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Black Lake Challenge Ice Fishing Derby moved to Jan. 20 due to weather

Posted 1/11/18

By CRAIG FREILICH HAMMOND – The fifth annual Black Lake Challenge Ice Fishing Derby has been postponed for one week. The tournament, first set for this Saturday, Jan. 13, has been pushed back to …

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Black Lake Challenge Ice Fishing Derby moved to Jan. 20 due to weather

Posted

By CRAIG FREILICH

HAMMOND – The fifth annual Black Lake Challenge Ice Fishing Derby has been postponed for one week.

The tournament, first set for this Saturday, Jan. 13, has been pushed back to Jan. 20 due to expected bad weather, says organizer Joe Parker of Fish Creek Bait and Tackle.

“We don’t want to get people out on the roads or on the ice in the bad weather if it’s not necessary,” Parker said.

The temperature in the North Country is expected to take a dip into freezing territory Friday night with sleet and freezing rain, and stay there for Saturday, and after this week’s warm weather, the roads are bound to be icy.

Postponing the event “is the last thing I want to do, but we want to keep people safe,” Parker said Thursday morning.

“Right now there’s about a foot of water on top of the ice” on Black Lake, but the thickness of the ice underneath is about 15 inches, Parker said, so he has no worries about there being enough ice on the lake to safely hold the tournament the following Saturday.

Parker said the forecast is for temperatures of about 30 degrees that day and cooler the night before.

Registration will begin at 5 a.m. at Fish Creek Bait & Tackle, 7659 State Rt. 58, Hammond.

Fishing is from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. This year there will be a strict deadline of 3 p.m. for weigh-ins, to avoid the delays that have occurred in past years, Parker said.

There will be three top prizes for the heaviest two pike per angler. People may fish up to the limit all day, substituting out a fish if an angler catches a bigger one

Parker will have food and drink for participants, and raffles, a lottery board and a frozen fish toss game.

Derby registration fee is $15 for adults and $5 for kids.

More info: 315-323-6888 or 315-323-6842.