Syracuse.com - Cicero-Mattydale Lions Club Walleye Derby offering $7,000 in cash and prizes

[HuntingNY-News]

The contest kicks off at midnight May 4 on Oneida Lake. The winner with the largest fish (length-wise) will get $1,000.

Last year's winner was Daniel Van Meter, of North Syracuse, with his fish that measured 24 3/4 inches.  

This years’ walleye fishing season, which begins May 4, kicks off again with the 35th annual Cicero-Mattydale Lions Club Walleye Derby on Oneida Lake.

Tournament director Carol Frey said the tournament will offer more than $7,ooo in cash and prizes. The angler with the biggest fish (length-wise) will earn $1,000. After that, the top 24 fish will be awarded a total of $3,500.

The tournament begins at midnight May 4 and will feature seven weigh stations around the lake. It will end with an awards ceremony and raffles at 3 p.m. May 5 in the parking lot of the Gander Mountain store in Cicero.

In addition, Frey said, staff at the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s Oneida fish hatchery in Constantia on Friday tagged and released three specially tagged fish into the lake. A lucky angler who catches one of them during the tournament stands to earn $1,000, $500 or $250, depending on the fish caught.

“All the tags says is ‘Fishtagger.com’ and a serial number,” Frey said “If anyone catches any of them after the tournament ends, the club will give them $100, $50 and $25, respectively, right up until Labor Day.”

The cost to enter is $10. Tickets are available at 23 businesses around and near the lake. Frey said anglers can sign up until midnight May 4 at Gander Mountain and Marion Manor in Canastota.

Last year’s tournament drew nearly 1,900 anglers. The winner was Daniel Van Meter, of North Syracuse, with his fish that measured 24 3/4 inches. He caught it on a jig.

For further information, call Frey at 699-3187.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog