The statewide trout season opened on Sunday, April 1, and the statewide gobbler season opens about a month from now, on Tuesday, May 1. Then the statewide walleye, northern pike, pickerel and tiger muskie seasons open on Saturday, May 5 and that’s also the day the Great Sacandaga Lake Fisheries Federation’s 15th annual Spring Fishing Contest will also be held.

That event will be headquartered at the Sand Bar Restaurant, which will also be the sole measuring station, and contest hours will be 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. The entry fee is $15 per person if registered by May 4, or $18 the day of the contest, up to 10 a.m.

Youngsters 12 and under may participate for free if fishing with a participating adult who has paid the regular entry fee.

A total of $1,500 in prizes will be awarded that day, divvied up in this fashion - a first price of $300, a second prize of $150 and a third prize of $50 each in the walleye, northern pike and trout divisions and judging will be by length. Entry forms are available and will be accepted until May 4 at the Sand Bar Restaurant, Ross’ Bait Shop in Hagaman, Dave’s Bait & Tackle in Mayfield, LaPort’s Bait Shop in Edinburg, Jim’s Bait Shop in Mayfield,, Frank’s Bait Shop in Vails Mills and the Fuel & Food Store in Mayfield. During the contest you can call 518-227-8298 for up-to-the-minute results.

For additional information on this popular contest you can call Jack Smith at 518-863-1062 or Randy Gardinier at 518-843-6329. You can also email info requests to: chairman@gslff.com or go to the organization’s website at: www.gslff.com.

You’ll soon be prepping your watercraft for a season on the lake and BOATUS recently issued a report on just what our ethanol/gasoline fuel mixture can do to boat motors, primarily older ones.

1.Vulnerable hoses - in the 1980’s new standards were developed for hoses that were to be used for “gasohol.” As a result, those problems largely disappeared but some problems still persist. Their advice is to  replace any hose over 10 years old to prevent further problems.

2. Carburetors - O-rings and rubber carburetor parts on older marine engines ted to become hard and brittle when exposed to ethanol and then break off in bits and pieces causing clogs, misfires and shutdowns. Pre-1990 carburetors were also made from alloys that didn’t stand up well to ethanol. leading to corrosion in that can cause tiny fuel orifices to to clog. Some experienced marine mechanics with well-equipped shops can recalibrate carburetors to better tolerate E10, though fueled with greater than 10 percent ethanol should never be used in boat motors.

3. Plastic fuel filter bowl - some older engines may still have these plastic bowls. If you have one, plan to have it replaced with a mets one as soon as possible. E10 wreaks havoc with the plastic ones.

4. Fuel fill gaskets - Keeping water out of the fuel is even more important if you’re using the E10 mix.Otherwise, “phase separation” may occur resulting in the formation of two separate solutions in the gas tank. It may or may not cause any immediate problems but eventually probably will and no fuel additives can help. The solution is to replace the gaskets every few years to ensure their viability.

5. Gunk in the tank - It’s still possible that that some older outboards - and even some inboards - have never “tasted” E10 but when they do, the compound tends to scour or dissolve the gunk that has coated the tank walls and hoses over the years. The solution is to have a professional drain the tank before using E10 for the first time, to remove any gunk or water that may have collected on the bottom of the tank. Have spare filters available because they’ll clog up quickly if you haven’t take the previous step. Also, use a fuel stabilizer and avoid using octane boosters that contain ethanol.

6. Hope that E15 doesn’t become the fuel of choice as the government has tried to do for some time. Knowing what E10 can do should give you ample reason to avoid mixtures with an even higher percentage of ethanol. Despite government claims, ethanol is no friend of marine engines - nor of smaller contrivances such as lawn mowers, weed whackers, snow blowers, chain saws, etc.