 3rd: Ely Stone 43 3/4 inches; 4th: Jesse Kirkey 42 1/2 inches; 5th: John Reale 42 7/16 inches; 6th: Dustin Delaney 42 1/4 inches.
Trout: 1st: William Cook 23 3/8 inches (brown); 2nd: Norbert Varg 20 1/8 inches (rainbow); 3rd: Patrick Arnold 14 3/4 inches (brown).
Perch: 1st: Michael Bontard 14 3/4 inches; 2nd: Carl Jackson 14 11/16 inches; 3rd: Michael Anderson 14 5/8 inches; 4th: Bowen Wagoner 14 9/16 inches; 5th: Brett Mulberger 14 1/2 inches; 6th: Ira Cromling Jr. 14 7/16 inches.
Youth: 1st: Kinlee Savoie: 36 1/8 inches (northern pike); 2nd: Landon Youngs: 32 inches (northern pike); 3rd: Alaina Ghaski: 30 3/4 inches (northern pike).
Non-Game Species: 1st: Kenny Chase: 10 1/4 inches (rock bass).
DEC ANNOUNCES ADDITION OF 14 LOCATIONS TO NYS BIRDING TRAIL
Spring is just around the corner, and what better way to kick it off than to start keeping track of all the new birds migrating back into town after a long, tough winter.
March 1 initiated the start of the 2025 “I BIRD NY” Challenge for birders of all ages and abilities. The challenge provides opportunities to identify and learn about birds, and awards program finishers with a commemorative I BIRD NY Challenge patch and a chance to win birding-related prizes.
“No matter where you live or where you come from, birdwatching is a fun, easy, and affordable activity that can be enjoyed by people of all ages, abilities, identities, and backgrounds,” DEC Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said in a press release. “Now with nearly 400 locations across New York State, the NYS Birding Trail welcomes new and experienced birders to enjoy both migrating and resident birds in a diverse variety of habitats.”
New York state’s wide-ranging habitat types supports more than 450 different bird species throughout the year.
New and experienced birders can discover the thrill of birding with the NYS Birding Trail.
This unique network of birding hotspots across New York State offers endless opportunities to connect with nature, whether marveling at owls in quiet woodlands, tracking shorebirds along scenic coastlines or catching glimpses of majestic eagles along quiet rivers.
The DEC also announced the addition of 14 new locations to the NYS Birding Trail. The new locations include Rye Nature Center in the Hudson Valley Birding Trail Region and 13 Nassau County Parks, Recreation and Museums properties in the Long Island Birding Trail Region.
Birdwatching is one of the fastest-growing outdoor recreational activities in the U.S. According to the 2022 National Survey of Hunting, Fishing, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, 7.4 million wildlife watchers generated $10.8 billion in New York state in 2022. This is up from four million New York resident wildlife viewers spending more than $6.4 billion annually in 2016.
The I BIRD NY program was launched in 2017 to build on the State’s efforts to increase access to New York’s vast natural resources and promote no- and low-cost opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors and connect with nature.
The 2025 I BIRD NY Challenge is open to all ages and ends Nov. 1. To complete the Challenge, participants must identify any 10 bird species of their choosing and submit a challenge sheet to the DEC. More than 1,800 birding enthusiasts completed this fun challenge in 2024, the program’s highest-ever number of participants. Visit https://dec.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2024-03/ibirdnychallengeform.pdf to download the pdf of the 2025 Challenge and start keeping track today!
Challenge sheets may be submitted online via https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/IBIRDNYChallenge2025. Entries must be received by Nov. 15.
All participants will be awarded a commemorative patch, given a completion certificate, and entered into a drawing for great birding prizes.
Two youth and two adult winners will be chosen. Participants will also receive an extra prize entry for providing a photo documenting their challenge experience.
Those interested may also opt to sign up for the DEC’s monthly birding newsletter, “Words of a Feather,” to have birding tips and tricks, NYS Birding Trail site recommendations, events, and more delivered right to their inbox by visiting https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/NYSDEC/subscriber/new?topic_id=NYSDEC_186.
CLEARWATER TROUT UNLIMITED FLEA MARKET TO BE HELD
The annual flea market for the Clearwater Chapter of Trout Unlimited will be Saturday, March 22, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Joseph E. Zaloga American Legion Post, 4 Everett Road in Albany. Admission is $3 for adults, free for children.
There will be all kinds of fishing related equipment for sale, including rods, reels, books, flies, paintings and anything to do with fishing! There will also be door prizes and raffles.
All proceeds go towards Trout Unlimited conservation projects.