“All the volunteers who helped make this event a success, Thank You!”
Many were worried that the mild weather could hamper the annual huge ice fishing tournament on Saturday. Luckily the weather was catfishing us the whole time! The 40th annual Devils Lake Volunteer Fire Department Ice Fishing Tournament went off without a hitch, attracting fisherpeople from all over. Experienced and newbies tried their hand to catch the biggest perch, walleye, and pike.
The day doesn’t end with fishing on the ice. In the evening, the big prize drawing party at the memorial building attracts a big crowd. Prizes are given out to 150 ticket holders by random drawing with the big kahuna being a 2024 Ford-150. The winner of that beauty was Damon Poitra of St. John.
Here are some stats from this year’s tournament: There was an unofficial count of 4,021 people on the lake. 150 fish were caught. 102 were walleye, 11 pike, and 37 perch. A person from South Africa caught a fish. People from Minnesota, Connecticut, Massachusets, and other states caught fish as well.
Mayor Jim Moe spoke briefly at the memorial building before the announcement of the winners. “Thank you for your support in our community for the past 40 years,” he told the crowd.
Here are the first-place winners from the tournament. Jeff Dammen from Devils Lake caught a perch weighing .80 pounds. Eric Eckardt from Epping caught a fat walleye weighing 2.82 pounds. Craig Ellsworth, from Kenmare, caught a pike weighing 2.3 pounds. All the first-place winners received $2,000 in cash.
This wasn’t Ellsworth’s first time at the tournament. He came to the very first ice fishing tournament with his dad when he was a kid. He has come on and off to the tournament since then. “The weather was gorgeous,” Ellsworth said. “The fire department did a great job.” Ellsworth was initially just fishing for perch but then switched to pike and walleye. His change of fish netted him his first catch ever while participating in the tournament. “I was pretty excited and a little bit of disbelief,” he said. As for what he plans to do with the money. “I’m not sure yet. Buying fishing gear probably.”
This was Eckardt’s fourth time competing and his first time as well catching anything. “I was pretty excited when I saw how big it was,” he said. As for what he plans to spend the money. “A vacation,” he said. “The tournament is a lot of fun. We look forward to it every year.”
Congratulations to all the winners and those who participated in the tournament this year. We look forward to seeing you again next year!
