For the first time in the Lake Lenore Lions Ice Fishing Derby鈥檚 10 year history, there was a tie for first place.
Glen Leniuk of Bruno and Dayton Klashinsky of Humboldt each caught a 6.02-pound jackfish.
The tournament organizers decided to add the $10,000 first place payout and the $4,118.28 second place payout and divide it into two equal halves, resulting in each fisher winning $7,059.14
Leniuk caught his winning fish early in the day with something special.
鈥淎 homemade hook,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 made it myself two days ago.鈥�
Klashinsky also caught his fish early on.
鈥淚 hope it holds up,鈥� he said when recalling what he was thinking when he caught it. 鈥淭here was a lot of time left in the day, so I was hoping that fish would hold up.鈥�
There were 657 registered at the Jan. 19 tournament, with 60 fish caught. Some other big fish caught included Bailey Schmidt鈥檚 5.77-pound jackfish, Robin Robinson鈥檚 5.61-pound jackfish, Craig Kinder鈥檚 3.44-pound walleye, Conrad Worth鈥檚 2.65-pound walleye, Garth Smith鈥檚 2.62-pound walleye and Rick Fries鈥� 1.19-pound perch.
There were more than $18,000 in cash prizes and around $15,000 in items from a random draw that included all the fishers except for cash prize winners.
Both fishers have been at the derby before.
鈥淚 try to come every year. It鈥檚 one of those things I look forward to every year. It鈥檚 a good time for sure,鈥� Klashinsky said. 鈥淐ome on out. It鈥檚 a good tournament.鈥�
Leniuk said it鈥檚 important to keep supporting the Lake Lenore Lions Club.
