Reel in a big fish this weekend, and you may leave Lake George a couple thousand dollars richer. The Fourth annual King George Fishing Derby is this Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 15 –16.
Registration opened in July and online registration will continue until 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14. Registrations are also accepted at the Fish 307 tackle shop, 6 State Route 149 (at the Lake George Shopping Outlets), Lake George. Final registrations may be made in person, 4 – 8 p.m. on Friday at the American Legion Post, 3932 Route 9L, Lake George. To date, 100 competitors have registered for the Derby.
Four categories in the Adult Division, lake trout, landlocked salmon, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, come with a $2,000 first place prize for the heaviest fish. The second place prize is $1,000, third place pays $500 and fourth place prize is $250. A Junior Division (Younger than age 16) awards merchandise and gift cards donated by FISH307.com for first through fifth place in the lake trout, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass categories.
New for this year is the ability to track the progress of Derby entrants with an online leaderboard.
All fish must be caught in Lake George Saturday or Sunday and meet minimum size standards. Three official weighing stations will be open 7 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. each day. Weighing stations will be located at the public docks in Lake George Village, Rogers Memorial Park in Bolton and the Hague town docks. Awards will be distributed at the American Legion Post at 4 p.m. on Sunday.
The cost to enter is $50 for the Adult Division and $30 for the Junior Division. All proceeds benefit the S.A.V.E. Lake George Partnership, a collaboration of municipal leaders, conservation organizations and researches that work to prevent the introduction of invasive species into Lake George by helping fund mandatory boat washing stations. The Derby is sponsored by the Town and Village of Lake George, Bolton Landing and Fish307.com. For more information and to register, visit the King George Fishing Derby website.