2016 Finger Lakes Carp Derby winners

The 36th annual Finger Lakes Carp Derby sponsored by Waterloo Rotary was over almost before it began. Ted Ralston of Waterloo had to wait for the official weigh in to start to enter the carp he pulled in at the Oak Island bridge that morning. When Rotarian Chris Shaffer got the scales set up and Ralston loaded his lunker in the plastic basket, they stared in amazement as the fish weighed in at a whopping 44 pounds, one ounce. Despite a flurry of entries before the 3 p.m. deadline, Ralston’s spot on top of the leader board was secure throughout the day, and earned him the $500 first prize.Local newsman Greg Cotterill, who worked on the original carp derbies in the 1980s, said it’s been over a decade since the winning carp was pulled out of the Cayuga-Seneca Canal. Cotterill said the winning weight is close to the derby record of 46 pounds, and closing in on the state record of 50.6 pounds.Ted Ralston of Waterloo was the first to weigh in at the 2016 carp derby. His 44 pound, 1 ounce carp was the winner.Although most winning fish have come from Seneca Lake, many were pulled from Cayuga Lake this year. Corn remained the bait of choice.Greg Turri of Seneca Falls was the day’s only multiple winner, capturing second place with a fish weighing 37 pounds, 8 ounces and fifth place with a 27 pound, 5 ounce one for a total of $300.The oldest winner was 87-year-old Beverly Lake of Romulus, who reeled in a 29 pound, 2 ounce fish from Cayuga Lake for third place and $150. She said she’s been fishing in the derby since 1995 and has been in the money seven times.Other winners were: Bill Dailey, Seneca Falls, fourth, 27 pounds, 11 ounces; Laurence Sherman, Rushville, tied with Derek Jones of Clifton Springs, for sixth, 26 pounds, one ounce; and Wayne Hoad of Waterloo, eighth, 25 pounds, 8 ounces. They each earned $50.Winners at the 36th annual Waterloo Rotary Carp Derby were, left to right, Wayne Hoad, Waterloo, eighth; Derek Jones, Clifton Springs and Laurence Sherman, Rushville, tied for sixth; Bill Dailey, Seneca Falls, fourth, Beverly Lane, Romulus, third; Greg Turri, Seneca Falls, fifth and second, Ted Ralston, Waterloo, first.The smallest fish was brought in by Terry Baity of Seneca Falls, at 2 pound, 10 ounce to earn $50.Cato Rotarian Bob Shapess had four of the 10 winning $25 tickets pulled in a random drawing.Carp Derby chair John Kenny said there were 199 entries in this year’s derby, pulling in about 300 fish. All proceeds support Rotary’s Community Projects including literacy, Camp Onseyawa, and local food pantries.