The angler who reeled in the biggest fish in this weekend’s Chittenango Lions Club Walleye Derby on Oneida Lake was lucky enough to more than doubled his winnings as the fish also had a special tag attached. As a result, his winnings totaled $4,500.
Kyle Magill-Jones’s 25 ¾-inch walleye, caught at around 9 p.m. Saturday evening, was the biggest fish landed by the 1,200 anglers who participated in this weekend’s derby. He won $2,000 for first place.
The fish also happened to be one of three tagged fish stocked in the lake earlier this month by the state Department of Environmental, especially for the tournament. For catching one of the tagged fish, the Cicero, resident received an additional $2,500.
Magill-Jones, 26, was fishing at the time in his boat with his buddy, Jeffrey Boshart, of Brewerton. He said he caught the fish on the lake’s west end by casting a Rapala Shadow Rap lure.
“I didn’t realize it was tagged until it was in the (boat’s) livewell,” he said, adding he got confirmation on the tag’s worth when he had the fish measured at 11 p.m. later that evening at Lakeside Outfitters in Canastota, one of the derby’s official measuring stations.
“At that point, I said ‘Oh my God, Oh my God’ a lot. I was freaking out. It was amazing,” he said, adding he’s been fishing in the derby since he was a little kid and this is the first time he’s won anything.
Deborah Pollock, of Memphis, finished second and won $1,500 for her walleye measuring 25 1/8 inches. George Walker, of Moravia, placed third with his 24 ½ inch fish, winning $950. See the Chittenango County Lions Club Walleye Derby website for the final results.
The derby’s entry fee was $20. Bruce Hall, the derby director, said a total of $8,900 in cash prizes were handed out to the top 25 anglers, along with raffle ticket prizes of $500, $250 and $150, plus a lifetime fishing license. With Magill-Jones’s tagged fish award, a total of $12.275 was given out.
The fish entered in the derby had be caught in Oneida Lake, its tributaries or estuaries. Awards to the top 25 anglers were based on length. In the event of a tie, derby officials were directed to use eight, than girth and finally a flip of a coin to determine a winner.
In addition, fish had to be alive when weighed. In addition to the above prizes, the angler with the longest fish measured Saturday and Sunday at each of the derby’s six weighing stations won $25. However, if that angler also placed in the top 25, he or she was ineligible for the $25 and the award went to next biggest fish.
Due to Covid-19, derby officials did not hold an in-person awards ceremony this year. Instead, the awards ceremony, held at Chapman Park in Bridgeport, was schedule to air as a Facebook Live event on Chittenango Lions Club Walleye Derby Facebook page at 4 p.m. Due to technical difficulties, that didn’t happen.
Under the derby rules, the first, second and third place winners were required to a Truth Verification Test at derby headquarters prior to the awards ceremony. Failure to comply would have resulted in forfeiture of the angler’s award and disqualification and forfeiture of the angler’s award.
Earlier this month, the state Department of Environmental Conservation, which stocks the lake with walleyes each year, tagged three special ones and released them into the lake. The fish had a derby value of $5,000, $2,500 or $1,250 only for derby participants during the weekend. The tag numbers and values were disclosed Saturday morning at Derby Headquarters, online, and at each of the lake’s measuring stations.
This was the second time in the derby’s history that a tagged fish was caught by a derby angler. In the 2019 contest, Bill McCracken won $5,000 for catching a specially tagged 18-inch walleye. The derby was not held last year due to the pandemic.
Left to right: Sandy Spencer-Florczyk, Ethan Florczyk and Chuck Florczyk of Cicero, N.Y. fished in the 2021 Chittenango Lions Club Walleye Derby on Oneida Lake. All these fish, Chuck Florczyk said, were caught on blade baits and worm harnesses.
Among this year’s anglers in the derby Chuck, Sandy and Ethan Florczyk, all of Cicero. Chuck Florczyk said he and his Dad (Chuck Sr.) used to fish in the derby every year.
“He passed 5 years ago and I went out, bought a boat and do the tournament with my wife and kid (sometimes kids) every year to honor him,, keeping the tradition alive,” he said. “We have a blast, even in this year’s weather. It’s always a top priority to get the boat ready, in the water and ready by May 1 to do this tournament.
“Ethan’s two walleye were 20-plus inches, but fell short of getting on (the leader) board.”
Hall, on behalf of the Chittenango Lions Club, said he would like to thank the local fishing community and all the volunteers who worked the derby this year for once again making it a success.
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