I was looking for a Rainbow but I caught a Lake on a 4-pound test on the lightest rod I have. I’m going to smoke it.””

Connor Bailey

PINEDALE — The 2024 Pinedale Lions Club Big Fish Winter Derby lured 165 anglers onto the ice of Fremont Lake on Saturday and Sunday, March 2-3, even as the wind roared, temperatures plummeted and the lower lake was swallowed by a snow squall. With 80 participants from Sublette County, 67 from other Wyoming communities, and 18 from around the region, none of the ice anglers were deterred by the winter conditions. Their efforts paid off in thousands of dollars worth of prizes, bragging rights, and in the case of Carter Majhanovich a Lifetime Fishing License for a Youth donated by Specialty Drywall.

Dennis Burling caught the first fish of the day and of the derby at 7:18 a.m. on Saturday — a 16 3/4” rainbow trout. He used a slush bug and a night crawler to entice a bite. Burling and friend Gary Ondrisko came over from Idaho Falls for the derby, “We had to put it in 4-wheel drive at Palisades and leave it there until just west of Pinedale,” Burling said, adding, “You’ve got real nice people here, I’m hooked.”

The biggest fish of the two-day Big Fish Winter Derby, both in weight and length, was pulled through the ice by Tony Stauffer at 9:02 a.m. on Saturday. The 15.4 pound, 36” long lake trout won Stauffer the $1,000 grand prize of the day, sponsored by Tegeler & Associates.

Zeke Thomas’s 10.2-pound lake trout was the second biggest fish weighed in on Saturday, earning Thomas $400. He also won the 10-11 a.m. hourly weigh-in on Saturday for an additional $100.

Kent Sojourner, who has fished Fremont Lake since he “could crawl, about 50 years” hooked his 10-pound, 32 1/4” long lake trout on a tube jig, earning him third place and $200 on Saturday. The catch also netted him an extra $100 during the hourly weigh-in.

Pinedale’s Connor Bailey reeled in a 1.2-pound, 17 1/2” trout to win $200 in the Brown Trout category on Saturday.

Wyatt Goddard’s 2.2-pound, 21” trout won him $200 in the Rainbow Trout competition on Saturday, plus $100 during the 7-8 a.m. hourly weigh-in at Lakeside Lodge.

Braxton Behling won the grand prize in the Youth Division on Saturday, reeling in a 3.6-pound, 25 1/4” long laker. Bridger Erickson won $50 for the 2.4-pound, 21 1/4” long lake trout he pulled through the ice on Saturday. Elsie Schroth netted third place for the .4-pound, foot-long rainbow trout she reeled in on Saturday. Schroth’s brother, Colter, 4, said he “usually just catches bullheads around home,” so he likes “to try the big fish down here.”

On Sunday, Isaac Ruiz pulled in a 3.6-pound laker measuring 23 1/4” long. Coming in at 7:12 a.m., Ruiz’s trout was the first fish of the day. It also earned him the day’s Youth Division Grand Prize and $100. Finn Bennett found himself snagging second and third place in the Youth Divison with two lake trout, for a total of $75. His fish weighed in at 2.4 pounds, 21 3/4” long, and 2.2 pounds, 20” long, respectively.

Although anglers under the age of 18 were welcome to compete in the Adult Division, a total of 24 youths registered for the 2024 Big Fish Winter Derby.

In the Adult Division, Sunday’s catches were slightly smaller than Saturday’s, but the cash prizes were just as big.

Bailey pulled in the $1,000 grand prize sponsored by Teletractors, Inc., with a lake trout weighing 6.2 pounds and measuring 27” long. “I was looking for a rainbow,” Bailey said, “But I caught a Lake on a 4-pound test on the lightest rod I have. I’m going to smoke it.”

Derek Thompson’s 5.4-pound lake trout earned him second place and $400.

Thomas made the leaderboard again on Sunday, this time in third place with a lake trout weighing 5.2 pounds and measuring 28” long. He won $200 for his catch plus an extra $100 during the hourly weigh-in. Mark Gillespie placed fourth and won $150 on Sunday with his 4.8 pounds, 25 1/4” catch. His lake trout won the 8-9 a.m. hourly weigh-in and earned Gillespie an extra $100.

Mike Jackson’s 1.6-pound, 18” brown won him $200 in the Brown Trout competition and an additional $100 during the 7-8 a.m. weigh-in. Lynn Bohnet reeled in a 2-pound, 18” rainbow to win $200 in the Rainbow Trout competition plus $100 during the 9-10 a.m. weigh-in at Lakeside Lodge.

Gavin Bohnet won the K-Driller electric drill ice auger donated by Design Electric. All derby participants who turned in a creel survey were entered to win.

Visit the Pinedale Roundup Facebook page for more photos from the 2024 Big Fish Winter Derby.

Bob the Barrel

Keeping with the Ice Off tradition that dates back to 1980, members of the Pinedale Lions Club anchored the bright yellow barrel known as “Bob” to the ice in the middle of Fremont Lake during the Big Fish Winter Derby. Area residents can purchase a ticket and guess when the barrel will wash ashore this spring for a chance to win $500. The earliest in the season that Bob arrived on shore was in 2004 when it washed up on April 12. Bob’s latest seasonal arrival occurred in 1983 when Bob didn’t hit the beach until May 29.

Tickets are available through the end of the month for $10 each from local Lions Club members. Email pinedalelionsclub@gmail.com or message the Pinedale Lions Club on Facebook to purchase tickets.

All proceeds benefit community projects conducted by the Pinedale Lions Club and Lions Clubs International.

Last year, Bob the Barrel came ashore at 9:35 a.m. on May 14, making Barry Layne the lucky winner. In 2022, the barrel hit the shore of Fremont Lake at 7:57 p.m. on May 1. The year prior, in 2021, the barrel washed ashore at 1:54 p.m. on May 4. In 2020, Bob arrived on the bank of Fremont Lake at 10:36 a.m. on May 3. In 2019, the yellow barrel appeared on the beach at 10:36 a.m. on May 10.