When there’s money on the line, the cheaters won’t be far behind.
That’s the prevailing perception among would-be participants of many ice fishing derbies, where cheating has become commonplace. But Nathan Zelinsky believes he has found a way to stay a step ahead and keep tournament fishing clean.
“A fair environment is our goal,” Zelinsky said of the four-event Ice Addiction tournaments created by his Tightline Outdoors outfitting company last year. “The general public is loving the fact that it’s a fair, fun event. We get so much feedback from people saying they love that there is no foul play involved.”
Unfortunately, suspicion and foul play have become synonymous with ice fishing tournaments. Perhaps the most egregious violation came out of Minnesota in 2013, where 72-year-old Alfred “Tom” Mead was sentenced to seven days in jail for attempting to win a $10,000 tournament prize by submitting a pair of northern pike caught at a different lake and kept alive. Mead had won previous ice derbies in the area, always insisting on fishing alone in the shelter of his ice hut.
The same year in Colorado, two ice anglers from Leadville were banned for life from fishing in all Eleven Mile Reservoir fishing tournaments sponsored by 11 Mile Marina and its owner, Larry Falk. After fishermen Jeremiah Paris and Sharon Dube collected nearly $8,000 in a string of four consecutive tournament victories, suspicions arose and a sting operation revealed the banned bait of live minnows in their vehicles.
Given the option of a polygraph test showing they had never used live minnows in prior tournaments or a lifetime ban, the anglers accepted the ban.
Two additional teams were disqualified from the same event after tournament officials discovered they had anglers fishing with them who were not registered in the contest.
Other known methods of cheating include stuffing lead into fish for weigh-ins when no one is watching, chumming the water or claiming a fish pulled from the freezer got that way after sitting for hours on lake ice.
The Ice Addiction format is designed to be above board and will be on display for the final time this winter at Blue Mesa Reservoir in Gunnison this weekend, the tournament’s first trip to the Western Slope.
The layout works like this:
Just before the Saturday competition, a portion of the lake will be sectioned off and Zelinsky will drill a grid of fishing holes about 35 feet apart. Registration begins at 5:30 a.m., and fishermen can set up at their location of choice as soon as they sign up. Fishing begins at 8 a.m., and anglers can move to any open hole in the ice until the contest ends at noon.
Anglers are to leave their own augers at home, as well as their shelters, in order to keep all fishing out in the open. A group warming tent will be provided by Mr. Heater, complete with free hot chocolate, cider and 800 pounds of cinnamon rolls. Bring as many rods as you like, but you may drop only one line through one hole at a time. Electronics and flashers are allowed, and standard fishing and bait regulations will be followed.
There are no tags, gimmicks or grand slams. Any fish caught — rainbow trout, brown trout, mackinaw, perch or kokanee salmon — can be weighed alive and entered into competition. The heaviest single fish of any species wins $3,000 and a total of $10,000 in cash and merchandise will be awarded, including raffle prizes offered every 10 minutes. Folks who show up in Bass Pro, Red Head or Eagle Claw attire receive additional gift cards.
“It’s absolutely a beginner-friendly event,” Zelinsky said. “We recognize that people in today’s lifestyle don’t have time to pre-fish a tournament site, but with this tournament style it doesn’t matter if you know the lake or not, just how well you fish it. We’re also willing to bring a rod and tackle for anyone who requests it in advance. A lot of the college kids in town are doing that and hoping to win some money.”
With an anticipated field of about 500 anglers, competitors will have their work cut out for them. But with Matt Curtis’ $3,000 trout at the Jan. 24 event at Chatfield Reservoir weighing in at just 1.8 pounds, it’s evident that anything can happen — except foul play.
“With all the lake trout in Blue Mesa, we’re hoping that a bigger fish wins this week,” Zelinsky said. “But it doesn’t matter to us. As long as people are having fun, we’re happy to pay them.”
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Scott Willoughby: swilloughby@denverpost.com or twitter.com/swilloughby
