If you were on the lake for Saturday’s Clark Lake Cup hockey match, perhaps you noticed something else. In huddles at the east end of the lake were fishing shanties, and not just one or two.
What you were witnessing was the Fallen Outdoors Fishing Tournament. This group, which specifically salutes veterans of military service, has been here before, on both ice and on the water. (Click here to see what happened last winter, and click here to find out what happened in the spring). Saturday’s tournament started at 8 am and concluded at 2 pm. The hockey game began at 1 pm, so both shared the ice for a while. The photo below is from the DamCam, snapped before the hockey game began. Once the game began, the DamCam switch to live hockey coverage.
For this tournament, twenty non-veterans also participated bringing the total to 67. So, how did they do?
Organizer Ron Smith says winners were recognized for their catches—three awards for veterans; two, non-veterans. Veterans competed for a $500 Vexilar Fish Finder (1st place), and a $300 Striker Jacket (2nd place). Up for grabs for non-veterans was an array of gear any ice fisherman would enjoy or think a necessity.
The group gathered at the Yacht Club and used their boat ramp to haul their gear onto the ice.
Below is a photo of the organizer, Ron Smith.
