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Lake Manawa Winterfest Derby
By FishRecycler | February 3, 2009
With over $25,000 in prizes and temperatures reaching 50 degrees, it’s easy to see why over 1400 participants put auger to ice on Council Bluff’s Lake Manawa Saturday.
Click “Read the rest of this entry” to get the full story and photo essay, or go to the Recycled Fish “On Ice” Photo Center to download photos or purchase prints.
In addition to the big prizes and balmy temps, the Friends of Lake Manawa and the Winterfest committee guaranteed a great event with outstanding support from the Iowa DNR, the Boy Scouts (thanks for the dogs & joes kids!), a chili cookoff, an ice hut decorating competition (more entries next year please!) and a very efficient staff of volunteers who made the whole event run without any apparent hitches or glitches.
Adult and youth competitors were attempting to catch the biggest fish from a list of six species; Bluegill, Catfish, Crappie, Drum, Walleye and Wiper.
As an added bonus, organizers had tagged and released fish before the derby, giving the participants additional chances to win prize money.
It was great to see a large number of under 15 anglers at the event, and with a separate Youth Division, the kids on the ice were serious about catching fish. So serious in fact, the winner of the Youth Catfish category had a fish bigger than the Adult winner. Nice job!
Recycled Fish had three bag stands setup around Lake Manawa and a group of volunteers roaming the ice to hand out weigh bags and Grabber hand warmers. It was a great way to meet a bunch of good people and help spread the word that we are all stewards of the resource.
Standout scenes from the ice
For more on the Winterfest Derby, visit their official website here.
See far more photos, download them for free, or have them printed and mailed to you in high resolution (without sponsor logos) for a nominal donation to Recycled Fish through our “On Ice” Photo Center.
Partners in Stewardship
The Recycled Fish “On Ice” tour would be impossible without the help of these great sponsors. Be sure to remember them when you hit the hard water.
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