A weekend spent on a frozen lake might be just the ticket for anglers pining for the sunny days of summer fishing.If that sounds promising, head to Pinedale this weekend for a chance to win some cash and raise a little money to benefit cancer patients at the “Big Fish Winter Derby.”
The more than 50-year old ice fishing derby lures anglers from around the region as they try to catch the largest brown or rainbow trout from the 11-mile Fremont Lake on Saturday and Sunday.
Prizes worth more than $6,000 will be awarded during the event, which is being organized for the first year by the Pinedale Lions Club.
Jason Essington, a spokesman for the event, said the derby had been organized since the 1960s by the Pinedale Boat Club. However, the Boat Club disbanded in 2018.
“This year the Pinedale Lions Club took over all the assets the boat club had and kind of revived the derby,” Essington said.
In some fishing derbies, certain fish are tagged and the anglers who catch them win the top awards.At the Big Fish Winter Derby, prizes are awarded based on the size of the fish captured, Essington said.
“Fremont Lake is a very big lake,” he said. “We could tag 100 fish and never see them again.”
Proceeds from the event will be used to help pay the expenses faced by cancer patients usually not covered by insurance, such as lodging costs during treatment.
“The … Lions’ Club, when it has events like this, basically 100 percent of the money it raises goes back to the community,” Essington said.
People who wish to register for the event can do so until Friday by visiting the Pinedale Lions Club’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/904495963073791/
Essington said registrations will also be accepted in-person through Sunday at the derby’s headquarters at Lakeside Lodge.