| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Willsboro Angler Nets Top Cash Prizes for Trout, Salmon Divisions
PLATTSBURGH, NY __ After Spencer Hathaway weighed in his record-breaking trout on Saturday he prayed no one else would haul in a bigger fish in the 24th Annual Plattsburgh Rotary International Fishing Classic on Lake Champlain. He didn’t have much to worry about for the rest of the competition. Hathaway’s 15 lb. 10 oz. trout held on to the lead throughout the weekend. As the weigh stations opened Sunday morning for the last day of the tournament, Gordon Rice of Hartland, Vt., appeared to have the salmon division tied up with a 6 lb. 11 oz. catch as well as the lead in the team competition. However, Hathaway weighed in a 6 lb. 14 oz. salmon less than an hour later pushing him ahead in that division and the team competition. As a result, Hathaway's two fish, which were successfully returned to Lake Champlain alive, netted him more than $3,550 and $1,800 for his Reel-E-Trolling team. “I’ve been in first place in other derbies, but got beat out before,” said Hathaway. Although he landed the record-breaking trout, he was actually fishing for salmon while his teammates went looking for trout. “I was actually hoping they would help me,” said Hathaway. “This is the first year we’ve ever placed in this tournament.” In the walleye division, Isle LaMotte resident Clint Rye held on to the top spot for two days with a 8 lb. 9 oz. fish. However, his reign ended Sunday morning when Rick Boutah hooked a 9 lb. 4.5 oz walleye off the Apple Island weigh station. Boutah, of St. Albans, VT., who won the walleye division last year, took home a cash prize of $1,778.33 at the Awards Ceremony. “We didn’t think we were going to catch anything,” said Boutah. “We actually had lost a big lake trout early Saturday. We were kind of discouraged and depressed about that.”
Boutah, who fishes primarily for walleye, said he has found a great spot to fish on the Inland Sea considering he has won the division for a second consecutive year. “We had one good lure last night, and we were doctoring it up,” Boutah said. This year, 72 teams and 564 anglers from eight states, including 25 youths under the age of 16, participated in the three-day tournament. The total payout for the Rotary club’s tournament was $13,370, which is nearly $2,000 more than last year. Bonnie Black, tournament chair, said, “This year has been a phenomenal year for anglers, teams and the tournament. We saw a record-breaking trout weighed in at Willsboro on Saturday, an increase in the number of registrants and better weather for the tournament.” Black said that larger and healthier fish are positive signs for Lake Champlain and the communities located on its shores. “As we look toward the tournament’s 25th anniversary next year, it is a delight to see our fishery getting stronger. We couldn’t ask for anything more.” The Annual Rotary International Fishing Classic, which was sponsored in part by the Adirondack Coast Visitors and Convention Bureau, brings anglers from across the Northeastern United States to the shores of Lake Champlain for three days of nonstop competition. This year’s tournament began at midnight on Friday, June 5 and ended on Sunday at 12 p.m. The tournament headquarters and primary weigh-in site were located at Clare and Carl’s Dockside, adjacent to the Plattsburgh Boat Basin. Hometown Radio WIRY (1340 AM) aired live updates throughout the weekend. The Rotary Club distributes proceeds from the fishing tournament among many of the club’s beneficiaries. Half of the annual tournament revenue and 25 percent of the team category revenue are returned to the community through academic scholarships for SUNY Plattsburgh, Clinton Community College and CVPH Medical Center Radiology School; monies to assist the Beartown Ski Area, Boys Scouts, Girl Scouts, Plattsburgh Little League, YMCA, Literacy Volunteers, North Country Mission of Hope, and other worthy causes. The tournament provides an enjoyable, quality tournament early in the fishing season in which anglers of all ages can participate, win cash prizes and enjoy the camaraderie and fellowship among all of those participating during the weekend. The Plattsburgh Rotary Club would like to thank Clare and Carl’s Dockside, City of Plattsburgh, Sportmen’s Pier (Rouses Point), Indian Bay Marina (Willsboro), Essex Marina (Essex), Apple Island Marina (South Hero, VT), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (Port Henry Boat Ramp), and the City of Burlington Recreation Department (Perkins Pier, VT.) for the use of their facilities for the three-day event. More information about the Plattsburgh Rotary Club is available online at www.plattsburghrotary.org
   | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
