HAVRE, Mont. (NMB) – 14 anglers persevered through less than ideal conditions at the Arctic Games Ice Fishing Tournament this past Saturday on Fresno Reservoir.
Rick Harman is a member of both the Fresno Chapter of Walleyes Unlimited and Hill County Search and Rescue, and says the support from community sponsors and hosts allowed for a memorable day.
“These local folks really stepped up and gave us a lot of prizes for the contestants. That was the one big thing I heard from multiple contestants, that even though it was cold and even fishing wasn’t stellar, the gifts were great, the hosts were great, and they would come back and fish it again next year. So we’re hoping for better weather fishing next year.”
Harman says several factors contributed to the anglers struggling to reel in many fish.
“The water temperatures are about as cold as they are going to get and oxygen levels and low and fish aren’t feeding as actively, so if you miss the bite, you’re going to sit there. But I think they had fun, most of the folks were in ice houses or side-by-sides fishing, so they stayed fairly warm and didn’t move around a lot because of the cold weather.
Only four total fish were reeled in. Huntyn Fuzezy brought in the biggest walleye (18 inches), Jace Aumueller caught the only northern pike (23.75 inches), and Joe Johnson snagged the only perch (11.25 inches).
