Underneath a speckless sky, Durango, Bayfield and La Plata County residents gathered at Vallecito Reservoir for the Vallecito Annual Ice Fishing Tournament.
The tournament was sponsored by the Vallecito Conservation and Sporting Association.
An estimated 150 people were on the frozen lake, with 112 adults and 38 children registered for the contest, according to organizers. Some people pitched tents and gathered around charcoal grills, while others were content to sit in folding chairs with their fishing rods and gear.
Organizer John Wilson said the Vallecito Conservation and Sporting Association hosts a number of events in the Vallecito community, including trail maintenance, a kids fishing clinic and the ice fishing tournament, where the weights of catches determine the winners.
About 10 volunteers helped Wilson run the event.
“This is by far my favorite event,” he said. “We’ve lucked out; this is three years in a row that we’ve had an absolutely beautiful day. It’s gonna get warm next week.”
He said people travel from around Colorado and as far as Arizona, New Mexico and Texas for the annual ice fishing tournament. Cash prizes are up for grabs for adults and noncash prizes are available for children.
The first place prize for adults was $750, followed by $500 for second place and $250 for third place. Another $200 was reserved for whoever caught the fish that weighed closest to the average weight of the heaviest and lightest fish, he said.
Children’s prizes included a T-shirt, ice fishing equipment such as rods, rod holders, tackle boxes, jigs and bait, and a free four-hour boat fishing expedition.
“The Wimenuche Wood Fire Grill was gracious enough to donate coupons for $5 off a large pizza to any paying adult,” Wilson said. “It’s just a great community event. It’s awesome.”
He said Vallecito Reservoir is stocked with rainbow trout and brown trout, and small mouth bass, northern pike, Kokanee salmon and perch also make the lake their home.
“The only thing we’ve seen brought in today is trout,” he said. “If somebody brought in a 12-inch walleye, even if they’re the only one to bring a walleye in, they’re going to win 200 bucks. Trout is the most prevalent.”
Friends Chris Smith and Brandon Coster brought their families to the reservoir for the tournament, but as of midmorning they hadn’t had any luck catching anything. Smith said they were one of two groups that first arrived around 7 a.m.
This was Smith’s first time participating in the ice fishing tournament. Coster said it was his fourth time.
“It’s always good. Unfortunately, it’s not as hot as it was yesterday or during the week, but maybe it’ll start. Who knows? We’ll see,” he said. “Being outdoors, you know, we’ve got Snowdown and this is my Snowdown. Even though we don’t really have any snow, just getting outside of the house and coming out and fishing.”
He said he prefers ice fishing to other kinds of fishing. With the exception of tournaments, there aren’t really crowds, and there’s no hassle of waiting in line at a boat ramp and backing a boat into the water.
“You can just come out here, have a good time, and fish at any depth you want without having anything but your feet, really. It’s awesome,” he said.
He ranks ice fishing and turkey hunting as his top two favorite hobbies. And he enjoys spending time with his daughter and seeing other children having fun outdoors.
“That’s what’s amazing,” he said. “Seeing the kids out here and having fun. Giggling like those little girls over there. My daughter’s back there with my wife. It’s a good way to get out away from the home and get her outside during the wintertime. Have her learn it (the outdoors) and respect it.”
Smith said he was fishing at a depth of about 13 feet.
Coster said several weeks ago his daughter caught a rainbow trout weighing in at 4.7 pounds. When they took the trout home and cleaned it, they discovered three crawfish in its belly.
“Never seen a trout eat crawdads. I’ve seen bass, but never a trout. So it’s always interesting. Learn something new every day,” he said.
cburney@durangoherald.com
