The Still Cold Open ice fishing tournament on Big Lake runs every other Saturday for 12 straight weeks, exposing fishermen to the full battery of Alaska’s winter and early spring weather.
People ride on snowmachines and make their way onto Big Lake to find a fishing spot as they compete in the Still Cold Open Ice Fishing Series on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023.
Cashin, who is competing for the first time in the derby that stretches from early January to the third week of March, is as devoted as any. The tournament runs every other Saturday for 12 straight weeks, exposing fishermen to the full battery of Alaska’s winter and early spring weather.“The conditions change,” said assistant tournament director Josh Leach. “Especially here in Alaska. If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes. If you get a big, wet, heavy snow, you have overflow to deal with, and that creates its own challenges getting around and accessing spots. Or it might be 20 or 30 below and the wind is blowing.
According to tournament director Jerrid Hixon, last year’s derby was truncated due to unsafe conditions, with standing water and holes developing on the ice. Nimbleness is required during the tournament. Defending champ Josh Hughes said he and his partner will generally drill 16 holes 10 or 20 big steps apart and move from one to the hole to the next. If those holes don’t produce within a span of 15-20 minutes, they move on.
More than a third of the teams failed to catch fish during each of the the first two Saturdays. Hixon said that when he started fishing Big Lake, that failure only led to resolve. “It’s supposed to be fun,” Clark said. “So how do you want to fish it? How competitive do you want to be? Or do you just want to be out there and enjoy fishing?”
“What’s different about the SCO, I feel like it’s a measurement of skill because you’re fishing every other weekend for six weekends and a championship day,” he said.“My son is 22 years old, he’s married, he’s got a kid of his own now and has been moved out for four years,” Hughes said. “I get to fish with him seven times a winter and that’s pretty much our plan and that makes for a pretty awesome experience.
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