U.S. claims World Ice Fishing ChampionshipThe U.S. Ice Team took a giant stride forward in international fishing competition, winning the gold handily in the 2010 World Ice Fishing Championship, sponsored by the International Angling Confederation (CIPS) in Rome, over the weekend.
The U.S. team was ahead after Saturday?s round and held on after Sunday?s round to finish with a comfortable final tally of 39 points over second-place Poland (54 points). Competition was held on Boom Lake, a flowage created on the Wisconsin River just north of downtown Rhinelander. It was the first time that the international championship was held in the U.S.
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Anglers ? there were a few female contestants ? represented 11 countries. They competed for individual and team honors. One member from each team fished each of the 10 zones laid out with orange string on Boom Lake. Game fish did not count, indeed one frustrated Polish fisherman caught at least three smallmouth bass Saturday. Most anglers collected bluegills, perch and crappies, usually slipping them between their legs or into a bucket to avoid competitors from seeing their success.
Points were awarded in each section according to the weight of fish, from one point for the heaviest to 11 for the least amount of weight.
Contestants could use only live bait (waxies and spikes). Power augers and electronics of any kind were prohibited. Anglers used 4- or 5-inch augers with razor sharp blades to punch through the 24-inch thick ice in less than 20 seconds.
They also had to be 5 meters from each other and could lock out other anglers depending on where they drilled holes. Officials could be seen several times each day measuring distances after objections were raised by anglers to perceived intrusions by another angler.
Team member Tony Boshold of Carol Stream, IL., said the USA team became more aggressive in protecting their turf Sunday after being ?pushed off a couple of spots? on territory challenges Saturday.
Obviously, the USA contingent had the home advantage as some members fished Boom Lake last year in the North American Ice Fishing Circuit (NAIFC) competition. They all knew how crappies, perch and bluegills bite. The European contestants had never seen these species until this weekend.
After Sunday?s weigh-in, Mike Boedeker of Lansing, Mich., figured he was in contention for the bronze in individual honors. He had eight fish, all crappies, on Sunday. He used a Fiska glow jig both days. He fished with the USA team last year in WIFC competition held in Poland. The typical target fish were golden shiner- and smelt-type species, he said.
Though the overseas competition was informed that crappies don?t hug the bottom, Boedeker thinks many forgot that advice over the weekend and returned to old habits of bottom-hugging their bait (only waxies and spikes allowed). He was getting bites on suspended crappies 15-20 down in 25-feet water.
Myron Gilbert, a USA team member from Brooklyn Mich., was understandably ecstatic about the win. No matter where the other teams finished, he said, they will all remember the warm reception Rhinelander gave them. ?They were big-eyed? after participating in the downtown parade and seeing the thousands of well-wishers, he noted.
His key to scoring fish was to keep moving when there was no bite for a time. It?s not unusual for him to drill hundreds of holes during other tournaments where power augers are allowed. USA team members shared information gained from pre-tournament fishing the areas immediately around the zones when power augers and graphs were allowed.
Boshold acknowledged the USA being the favorite going into the tournament. ?It?s our home turf,? he said. But Poland along with Russia and Ukraine entered the competition as strong contenders.
Though the USA won the championship, the Poland team erupted in cheers and danced in a tight circle after it was announced they had won the silver.
The WIFC concluded its weekend with a semi-formal dinner at Holiday Acres where awards were presented to the top teams and individuals.
http://www.rhinelanderdailynews.com/articles/2010/03/15/news/doc4b9e2fcbd2d16585753186.txt
