Fisheries biologist discounts concerns about cheating at fishing derby

MEREDITH — Changes in the Great Rotary Fishing Derby rules which have made seven species of fish taken through the through the ice from any public water body in the state eligible for the grand prize aren't likely to encourage cheating, says veteran New Hampshire Fish and Game fish biologist Don Miller.

''It was probably easier to cheat when only the tagged rainbow trout were eligible for the top prize. They can be taken year round and someone could have landed a big fish long before winter and kept them alive until the derby,'' says Miller.

Concerns over the possibility of cheating were raised by what happened on the last day of the 2012 derby, when two large untagged rainbow trout were weighed in just before the close of entries and took the top two spots for the day.

Miller, who was at the weigh-in station, said that he told Derby officials that the fish were a different strain of rainbow trout than that stocked by the state.

''I'd never seen anything like these fish and thought that they must have been taken from a stocked pond,'' said Miller.

Jim Wallace of the Meredith Rotary Club said the fish had a copper color, which he attributed to the ''pellet food'' which they were most likely fed. He said that many of the other fishermen near the leader board commented on the unusual color and size of the fish.

''We gave them the prize money, but cancelled the checks the next day after we found out from Fish and Game that the fish most likely came from a private pond in Kingston. Fish and Game told us that an officer had been sent to investigate at a private pond there that was closed to the public and found that there were signs that someone had fished through the ice.'' said Wallace.

''The fishermen had taken the fish back with them, so we didn't have them to investigate further,'' said Wallace.

Miller said that with seven different species of fish now eligible for the $15,000 top prize (white perch, yellow perch, cusk, pickerel, black crappie, lake trout, and rainbow trout) it will make cheating more difficult as only a few of those species can be raised in smaller ponds and there is no guarantee that such a fish would win the random drawing which now determines the winner or escape the scrutiny of Derby officials.

''We work closely with the Derby and we're familiar with the differences between fish that we see in the wild and those raised in ponds,'' said Miller.

He said that the Derby has had an instance of attempted cheating many years ago when a cusk was found with a jackknife inside it which had been used to increase the weight of the entry. Since 1994 metal detectors have been used at the derby.

A.J. Nute of A.J's Bait and Tackle in Meredith said that he's heard of rumors that people have tried to bring in yellow perch which were landed out of state in order to win a prize at the derby.

''You're never ever going to be able to stop all of the people who might try and cheat, especially now that the other species are eligible for the top prize. But I think most farm-raised fish would easily be detected by what they eat. All you have to do is open them up and see what's in their stomach,'' says Nute.

'He said that he even heard of ice fishermen putting ice cubes into the belly of a cusk to increase its the weight.

''I've heard a lot of stories. But ultimately that's on the conscience of those who are trying to cheat,'' said Nute.

Wallace says that the decision to open up the Derby's biggest prizes to other species than rainbow trout was made after a survey of the club's database of participants from prior years and consultation with the Fish and Game Department and our judges.

He said that the club saved a substantial amount of money by not stocking tagged rainbow trout this year but that the decision to open up the prizes to more species of fish was not only financial, but was also done with the idea that it would reduce fishing pressure on Lake Winnipesaukee.

The 34th annual Great Meredith Rotary Ice Fishing Derby is scheduled for Feb. 9-10,The fishermen who land the largest fish from each of the seven categories on Saturday and Sunday will qualify for a drawing on Sunday, at which the three top prizes, $15,000 for first, $5,000 for second and $3,000 for third prize, will be awarded.

Wallace said that the decision to go to cash prizes was made after the winner's of the top prize in each of the last three years has sold the ATV which was awarded.