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Idaho Enterprise

Big Dog Ice Fishing

Jan 21, 2022 10:03AM ● By Anna Pro

This year’s Big Dog Ice Fishing Tournament was as popular as ever, bringing in dozens of hopefuls from all around the region.  Participants came in from all around southern Idaho, Northern Utah, Wyoming, and parts unknown to enjoy the ice, the fishing, and a good natured competition. Tag Petersen, of Menden, Utah, was named the tournament’s “Big Dog” for his 26 ½ inch rainbow, pulled in during the 10 o’clock hour.  Last year’s winner was only slightly larger, at over 27”.  Like Tag, who entered the event with his brother Chase and his father Adam, many of the groups were family affairs—fathers and sons, fathers and daughters, wives and husbands, siblings, and friends.  


By 8:00, the Devil Creek Reservoir had taken on the appearance of a small town.  As Kyle Willes from Burley joked, “we’re going to need a C-store and a post office before too long!”  Indeed, around the edges of the reservoir’s perimeter, there was a fairly solid line of pop-up huts, and the parking lot was filled to capacity.  The tournament had been completely filled before 11:00, as is usually the case.  “Oh, we always fill up early,” organizer Bret Felter said.  “It’s a really popular event every year.”  

While there was not an actual C-store on site, this year’s contest did feature the participation of Grandma’s Pantry, a food truck specializing in grilled cheese and other sandwiches and burgers, something that caught the attention of David Sanders from Weston.  “I’ll be honest, I didn’t even know there was anything going on here today.  I did pretty good fishing here yesterday, so I thought I’d try it again today.  When I got here and saw everyone set up and a food truck, I thought ‘this place sure got popular fast!’”  Sanders wasn’t the only one who was simply out for a nice day on the ice—several other groups of locals made similar comments.

Ice fishing varies from place to place, depending on the water surface and the area of the country.  In places like the Great Lakes states, often times fishermen use permanent, or semi-permanent ice huts made of wood or fiberglass which are towed onto the lake and left in place for the duration of the season.  Due to the shorter season in Idaho, pop-up huts (similar to tents) are much more common.  Holes are created using ice augers, drills, or even axes.  Most participants at Devil Creek used either hand or power augers to create their fishing holes—typically around 8 inches in circumference.  The entire surface of the reservoir was dotted with active and abandoned holes--most of latter were quickly frozen over.  A metal scoop is used to clear the hole of ice as it forms, keeping it free of obstacles.  Many people used stationary fishing setups with lines so that they could fish more than one hole at a time, although a number of people maintained an active position over their spots and jigged their bait to attract fish.  Modern fish finders were also on frequent display, indicating where promising schools of fish were congregating (to varying degrees of success). 

On the ice, it is common to hear cracking on the surface, and see webs of cracks form through the top layer.  “That’s a good thing,” Tim Rawlings (the Big Dog himself) explained.  “If you hear that top ice cracking that means the ice is good.  If you never hear that, that’s when it could be a problem.”  The visible edges of the holes made it clear that the ice itself was over 8 inches thick, which is considered to be a safe density.  In this case, the ice was plenty thick enough to handle dozens of pop-up huts, several ATVs and at least one snowmobile.  

As the season wears on, the ice at the out edges of the reservoir tends to become more liquid, as the shore warms enough.  After this begins to occur, the process of getting out to the frozen areas becomes more of a struggle, though many people will continue until it’s no longer possible.

The reservoir is a noted spot for trout fishing during all seasons, and one of the best local areas for ice fishing.  Despite 12 degree weather at the start of the tournament, once the sun emerged the day’s weather turned perfect outside of an occasional pesky breeze.  “You couldn’t ask for a nicer day,” said Duane Pearson of Burley, who had been there since the pre-dawn beginning.  “Within a few minutes of drilling my first hole I got my first bite,” he said.   

Throughout the day, the action waxed and waned, with some areas of the ice getting more action for a bit, and then slowing down.  

The tournament awarded an hourly prize for the biggest fish taken during each hour, 4 overall prizes, and a Happy Hour prize for the second largest during the final hour of competition.

Beckett Cole won the 8:00 hour with a 23" fish; Adam Petersen also had a 23” fish for the 9:00 hour; overall winner Tag Petersen caught his whopping 26 ½ inch for the 10:00 prize; Braun Nalder and James Bradshaw tied at 11:00 with 20” fish; Zach Pearson’s 22” fish won the 12:00 slot; Chase Johnson and Conner Stark had another tie at 1:00 with 20”ers; and Maria Gonzalez won the last hour with a 22 ¼ inch specimen.  Shawn Summers took the Happy Hour prize with a 19 ¾ inch fish.

The overall results were as follows: 1st place 26 1/2" Tag Petersen $1500; (2nd/3rd place tie so prize money combined and split) Adam Petersen & Beckett Cole 23" $875 each; 4th place 22 1/4" Maria Gonzales $500.