MAYFIELD, N.Y. (AP) – Standing on an icy lake. Watching a 10-inch hole all day. Waiting for a fish to bite.
It’s a popular pastime in colder climates like the Adirondacks – especially when there’s cash on the line.
More than 1,700 competitors spread out across the icy expanse of Great Sacandaga Lake recently for the seventh annual Walleye Challenge. Contests like this that offer cash for big catches are common around the country – a frosty bit of Americana that combines fish, fun and money.
Participants on the southern Adirondack lake bored holes at dawn and stayed until dark. They kept an eye on their fishing holes from inside windblown tents and cozy trailers or simply stood out on the snowy moonscape amid single-digit temperatures colder than their cans of beer.
“This is where it’s at,” said Tim Delaney, out with his wife, Tina, and their sons. “You’ve got to live the winter and be outside and enjoy it to the fullest or it’s going to be a looong winter.”