February 13, 2017 at 3:46 p.m.
41st annual Rhinelander Lions Club Fisheree held on Boom Lake
41st annual Rhinelander Lions Club Fisheree held on Boom Lake
This year was no different as over 300 anglers braved the elements this past weekend to test their mettle against the inhabitants of Boom Lake. Fishable waters started downstream of Pine Harbor and included all of the Boom Lake basin to the Highway W bridge as well as Bass Lake and Peggy Slough.
For many, this event has spanned generations with some youngsters fishing with their parents who used to fish the event with their parents. The children's fishing event was free for ages 11 and under and there were prize drawings every hour on both Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The fish had to be caught and landed by the child and could be of any species of legal size. Each child was eligible for only one hourly prize per day. Additional prizes were awarded to the child who caught the longest fish in each of five categories: northern, walleye, crappie, bluegill and perch. At the end of each day, two bikes were given away in a random drawing. All children who entered an hourly drawing or who filled out an entry ticket on-site during the event were eligible for that drawing.
In the kids' categories, Cayden Gechas brought in the biggest northern on Sunday at 26 1/8 inches. Armando Aguirre's 24 5/16-inch fish was enough for second place. The biggest crappie was 10 1/16 inches and was brought in by Natalia Bills. Lena Chiamulera brought in the day's biggest perch at 8 3/4 inches. June Chiamulera had the biggest bluegill of the day at 6 3/8 inches.
In the adult division, a $500 cash prize was awarded for the longest northern caught each day. The ice angler who brought in the second longest received $200, the third $150, fourth $100 and $50 for the fifth longest northern. There were also additional prizes for walleye, perch, crappie and bluegill. Tickets to enter the contest were $15 if purchased before the event and $20 if purchased after 10:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Kurt Keso brought in a 34-inch northern on Saturday, to collect the $500 prize. On Sunday, Mike Stefonek's 30.75-inch northern was large enough for first place. Second place went to Jason Cordy and third to Ryan Hanson. Sunday's big walleye was a 17 5/8-inch fish brought in by Keith Miller. The biggest crappie was 11.5-inches long and was brought in by Sam Spohn. Richard Carpenter won big perch honors with a 9 3/8-inch fish. Tim Miller's 8 5/8-inch bluegill was enough for first place in that category.
The public was invited to come and play the paddle wheel and to partake in the food and beverages served by the Lions, and they turned out in full force to pack the shelter at the Boom Lake launch ramp. Prizes for the paddle wheel raffle were donated by area businesses and included stays at local hotels, some fishing gear, gift certificates to local restaurants and even a pass to the Hodag Country Festival.
Lion Mike Romportl, the day's emcee, thanked the pubic as well as all of the area businesses for their support over the years. He also called for a moment of silence in memory of fellow Lion Chuck Franz, who passed away a month ago. This was the first Lions' Fisheree which Franz would not attend. He was a member of the club for 56 years.
The raffles ended with two of the biggest prizes.
The first was an ice auger. Each participant who bought a ticket to fish in the Fisheree was eligible to win this prize. The big winner was Mike Stefonek. The last of the raffles was a $500 cash raffle.
That prize went to Jake Nelson. Several other prizes were awarded as part of this raffle as well.
Romportl thanked everyone for coming and said he hoped to see all the anglers and the public back on the ice next year.
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