Fishing to fight addiction

DANNEMORA | After the shocking and unexpected death of a close childhood friend, Jerry Haley knew he wanted to do something to help the local fight against addiction. "You're either part of the problem or part of the solution," Haley said about spearheading the Reeling For Recovery ice-fishing tournament following his friend's death in 2017. "This year's theme is 'Get hooked on fishing, not on drugs'. Fishing was a very positive outlet I had as a kid, and it can be for other kids too," the Dannemora native said. "We want to get kids hooked on something other than just sitting at home or playing video games or getting in trouble." That's why Haley is once again donating all proceeds to Champlain Valley Family Center to help fund youth education, support and counseling services. The Plattsburgh agency works with schools, kids and families to teach and support skill-building for making healthy choices, managing emotions, conflict resolution and communication skills to help prevent substance use. Using funds from last year's successful tournament, Champlain Valley Family Center was able to provide multiple new program initiatives for at-risk youth. "And this year is going to be even bigger," the local father said about adding more kid-friendly attractions, prizes and vendors to the day-long event. This year's tournament is being held Feb. 29 with the ice-fishing derby kicking off on both Chazy and Chateaugay lakes at 5 a.m. Snow-sculpting teams will begin digging at about 12 p.m. with face painting, snowshoeing, minnow races and a Paw Patrol meet-and-greet through the afternoon. This year's event features more than 200 door prizes, 40 raffle baskets and $10,000 in cash and prizes, including cash pay-outs for the top trout, pike and perch catches. The award ceremony and silent auction will be held at the Lyon Mountain American Legion. Tournament entry is $30 for adults; $10 for kids age 16 and under and $10 for the lunker pool. Registration can be completed at Lashway's Meat Market and Deli on South Catherine Street in Plattsburgh or at Lakeside Guns and Ammo in Merrill. Just shy of 200 anglers last year, Haley hopes this year's memorial tournament will surpass 300. "Every year I'm trying to take it to the next level, and we just really want to get more kids involved this year." More information on this event can be found at reeling4recovery.com ■

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Fishing to fight addiction

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