Anglers haul in plenty of pike at annual derby

Some were holed up in ice shelters, enjoying their mobile creature comforts. Others sat comfortably on chairs or buckets, casually bobbing their mini-rods. The youngest seemed happy to sit or kneel or even lie down on the ice, waiting for the next bite.

When the bites came, there was a flurry of excitement - children sprinting to see the latest catch of pike or perch on Smith Lake.

And there was plenty of action Saturday at the 37th annual Sunriser Lions Club and Sportsman and Ski Haus ice fishing derby.

Organizers and anglers said it was one of the better derbies in recent years because of an incredible population of northern pike weighing right around a pound. The bite was on, and the turnout was strong.

"It looks good," derby chairman Warren Illi said. "I'd say there's 300 to 350 people out there."

From one ice hole to the next, piles of snow-covered pike and a few perch could be found. The bountiful catch raised spirits and enthusiasm across the ice.

"It's very good this year, compared to last," said Diane Holladay, who was attending her third straight derby with sons Trevor, 13, and Josh, 19. "The year before, it was mostly perch, but there aren't many perch anymore."

The sheer abundance of voracious young pike has severely dented the perch population. It's been several years since any derby angler has caught a trout.

But pike have proven to be easy to catch, with anglers finding success with a wide variety of methods and tackle. Spoons - any kind of spoon dressed up with a chunk of smelt - attracted pike along the swath of holes augered into the ice above the main channel of Ashley Creek as it flows into and through the lake.

Rods on holders caught fish, as did "tip-up" rigs, but those who did a little jigging seemed to have the most success.

Tanner Heidegger may have had the most innovative jigging technique.

The 10-year-old lay prone with his face directly over an ice hole and his lips gripping the line just beyond the rod tip. Bobbing his head up and down, Heidegger watched as a pike struck his lure a few feet below the ice. He jumped up and pulled the pike through the hole.

"Isn't that just crazy! He was jigging with his lips!" said his dad, Paul Heidegger.

Meanwhile, 7-year-old Ashley Heidegger proudly reported that she had caught two pike for the day.

"It's been a blast," her dad said.

While the bulk of the day's catch was dominated by the same age class of pike, there were a few exceptions.

Most notable was Chad Heichel's 8.43-pound pike that was prominently hung up near the

weigh station for other anglers to admire.

"That's the biggest fish we've ever weighed out here," Illi said, referring to his 15 years of involvement with the derby.

Heichel said he was fishing in an ice shelter, talking to a friend, when the big one struck.

"When it hit, I didn't even know it," he said. "It hit the same ways the little ones. I jerked the rod and it started taking line out, but it didn't go very far."

When the derby ended at 1 p.m., Heichel was among the prize winners.

Also winning first prizes were Chad Smith for the smallest pike, at .51 pounds; Nouf Rashooei for the largest perch at 401 grams; and Heidi Schmid for the smallest perch at 112 grams.

There were other prize winners, including 12-year-old Kaleb Mohn, who came up with a second-place perch while fishing with his grandfather, Jerry Quinn.

Quinn said he has been attending the derby for about five years and this time he was able to try out a depth and fish finder that he got for Christmas from his daughter and son-in-law.

"It's been a good opportunity to take my grandson out," Quinn said. "Besides, I enjoy an excuse to go fishing."

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com