Old Man Winter certainly tested the dedication of Borderland anglers Saturday as fierce 30-mph winds whipped across Rainy Lake during the annual Rainy Lake Sportfishing Club’s derby and raffle.
The wind didn’t stop Martin Hyatt.
The resident said a little cold wouldn’t keep him off the ice. In fact, he said when he was younger, it was common to catch him and his buddies enjoying a day fishing with a cold beverage in one hand and a fishing pole in the other.
“This is nothing,” he said with a smile, adding he hadn’t even had a bite yet.
Still, organizers of the 29th annual event said attendance was down – way down.
“It was a poorest year we’ve had for attendance,” said RLSC member Dave Peterson. “And ticket sales were down, too.”
Peterson called Saturday’s weather “atrocious” and said it kept people at home and off the ice.
“We do appreciate the people who did come out though,” he added.
The club’s president, Eric Norstad, agreed.
“There were some die-hard (anglers) out there,” he said. “Some had portable fish houses anchored to their cars...one guy told me his got away and he had to chase it down.”
Wind gusts as high as 33 mph were recorded Saturday causing with temperatures hovering around zero degrees.
Those who ventured out for the event braced against the wind under layers of clothing to register a fish or grab a snack to warm up.
Peterson said about 100 fish were registered, including a northern pike that weighed about 16 pounds.
“We did see a good number of fish come in,” he said. “That’s good to see, too.”
All in all, Peterson said the about 1,500 raffle tickets sold should help the club break even on the event. Norstad added that it will be challenging for the club to recoup losses from its biggest fundraiser.
“Money from the derby helps us stock the kids fishing pond and put on the senior fish fry in the fall,” he said. “We’ll still find a way to do those things, but it’ll be a lot harder.”
Still, Norstad said a lot of money went back into the community for prizes.
“That’s always a positive thing,” he said. “A lot of money stays local for the prizes purchased so it does help out the community.”
And at least anglers were able to access the lake, he said.
“Lake of the Woods had to close down its ice roads because of the snow,” he said. “Our roads may have had some drifts on it, but at least they were open.”
Because this was the first year the club attempted to hold the derby on a Saturday rather than Sunday, Norstad says what day the derby will be held next year has not been decided.
“I don’t think the day really matters, it boils down to the weather,” he said. “There’s a 50-50 chance it’ll be perfect weather for an event like this. It’s like rolling dice to see what happens.”
