Annual Perch Derby

2/23/2013 (Updated 11:00:22 PM)

OXFORD -- Fishing enthusiasts from all over the state braved the cold on Saturday to gather at Chenango Lake.

It was the Oxford Lion's Club annual Perch Derby-- a  fundraiser for local charities. Hundreds of families and friends competed for prizes by catching tagged perch. There was a $1,000 prize offered for the first perch caught with a 2013 tag.

"It is a sweeter meat, so a lot of people eat them. It's not like a catch and release. People catch them and they take them home and they clean them and eat them," Ron Charles said.

"Strategy?  Just stick the minnows on a hook and put them in the water," Dave Schmidt said.

If no perch was caught, the prize money will be raffled off to registered participants.

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