No Fish “Tail” Ice Fishing is Fun
Over 60 youth pre-registered online and by days end 85 kids were competing to land the biggest fish. The youngest competitor, Matthew Conboy, was just two years old. Some of the children (and some of the adults too) had never ice fished before but that was OK because Vermont Fish and Wildlife biologists Corey Hart and Chris Powers taught an ice fishing clinic that was attended by about 35 people.
Hart and Powers covered all aspects of the sport including ice safety and Vermont Fishing regulations. “How many of you have fished before?” asked Hart, not many raised their glove-covered hands, “good” he said, “never fished before, no bad habits.”
Hart and Powers demonstrated how to jig for fish-using a small fishing pole and how to set up a tip up-a device that lets you run many fishing lines at the same time-a flag raises when you have a fish on your line. They introduced, the would-be ice fishermen, to various other tools of the sport: a spud bar and an ice auger for chopping or drilling holes in the ice. After about a half hour of instruction, they let the kids loose on the ice to see what they could catch in Dewey’s Pond.
When the tally was taken at noon 42 fish had been caught. The kids were catching Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Crappie, and Bluegill.
Winners determined by total length of fish caught, up to five fishes, and separated into age groups:
Ages: 6 & Under
3rd Place-Cooper Clews-11.5 inches
2nd Place-MacKenzie Hall-19”
1st Place-McKinley Potter-45”
Ages 7-10:
3rd-Emmalynn Potter-34”
2nd-Bentley Lang-62.5”
1st-Cheyenne Tyler-78.25”
Ages 11-14:
3rd-Hudson Maxham-35.5”
2nd-Willy Underwood-66.5”
1st-Chase Stokes-75”
The biggest fish caught was 27.5” Northern Pike and the smallest fish caught a 4” Bluegill.
Last year, over 300 people, including 141 youth anglers attended the event. The weather this year may have discouraged some from attending. But as the day progressed the sun came out and temperatures rose into the low 30s. It turned out to be a great day to be on the ice.
According to Jay McDonough, Program Coordinator for Hartford Parks & Recreation “ice fishing provides anglers an opportunity to go fishing during the colder months of the year. A unique experience, ice fishing can offer anglers a chance to fish almost any spot of a lake without a boat. It also offers children a chance to get outside, breathe in the winter air and enjoy time with family and friends.”
Eddie Duncan from “right up the hill from Dewey’s Pond” brought his son Gabriel, 9, so they both could learn to ice fish together. “We figured it was right in our backyard, you should check it out” said Eddie. “My uncle ice fishes in New York” said Gabriel “we want to go on ice fishing trips with him.” “And it’s something we can do together here” added Gabriel’s dad Eddie.
Eight year old Meadow Jo Brownmccoard summed up the day “It’s really, really cold but so far I’m having fun.”
3rd Place-Cooper Clews-11.5 inches
2nd Place-MacKenzie Hall-19”
1st Place-McKinley Potter-45”
Ages 7-10:
3rd-Emmalynn Potter-34”
2nd-Bentley Lang-62.5”
1st-Cheyenne Tyler-78.25”
Ages 11-14:
3rd-Hudson Maxham-35.5”
2nd-Willy Underwood-66.5”
1st-Chase Stokes-75”
The biggest fish caught was 27.5” Northern Pike and the smallest fish caught a 4” Bluegill.
Last year, over 300 people, including 141 youth anglers attended the event. The weather this year may have discouraged some from attending. But as the day progressed the sun came out and temperatures rose into the low 30s. It turned out to be a great day to be on the ice.
According to Jay McDonough, Program Coordinator for Hartford Parks & Recreation “ice fishing provides anglers an opportunity to go fishing during the colder months of the year. A unique experience, ice fishing can offer anglers a chance to fish almost any spot of a lake without a boat. It also offers children a chance to get outside, breathe in the winter air and enjoy time with family and friends.”
Eddie Duncan from “right up the hill from Dewey’s Pond” brought his son Gabriel, 9, so they both could learn to ice fish together. “We figured it was right in our backyard, you should check it out” said Eddie. “My uncle ice fishes in New York” said Gabriel “we want to go on ice fishing trips with him.” “And it’s something we can do together here” added Gabriel’s dad Eddie.
Eight year old Meadow Jo Brownmccoard summed up the day “It’s really, really cold but so far I’m having fun.”
More photos: CLICK HERE