Sun,
Fun And Plenty Of Fish At The Ice Fishing Derby
February,
2011
©
By Othmar Vohringer
This
past Sunday over a
hundred fisherman and their
families came out to Mammette Lake for a fun-filled day of ice fishing.
This
was the 11th Annual Ice Fishing Derby organized by the Nicola Valley
Fish &
Game Club (NVFGC). Although there were not as many people attending the
derby
as in previous years it still was a resounding success despite the icy
roads
and snow on the Coquihalla highway which kept many Lower Mainlanders
and people
from Kamloops at home.
Right up to the last day I was worried about the weather and even more
about
the fishing conditions. The reports I received in regard to fishing
success at
Mammette Lake did not look promising as very few fish were caught.
However, the
day greeted us with warm sunshine and the warm weather front coaxed the
fish
into feeding activity. The
fishing was exceptionally good with lots of
big trout and coarse fish being caught.
The
local media was on hand to report about the ice fishing derby which has
become a much anticipated traditional winter event in Merritt. Her
Worship
Susan Roline, Mayor of Merritt, was on hand to give away the prize
monies for
1st, 2nd and 3rd trout as well as overall heaviest coarse fish. There
were lots
of other prizes to be had, such as hidden weight and many door prizes
and kids
raffle prizes.
The
winners of the event were:
Adults
Trout Category:
1 place: Ernie Schepanowsky 3 lbs 5oz.
2 and 3 place (tie) Andy Luxton and Brian Gardner 2 lbs 15oz.
Children Trout:
Girls: Camryn Adams l lbs 12oz.
Boys: Cameron Couture 2 lbs 9oz.
Coarse Fish:
1, 2 and 3 place (tie) Tyrell Weisse, Travis Spahan and John Adolph 3
lbs 15oz.
Everyone
had a good time- from the die-hard solo fishers to
the parents and their children. A big part of this event is getting
folks into
the outdoors and doing things together as a family. During the event the
NVF&GC provided free coffee, hot chocolate and donuts, and for
the modest
price of $2 hot dogs were available too. The ice fishing derby is an
important
annual fundraiser to help finance the various wildlife and habitat
conservation
programs we participate in.
As the ice fishing derby committee chairman and on behalf of the Nicola
Valley
Fish & Game Club I would like to say a big thank you to all the
hard
working volunteers and the generous donations from the good people,
businesses
and merchants of Merritt. Without these wonderful folks it would not be
possible to pull off such an event. We would like to thank Mayor Susan
Roline for
her presence and participation and also give a big thank you to the CO
detachment of Merritt for their assistance, and to the Highway
department for
their part in keeping the roads as safe as can be this time of year.
The
Mayor of Merritt attended the ice fishing derby to hand
out the main prizes. From left to right. NVF&GC President Paul
Komonoski,
Mayor of Merritt Susan Roline and Ice Fishing Derby Committee Chair
Othmar
Vohringer.
This
is just one of many lucky anglers that caught a big
rainbow trout at the annual Merritt Ice Fishing Derby.
The
sun was out at Mammette Lake and many anglers and
their families came out for a day of fun and fishing at the Merritt Ice
Fishing
Derby.
###
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all
of Othmar's Field Notes
