Smith Lake ice fishing derby winners announced
<p>Photo courtesy of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks - Moriah Turner is proud of the nice pike she caught at the Smith Lake icefishing derby on Saturday, Dec. 28.</p>
The 40th annual Smith Lake Ice Fishing Derby attracted more than 400 anglers on Dec. 28, with youngsters composing the largest part of the crowd.
The event is hosted by the Sunriser Lions Club as a public service to the community and as a fundraiser to promote family fishing pond programs.
Anglers also donated some pike to the Hooked on Fishing program for dissection exercises. The Sportsman and Ski Haus of Kalispell provided support, and Walleyes Unlimited provided 70 fishing rod-and-reel combinations for kids and for those who needed a rod.
The 10-inch coating of ice provided a safe event for all participants. Anglers landed hundreds of small pike and fewer numbers of perch on jigs tipped with maggots or smelt.
“This is a great family event,” said Warren Illi, of the Sunriser Lions Club, who manned the weigh-in table. “We had a terrific turnout and perfect sunny weather. It was great to see so many kids catching fish.”
Winners included Jerry Rounds, largest pike, 4.76 pounds; Lucas Barsow, smallest pike, 0.23 pounds;
Cole Weed, largest perch, 1.25 pounds; and Harmonie VanVant, smallest perch, 0.01 pounds.