Tosto with the winning fish. (Photo/Facebook)
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LIVONIA – The prize for this year’s pike and walleye fishing tournament went to Al Tosto and this dandy fish.
The winning pike tipped the scales at 12.2 pounds. It was just one of many pike taken over the weekend tournament.
“There was a 10.5 pounder and a bunch of smaller ones,” said Ted Decker of Ted’s Tackle, the weighing-in official for the tournament. No one caught a walleye. Apparently they just weren’t biting.
The tournament goes on every year, mostly for regulars at the Lantern Lounge bar and restaurant.
“Everyone goes out, gets what they can and then on Sunday they have a big fish fry,” said Decker. “This year there were about 50 entries. It’s fun.”
Northern pike and their cousin, the walleye, are some of the most popular sportfish. According to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, northern pike are very adaptable and occur in a wide range of habitats. They are one of the most widely-distributed freshwater fish in the world. ‘Northerns’ prefer weedy portions of rivers, ponds, and lakes, but large adults will often move offshore into deeper waters. In New York State, they occur primarily in the St. Lawrence, Upper Hudson River, Lake Champlain, and Finger Lakes drainages, including Conesus Lake.
Conesus’ pike and walleye are well known, and not just for anglers. Their annual spawning run over the weir at Conesus Inlet draws curious kids, photographers and wildlife watchers to see them swim and jump over the low weir.
The current pike record for New York State is about 46.13 pounds.
The DEC adds that Northerns are delicious to eat. Their meat is white and flaky, and because of their large size, their bones are more easily removed than those of pickerels. Northerns can be taken through the ice as well as in open water, and provide an important winter fishery.
Due to their predatory nature, rapid growth, and large size, northern pike help control populations of smaller fish species. By feeding on small fish, they prevent over population and stunting. In some parts of Europe, northerns are raised for food.