 | "Your Home For Connections" Have More Fun & Catch More Fish |
| Hot Topics | Ice Fishing For Crappies | Your Neighbors |
 *Home Sweet Home*
 Fishing Report In Your Area
Forums-Hot Tips-Secrets
Distinctive Outdoor Sites
Gear So Advanced It's Easy
Business Services
Statewide Resort Directory
Minnesota Fishing Guides
Boat Dealers
Lakes Area Property
Lakes Information
Statewide Campsite Listing
Ice Leaders
Walleye News
Replicas & Taxidermy
A satisfied FishingMinnesota member says,
Joe Martin |
by fishingminnesota.com
Friday evening, January 11, tournament organizers, competing anglers and observers alike met at Judd's amid a friendly laidback atmosphere. Local guide and Scenic Tackle owner Jeff Beckwith presented a series of insightful fishing tips on his home waters. Following the seminar, drawings for free tackle and other prizes awarded many anglers with Scenic Tackle's Angel Eye Spoon, a lure that proved a top choice for perch and walleye during the event. Meanwhile, familiar faces reunited, as many new acquaintances turned to friendship, culminating in a fun night for everyone.
Some competitors, however, had different ideas in mind, opting to make the long run into Cut Foot Sioux. As it turned out, Cut Foot Sioux panfish became an X factor of sorts in what would've otherwise been an event dominated by perch and walleye. Often, however, it's an obscure factor, such as a little-known bluegill / crappie bite, that often makes a fishing tourney most interesting; as they also provide great opportunities to learn something new.
Going in to Sunday, the second day of the I.C.E. Leaders Winni Challenge, Fothergill and Godfrey led the nearest competitors by nearly 30-pounds.
There is a certain quote by one of the great pitchers in baseball history, a fellow named Satchel Paige, "Don't look back 'cause someone might be gaining on you." Little did the leaders realize, however, just how fast that "someone" was catching up. So while the first day leaders returned to their panfish hot-spot, finding a relatively slow bite, Steil and Dincau were on a panfish mission, something for which Steil and his partners have become known for, as anglers who fished the September 2001 Leech Lake event can attest.
So although competing anglers enjoyed the challenge of a tournament format, complete with cash prizes and merchandise, anglers also agree, these events stress foremost fishing fun, camaraderie and learning. We hope to see all our friends, including plenty of new faces at the next I.C.E. Leaders Challenge on Upper Red Lake (February 16 and 17). Remember also, the top 10 teams from Winni and Upper Red combined will compete for an additional $500, plus their choice of any Glacier Ice Shelter at the March Lake of the Woods Challenge. See you at Upper Red! I.C.E. Leaders Lake Winnibigoshish Challenge - Results
Day 1 total weights-
Day 2 totals weights-
Final Standings-
Overall I.C.E. Series standings- [Editors Note] Please check http://iceleaders.com for official rules and payout schedule.
|
Your Promotion Space
Your Message Here (218) 555-0000 801 Your address Av SE Your Town MN 56600 Red Pine Resort |
Marketing | Premium Outdoors | Country Store | Reports | Forums | Chat | Clubs | Ice Leaders
Resorts | Fishing Guides | Lake Information | Campsites | Gundogs | Search | Resources | Walleye News Before using this website please read the Disclaimer. Fishing Minnesota® | ||
Favorable weather, great lake, wonderful accommodations and fine fishing. These were the wonderful set of variables greeting anglers at the first I.C.E. Series event of 2002. Judd's Resort on spacious, diverse Lake Winnibigoshish provided an ideal venue for fishermen traveling to numerous spots throughout the 60,000-acre reservoir system.
Saturday morning dawned clear and crisp. Anticipation for the fish at hand soon warmed the spirits of all competitors. Pre-tournament scuttlebutt talked of active yellow perch inhabiting 8-foot sand flats near the Mississippi River inlet, big pike on feeding sprees in Bena and Tamarack bays and walleyes feeding tentatively in the deeper waters near Center Bar.
By the end of the day, it didn't take long to determine that nearly all the teams had found fish. Big numbers of yellow perch were common for many teams, including one that weighed nearly 2-pounds caught by a talented young angler from Illinois. In addition, there were pike to just under 8-pounds, walleyes up to the 17-inch slot size and even the odd eelpout- a species that was a last-minute addition to the event by popular demand.
Then there was the team of Fothergill and Godfrey. As the only pair to travel multiple miles across the big lake into Big Cut Foot Sioux, the two anglers weighed over 50-pounds of bluegills, crappies, perch and pike. It was an impressive display amid otherwise respectable catches of perch.
This despite a similarly diverse bag of fish by Steil and Dincau, anchored by a 7.4-pound northern pike. In third place, the tandem of Wernimont - Saytree scrounged a savvy catch near the heavily pressured River Bar. What appeared to be an insurmountable distance between first and second-place teams, though, made a rapid and surprising turn on day two.
At the Judd's Resort weigh-in site Fothergill and Godfrey arrived half an hour early, registering a respectable 28-pounds to total 78.7 for the two-day event. Great catch, but would it be enough? The team of Sycks and Nelson weighed a nice bag of fish, including the event's only walleye limit-especially impressive given Winni's tight slot range of 17 to 26-inches. More decent catches arrived: team Kral and Eckerf registered 13.03-pounds, and the Gruebele tandem tagged 12.32.
As teams continued to weigh-in, it still looked as if it would remain the Fothergill / Godfrey show, until . . . As Steil and Dincau unloaded their catch, certainty soon turned to doubt. One beautiful bluegill after another, followed by crappies, perch and more big bluegills, the distance between teams diminished. And when the scales settled, the team had earned nearly 70-pounds of fish-an incredible first-place reversal of almost 40-pounds!
At the event's conclusion, participants all agreed it had been a great weekend- lots of fish, plenty of good food and friends, and perhaps most important, an abundance of fun.