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2023 Walleye Challenge Rules

Entry fee is $50 with pre-registration required.  Payment and registration is due NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 31, 2021 with NO EXCEPTIONS.  Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.

  1. The contest is limited to 2,000 entrants on a first-come, first-served basis with NO EXCEPTIONS.
  2. All fishing to take place ONLY on the Great Sacandaga Lake.
  3. Contestants may fish anywhere on the Great Sacandaga Lake.
  4. Contest runs from 7:00am to 3:00pm on Saturday, February 18th, 2023.  Contestants may be on the ice, holes drilled and cleaned, but there are no tip-ups allowed in the water prior to 7:00am
  5. All New York State DEC laws apply.
  6. You will be issued a tag after registration that MUST be worn on the day of the contest.  Anyone fishing without a tag will be disqualified.  If someone without a tag is fishing in a group, the entire group will be disqualified.  There can be as many people in your group as you want who are not participating in the contest as long as they are not fishing.  Those not fishing may bring in a contestant’s fish to the weigh-in stations for entry.
  7. Only one entry per registrant’s name is allowed.  You may purchase multiple tags for multiple people, but each entry form MUST have an exclusive name to it.
  8. TAGS MUST BE PICKED UP AT FUEL-N-FOOD, 3006 State Highway 30, Mayfield, NY starting January 16th, 2023 through Friday, February 17th, 2023.  You can have your tag mailed to you, return receipt requested, for an additional $20 fee.  Please do not lose your tags as they cannot be replaced.  There will be no tags available on the day of the contest. The event committee is not responsible for tags that are picked up by someone other than the contestant assigned to the tag.
  9. Once you receive your tag you are registered to fish in the Walleye Challenge.  There will be no need to check-in or register the morning/day of the contest. There is NO transferring of tags.
  10. There will be three weigh stations for the contest; one in front of Lanzi’s on the Lake (Route 30, Mayfield), one in front of Sport Island Pub (108 Riverside Drive, Northville) and one in front of the New York State Boat Launch in Broadalbin (Lakeview Road).
  11. All fishing must be done in the open view of officials or contestants will be disqualified.  Contestants can be in an ice shanty, but there will be no fresh holes in the ice under your shanty and no fishing will be allowed inside closed shelters.
  12. There will be official clocks at both weigh stations that can be viewed by everyone.  All start times and end times and hourly changes will go by those clocks with no exceptions.  You must be at either weigh station with fish no later than 3:00pm and zero seconds to qualify.  PLEASE SYNCHRONIZE YOUR WATCHES TO THESE CLOCKS.
  13. A total of seven (7) lines are allowed per each person with a contest tag; any seven (7) line combination of jig poles and tip-ups is allowed.
  14. All fish must be weighed in on the official scales at weigh stations by event officials.  In the event of a tie in weight, the first fish entered will win.  NO DEAD FISH WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR ENTRY. Bags are the best way to transport fish.
  15. All fish entered become the property of the event officials who will release the fish back into the Great Sacandaga Lake.
  16. Entry times for fish will be determined when the fish arrives at the weigh station NOT when it is caught.  If the hour changes while you are en route to the weigh station it will be entered for the next hour’s contest.
  17. Fish may not be held for entry within another contest hour.  When fish is caught, it must either be entered for that hour or released immediately back into the Great Sacandaga Lake.
  18. There will be $2,149 in prizes per hour awarded: $599 1st prize; $500 2nd prize; $400 3rd prize; $300 4th prize; $200 5th prize; $100 6th prize; $50 7th prize.
  19. FOR 2023 ONLY: Cash prizes will be announced throughout the day, and recreational vehicles will be announced at 4:00pm day of contest LANZIS ON THE LAKE, MAYFIELD.  Door prizes will be awarded throughout the day.  Door prizes not picked up by 5:00pm will become the property of the event committee.  At the LANZIS ON THE LAKE, MAYFIELD Weigh Station, there will be a list of all of the numbers of the winners throughout the day (corresponding to tags).
  20. You must be present to win contest door prizes (except for the recreational vehicles). Identification may be required to claim prizes. Again– prizes not picked up by 5:00pm will become the property of the event committee.  You may pick them up at the LANZI’S ON THE LAKE, MAYFIELD weigh station throughout the day.
  21. In the event that an hourly prize is not awarded due to the lack of entries, money will be awarded as determined by event officials.
  22. If a tagged Walleye is caught during the 8-hour contest, an additional $300 will be paid (yellow tag).
  23. IN CASE THERE IS NO ICE ON THE GREAT SACANDAGA LAKE, all prizes will be given away at (NEW FOR 2023 ONLY)- LANZIS ON THE LAKE, ROUTE 30, MAYFIELD in a  RANDOM DRAWING (contest tag numbers).
  24. Any unsportsmanlike conduct, as determined by the event officials, will be cause for disqualification. All winning entrants may be subject to a polygraph test before awarding of cash prizes. 
  25. The event committee reserves the right to revise contest rules as necessary.
  26. Part of the event proceeds will be donated to the Great Sacandaga Fisheries Federation for Walleye stocking on the Great Sacandaga Lake.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL

THE FULTON MONTGOMERY REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE at

(518) 725-0641