First Ice Fishing Contest Draws 192 to Raber Area; Mike Pelak Takes Top Prize
Bruce BiggerWins Second Place Prize

Raber Area Sportsmen's Club member Chuck Warner of Raber shuttles fisherman to the fishing grounds.

Mike Pelak of Raber won the first Raber Area Sportsmen's Club (RASC) ice fishing contest with a 1.3-pound yellow perch he pulled from Raber Bay Saturday, March 11. He won $300 and also won another $100 for catching the only whitefish, which weighed 4 pounds, 4 ounces.

Bruce Bigger of St. Ignace took second place and $200 with a 1.1pound perch, while Alec LaPoint of DeTour won third place and $100 for his .675-pound perch.

Samantha Pontbriand of Lapeer won first place in the children's division for her perch, which was just over two ounces. She received a new fishing pole set.

Don Laitinen of Sault Ste. Marie won $350 for the best hand in a poker run held during the tournament.

The first ice fishing contest hosted by the club drew 192 participants, who took off from the shores of Raber Bay on snowmobiles and on foot on a bright, warm Saturday afternoon. Air temperatures were warm, but the ice was cold because of stiff winds on the bay, RASC Secretary Andrea McDonald said.

Mike Potoczak of Goetzville draws for a door prize in the children's division of the Raber Area Sportsmen's Club ice fishing tournament Saturday, March 11. (Photographs courtesy of the Raber Area Sportsmen's Club)

Club members prepared an 80acre area of the bay before the event by drilling 1,000 holes in the ice. Contestants selected their holes and were allowed to fish for only four hours. The contest was short, but sweet, netting large cash prizes for the three largest perch and one largest whitefish caught that day.

Every child who caught a fish received a prize, and approximately 20 youth participants were registered in the contest.

The sportsmen's club gave free Polish sausage to help keep contestants warm, and a carnival-like atmosphere pervaded the event.

Encouraged by the support, the club hopes to make the tournament twice as big next year.

A portion of the proceeds from the event has been earmarked for the Raber Area Sportsmen's Club's walleye planting program on the St. Marys River and for clubhouse construction.