LakerTaker85

Pig Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

Nice woek Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

Hahaha I wonder what iron duke would say to that at the weigh in station!!! Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

Bigfoot that was a question asked during the polygraph. Like I said before, we launched at 530, ran to our spot and started fishing at 6. It's too bad the start time isn't 5 but what ever. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

We were all registered and we split the money equally Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

Thanks hookedup Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

It's doesn't matter who weighs the fish in. And we both took turns reeling... You always have something to say don't ya? And it's never positive. Find a new website to post your crap! And by the way it's the Memorial Derby, not Labor Day. Also, for the record John took the polygraph (he didn't have a choice) and passed 100%. Ya moron Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

Great story ! When I saw the standings after Sunday and how close that huge laker was I almost passed out!! What a great derby filled with huge fish! Hopefully the rest of this season will be just as good Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

We launched the boat at 5am but didnt soak lures till 6am. I know the rules Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Although my brother mentioned in the Finger Lakes Times article that we have been fishing this derby for the past 8 years, Its been closer to a lifetime. We grew up on Seneca Lake and my family has had a cottage on the east side of the lake, just north of Valois Point (the old caywood boyscout camp) for a century. Every year we fish the derby I tell myself that this is going to be the year... Well this year was that year, the 50th anniversary of the Seneca Lake Memorial Derby was the year that the Sandra D fishing team would land a 15.56 brown trout and take the grand prize. We fished big fish friday and located some decent fish in our usual area, and tight to shore. I think we boated 12-13 fish that day with our biggest being a 8# lake trout. Most fish hit small silver and blue spoons off the riggers in 20-40 FOW. We had a few small rainbows, browns, and LL hit sticks off the boards. After weigh ins friday night we knew that our best chance at a money fish would be the early morning. We hit the water early saturday morning, about 5 am, and set up close to shore with our normal set up. Sticks of the boards and shallow riggers with small spoons. We picked up a good amount of fish that kept us busy until about 9 am. After avoiding the trees and other floating debris we decided to head back to the cottage and grab some saw bellies that we bought the day before. We have only stilled fished with live bait one other time and I will say I would much rather be trolling, but with all the floating debris it just wasn't working. We set anchor in about 50 FOW, over a nice pod of bait and some good marks. After an hour or so we pulled anchor and moved. We found another good screen in 45 FOW just north of Valois Point. We had three rods on bottom with slip sinkers. My brother John, and my buddy Corey Reddit (Black Dog Adventures Fishing Charters) decided to take a mid day nap but I have never been one to sleep . I decided that one more rod couldn't hurt and I grabbed my spinning rod that I had set up for jigging. The fenwick medium-fast action was paired with a Penn Battle, and spooled with 10# power pro braid, a 6# flouro leader and a small octopus style hook. I picked an eager saw belly and tossed him behind the boat and let out about 100 ft of line. I stuck the rod in a holder and sat back. A short time later, the line started peeling off the reel. I said quietly to John "John, we got a fish on". John sprung to his feet and I handed the rod to him (a birthday gift you could say, since John turned 25 on the next day). At first we had no idea that the fish was anywhere close to a winning fish, but after the fish showed itself just out of net reach we all knew that this was potentially a derby winning fish. It was 25 minute battle, with each second praying that the tiny hook didn't pull or the 6# leader break off. We knew the fish was getting tired and I took the rod to let John get the net ready (he's the professional net man). I had the beatiful brown on the surface of the water, again just out of reach. The fish then dashed under the boat and around the lower unit of the motor. I was holding my breath as the fish was pulling drag and heading for the opposite side of the boat. I was fearing the worst as the line was rubbing against the lower unit. At this point Corey yelled that the fish had surfaced on the opposite side of the boat and was belly up. John swung the net around and slid it under the brown. We flopped the beast on the deck of the Sandra D and knew that this fish could be the one! We were like a couple of school kids jumping around and high fiving. We threw the fish in a cooler and raced back to shore. The trip to the Watkins Glen weigh station was full of our expert weight gues-timates. I'll admit Corey's weight prediction was closest, 16 pounds. By the way we never carry a scale... don't ask why haha. We pulled up to the tent and I told Mike (Iron Duke), who was working at the time, that we had a monster. We put the fish on the scale which read, 15.56 pounds!!! I couldn't believe that we finally had a chance at the lunker. The next two days we continued to fish knowing that we sat on top. Unfortunelty monday I had to work and let me tell you the count down till 12:00 was brutal. At 12:30 I called Mike (Iron Duke) and said "Mike give me some good news". Mike told me that the boards were all up to date and that we were still on top!! We won the derby! I couldn't believe it! The fish was a beautiful female brown trout that was 30" long, with a 20" gerth. Inside the fish was 16 saw belly's. I want to thank everyone who shares our passion of fishing and that makes these unforgetable competitions possible. For us fishing is not just a hobby, its a way of life that brings friends, family, and even strangers together, and that we cherish. ---The Sandra D Fishing Team

Yeah you could say we did some celebrating Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

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How's everyone doing? Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

I see it... Count the marsh boys in Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Where's this head count? Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

@john1947 you must be fishing a different Lake Ontario than us! Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

The mud was concentrated in front of maxwell and the fish too. Water was almost 10degrees warmer Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

We start in April but it all depends on weather Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Nice rig Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

You may also run into 20# lakers! Haha we landed a bunch of hogs like this over the past years Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app