Olcott, N.Y.- Lockport resident earns grand prize at 2011 Summer Lake Ontario Counties Trout and Salmon Derby, catching 36-pound salmon.

Putting in time on the water can certainly increase your odds in winning a fishing derby, but a little bit of lady luck can certainly help, too. Marty Polovick of Lockport is an avid fisherman and he competes  in the derbies every year. The AES Somerset employee has never done better than a third place over the years, but he has put more than 20 fish in the money. On July 5, his luck would change when he would catch the biggest fish of his life – a 36 pound, 14 ounce salmon – to blow away the rest of the field in earning the $7,500 Grand Prize check for the 2011 Summer Lake Ontario Counties (LOC) Trout and Salmon Derby held June 18 through July 17.

“We were fishing on the Niagara Bar off the mouth of the Niagara River having a great day when the fish hit 85 feet down over 120 feet of water near the red can,” said Polovick at the awards ceremony at Abe’s Waterfront Restaurant in Sodus Point July 17. “It was 11:30 a.m. and we knew it was a big one as it screamed out line. It stayed deep but came up on the surface as the line still pointed down below the boat, surprising us. Twenty-five minutes later we were running to Wilson to weigh in our prize catch.”

Polovick, who runs a 19-1/2 foot Starcraft Fishmaster named “Four Poles,” was fishing with his son-in-law Kevin Flaherty and his father, Tom Flaherty, both of Grand Island. The lure that did the trick was a Michigan Stinger Gator spoon. While they caught between 40 and 50 fish that morning, it was this one that stopped them dead in their tracks and forced them to head to the nearest weigh station in Wilson. They won the derby by an even six pounds!

First place in the Salmon Division was Carl Hazeltine of Pittsfield, PA with a 30 pound, 14 ounce Chinook that he hauled in from Olcott while fishing with Alan Sauerland of Lockport. Trolling a spin doctor and fly behind a wire diver set back 185 feet on a No. 2-1/2 setting, the fish hit in 87 feet of water right in front of Olcott. Hazeltine fought the fish for 20 minutes before he got it to the back of the 25-foot Wellcraft named “Problem Child.”    Yes, it was the biggest king salmon he’s ever caught before and it was also his first LOC Derby. In fact, he bought the one day pass for his one day on the water this summer. It doesn’t get any more economical than that to win $1,000.

In the Lake Trout Division, Steve Klejdys of North Tonawanda was up to his big fish catching tactics by producing a 24 pound, two ounce fish he boated on the Niagara Bar near the red can. He caught the fish on the first day of the derby. Fishing on the bottom in 98 feet of water with a spin-n-glo rig, Klejdys hooked up while his father Ed was reeling in another fish. Twenty minutes later they were on their way to Wilson to weigh in their catch. The father-son team, trolling out of their 19-foot Monarch, chipped in with a fourth place fish for Ed when he reeled in a 20 pound, 11 ounce laker. It didn’t stop there. On June 26, when Ed couldn’t make it due to work commitments, Steve brought along his brother-in-law Ed Gemza of West Seneca. Gemza ended up hauling in a 21 pound, 10 ounce laker from the Niagara Bar on a homemade spoon. And, yes, it was the biggest lake trout of his life. It took him 10 minutes to bring the fish in before they picked up and motored off to Wilson for another weigh in. Top youth catch was a 13 pound, six ounce fork tail caught by Kasey-Jean Salamone of Rochester while fishing with Capt. Jerry Snyder out of Wilson aboard his “Dandy Eyes” boat.

Next up on the derby calendar is the Fall LOC Derby, set for Aug. 19 through Sept. 5. Grand Prize is worth $20,000! Sign up at area tackle shops or sign up online at www.loc.org. You can also call 888-REEL-2-IN for more information. Derby notes: Niagara County has produced five straight Grand Prize winners in the LOC derbies. The Summer Derby cash payout was nearly $20,000 overall. Check out the derby website at www.loc.org for some cool videos on the fishery – from tips and tactics to some good old-fashion fun.