The Great West Harbor Pond Fishing Derby

THE GREAT WEST HARBOR POND FISHING DERBY OF 2025

A Tale of Triumph, Tenacity, and Eight Very Glorious Bass

Well folks, the 2025 GWHPFD (that’s the Great West Harbor Pond Fishing Derby, for those not fluent in acronyms) has officially wrapped. And while participation was leaner than a minnow on a diet, the spirit of the Derby lives on—in the form of eight heroic anglers and a handful of very confused bass.

Let’s start with the obvious:
📅 July was a ghost town. Not a single entry. The fish were lonely. The docks were quiet. Even the mosquitoes filed a complaint about lack of activity.
👶 The youth category? Also empty. Either the kids were too busy gaming or the fish were too intimidating. We’ll work on that next year—maybe offer snacks.

But then came August. And with it, a ripple in the pond...

🏆 Ralph Colby, longtime local legend and 2022 Derby champ, emerged from the mist (or maybe just his garage) to land a glorious 14" largemouth bass on August 20th. The bass, reportedly named “Carl” by Ralph mid-reel, was released back into the pond with a stern warning not to fall for the same lure twice.

🎖️ Honorable Mention goes to Gordon Haldeman, who reeled in a respectable 10” bass right off Jill Whitehead Bryant’s dock at 322 Lakeside Drive. The fish was caught, complimented, and released—rumor has it it’s now bragging to the other fish about its brush with fame.

But rounding out the adult category were John Vanacore With a great catch of a 16” largemouth bass on August 28th. And on the same day, his fortunate spouse Chris Vanacore rounded out the month with a 9" largemouth bass—small in size, big in spirit.

👧👦 And just when we thought the youth category was a bust, the young anglers stepped up with style and skill:

Maxwell Hoffman landed a solid 13.5" largemouth bass, proving that patience and precision aren’t just for grown-ups.
Mirabell Hoffman followed with a 14" largemouth bass, matching Ralph’s catch and setting the bar high for future youth entries.
George Valasek made a splash with a whopping 17" largemouth bass on August 25th, officially dethroning Carl as the biggest bass of the derby.
James Byrne joined the youth ranks with a 14" largemouth bass on August 5th—early August magic that helped kick off the youth surge.

🧢 As a token of glory, the infamous blue WHP Fishing Derby hats—a symbol of aquatic excellence and questionable fashion—will be delivered to Ralph, Gordon, Maxwell, Mirabell, George, James, John, and Chris. Wear them proudly, folks. You’ve earned it.

🏅 And now, the moment of glory:
The overall champions of the 2025 WHP Fishing Derby are George Valasek in the youth category with his impressive 17” largemouth bass, and John Vanacore in the adult category with a strong 16” catch. These two anglers rose above the rest, proving that skill, timing, and a little pond magic go a long way. Congratulations to this year’s top winners—you’ve set the bar high and the hooks even higher.

👏 A huge congratulations to all our participants—and a heartfelt thank you to everyone who considered joining in, even if your rod stayed in the shed. We’ll be back next year with prizes, louder cheers, and hopefully a few more hooks in the water.

Until then, keep your lines tight and your stories taller than your fish. 🐟

James Byrne and his largemouth bass

George Valask weighs in with the biggest catch of all!

John and Chris Vanacore with their largemouth bass catches

Mirabell Hoffman smiles the smile of an angler with a 14 inch catch

Gordon Halderman measures up his bass

Ralph Colby's largemouth bass

Maxwell Hoffman's 13.5 inch largemouth

THE GREAT WEST HARBOR POND FISHING DERBY OF 2024

The 2024 GWHPFD (that's Great West Harbor Pond Fishing Derby) is over, and the winners have been declared:

July's Derby youth winner was Christopher Neary II, landing a whopper 19” Large Mouth Bass on July 4th . It was caught on a Dare Devil Lure on a Spinning Reel.

The August WHP Derby youth Small Mouth Bass winner is Alec Fairfield, landing a 16.5" Small Mouth Bass on August 9th. With catch and release, He/She is back in the pond.

The August WHP Derby youth Large Mouth Bass winner is Zachary Bujnowski, landing a 16.5" Large Mouth Bass on August 5th. Zachary also had a winning catch in the 2022 Derby.

The August WHP Derby adult Large Mouth Bass winner is Brian Bujnowski, landing a 17" Large Mouth Bass on August 6th.

Brian Bujnowski's winning 17" Large Mouth Bass (Adult)

Zachary Bujnowski's winning 16.5" Large Mouth Bass (Youth)

Nathan Bujnowski's 15.5" Small Mouth Bass

Alec Fairfield's winning 16.5" Small Mouth Bass (Youth)

George Valasek's 11" Small Mouth Bass (Youth)

Although not a winner in the Derby, Michael Bujnowski's grandson Wesley Bell participated as best he could. Thanks to Grandpa Michael (Poppy) for the spread:

THE GREAT WEST HARBOR POND FISHING DERBY OF 2023

Full Results from The West Harbor Pond
Fishing Derby
The August WHP Derby winner is 9-year-old Martin Valasek, landing a 15" Small Mouth Bass! On August 26 at 9:00 a.m. with fishing pole in hand Martin used his “magic lure” (lipless crank bait) to land his catch. Martin had just arrived to one of his happy places, 128 Lakeside Drive, from Rochester, NY, when he dropped his line in the water. He caught this fish on his first cast of the day. Great way to start a weeks’ vacation! Congratulations Martin!

July's Derby winners tied, with Abby Chordas and Graham Staebler both bringing in 13" Large Mouth Bass! Abby and Graham will receive WHPWA hats as a reward. Both are pictured here with their catches, along with the runners-up. Congratulations to all!

The summer was made for fun and what better place than WHP for swimming, boating, fishing and just relaxing. And what better way to add some excitement to your summer than a Fishing Derby. There is an abundance of good fishing here and what better way is there than to make yourself at home with your feet up enjoying the sun and fresh air of WHP, fishing? You might just win a WHP hat, and having your photo--with your catch--on the WHPWA website. The Great West Harbor Pond Fishing Contest is for WHPWA members and their guests. We look forward to sharing your catch on the WHPWA website for each year's contest.

Martin Valasek with his 15" Small Mouth Bass

Abby Chordas with her 13" Large Mouth Bass

Did you say 15"? Sure enough!

Graham Staebler with his 13" Large Mouth Bass

Isabelle Chordas with her 12" Large Mouth Bass

Ella Chordas with her 11" Large Mouth Bass

THE GREAT WEST HARBOR POND FISHING DERBY OF 2022

The West Harbor Pond Fishing Derby ran from July-August 2022, and the winners have been declared. For the categories for which entries were submitted, here are the winners:

YOUTH:
White Perch: 10.5 inches, caught by Zachary Bujnowski, August 14th
Large Mouth Bass: 16 inches, caught by Zachary Bujnowski, August 13th
Small Mouth Bass: 6 inches, caught by James Byrne on August 28th

ADULT:
Large Mouth Bass: 16 inches, caught by Ralph Colby, July 28th
Small Mouth Bass: 13 inches, caught by Valerie Breen, July 29th

For the month of August there was one additional winner:
Large Mouth Bass: 14 inches, caught by Gordon Haldeman on August 13th
(Ralph Colby's July catch was the overall winner in this category)

West Harbor Pond hats go to all of the winners, and "hats off" to them for their success!

To the right is the pictorial submission from the Martterer
family, along with which was this "fish story":
"

"My husband Jamie and I have owned a home on WHP for
nearly 11 years. Summer is a magical time here, made even
more special by our annual family vacation, where my sister
(Lisa), her husband (Patrick), their two kids (George and
Martin), and my parents (Paul and Patrice) travel from
Rochester, NY and Rexford, NY, respectively. We've been
doing this each year since we bought our home, so all of the
kids (George, Martin, and our son, James) have had the
luxury of this annual vacation each year of their young lives. We spend our days on the dock, jumping into the pond, swimming, digging for worms, playing badminton, toasting marshmallows on the bonfire, doing puzzles, cooking great meals, eating ice cream, going to Shermans, and in general, creating memories that will last a lifetime. 2022 has been another banner year (perfect weather, everyone in good health) and excitement levels are HIGH for the West Harbor Pond fishing derby. George and Martin are such good teachers for their little cousin, James (our son), and helped him reel in his very first fish this year. Outside of that, they have both had spectacular catches, detailed below.

Thanks for putting this event together - We hope it's an annual!!"