Put on by the Tupper Lake Sportsmen’s Club, the competition, which takes place on Simon Pond, is one of the biggest ice fishing derbies in the state, drawing anglers from near and far — with some in past years coming from as far away as Texas.

Organizers are expecting a high turnout this year, in part because of poor weather conditions over the past few years. Last year, fishing was canceled due to thin ice. In 2023, frigid temperatures — with a reported low of 35 below zero — suppressed turnout, the year before, the coronavirus pandemic put it in a hiatus. Scott LaLonde is directing the event this year, taking the reins from longtime organizer Dave McMahon. LaLonde said the electronic reservations have been above organizers’ expectations, and the ice is good and thick.

“We have 13 to 14 inches of ice,” he said. “And it’s good hard ice with a little bit of slush in the corners down the lake a little bit. We’re going to have a little more snow out there than we’d like, but that’s Mother Nature.”

A snowstorm that swept through the Tri-Lakes area on Tuesday night and Wednesday deposited about 8 inches of snow in Tupper Lake, with additional light accumulations possible Friday night. The current snow depth in Tupper Lake is 25 inches at press time Wednesday afternoon, according to the area’s state Mesonet weather station.

The Northern Challenge takes place under frigid conditions on Simon Pond on Feb. 2, 2023. (Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

While online registration ended last night, there are several opportunities for on-site registration, according to LaLonde. People can show up between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Friday at the Sportsmen’s Club, located at 116 Lake Simond Road. There is also same-day registration open from 4 a.m. to noon on Saturday. Even though fishing begins at 7 a.m., people can continue to register and begin during the first five hours of the ongoing event, although the earlier one starts increases their odds of reeling in a prize-winner.

Registration is $35, with an additional $10 to be entered in the lunker pool — which will be awarded to the biggest overall catch of the day. Otherwise, with the regular entry fee, the biggest fish caught each hour will receive a $500 prize, with $200 and $100 going to the second and third biggest fish on the hour, along with $50 to each hour’s “lucky” fish, which is determined by raffle drawing of all the entered fish.

There are a variety of door prizes, 50/50 raffles and other raffles. Organizers say that the total prize money for this year — buoyed by a large entry field — is expected to sum to around $40,000, with fishing not required in order to be eligible for many of the prizes.

Fishing begins promptly at 7 a.m. and continues until 3 p.m., with all fishing prizes being awarded at 4 p.m. People must be there in person, regardless of their winning catches’ time, to collect their prize.

LaLonde said planning the event was intensive — with the planning kicking off and taking place for the entire year leading up to the day of the competition.

“It was an adventure,” he said, “We have to line up all the merchandise, dive teams, State Troopers, DEC, the plow people, the cleanup — there’s lots of behind-the-scenes stuff that people don’t know. … It’s like a year-long process.”

LaLonde added the hard work has paid off and everything appeared to be falling into place. He said organizers are not letting their feet off the gas pedal.

“We have people (directing) parking all night long,” he said. “We have a night shift that goes on at 11 p.m. and they just park people the entire night.”

Parking is along Lake Simond Road. People are encouraged to carpool when possible to cut down on congestion.

For more information, including rules, contact and prize information, visit tinyurl.com/3mw6v2v4 as well as tinyurl.com/38weed4w.