An Outdoorsman’s Journal: Good times at Tip-Up Pike Jam

Hello friends, Just when I think my job could not be any more fun, it is. This week’s column is all over the map, as there is a lot to say and not enough space to say it. On Feb. 16, I arrived at The Waters Pub and Pier, which is the official headquarters for what I think may be the coolest fisheree in the state. It takes place over the course of two days. There were five bands playing on Friday and seven on Saturday on the shores of the Wisconsin River at Stevens Point. On Saturday there is a just tip-ups, no electronics northern pike contest.

On Friday I was joined by Austin Syvertson, a very good friend of my daughter, Selina. Austin attended UW-Stevens Point and was a pitcher on the Pointers baseball team. On Saturday, I was joined by my longtime buddy Doug Cibulka and his daughter Megan, who just graduated from the University of Dubuque with a degree as a physician’s assistant. Saturday, Feb. 17 – High 38, low 5 You could say there was frost on the pumpkin this morning. Austin and I slept in my Eskimo Outbreak ice shack and all liquids but our minnows froze. The fishing part of Pike Jam starts at 9 and goes until 5; the music runs from 11 until dark. This entire event is festive in nature with hardcore and casual fisherpeople coming from far and wide, and the mood is electric as every band is really good and the biggest northern pike takes all the money.

Last year, a young college student fishing next to our gang won the contest with a 32-inch gator and last night Brock (who won last year) and four of his buddies camped on the ice in our area and refused to go to sleep.

The Cibulkas arrived, we entered the contest and right away Austin caught a 15.5-inch walleye. Then I caught a 22.5-inch gator and, after sending in a picture with the pike on a yardstick, found out that a 33 had already been caught. To add to the crazy part of our day, a fella that was fishing about 200 yards from our camp walks over to visit and pretty soon he has a flag. I walked over with him and got my camera ready to take a picture of the fish coming out of the hole. First crazy thing, he is spooled; second, my friend has a very large fish on; third, his auger battery was dead so he had chopped a hole to fish out of; fourth, his hole was at best 5 inches; fifth, my pal had a great attitude during what would be a 15-minute experience; sixth, we all get a clear look at the monster from the deep and it was at least 20 pounds and just hanging below the hole. Lastly, an attempt was made to pull his “without a doubt contest winner” out of the water and his braided line broke. I have to give this guy credit; even after his line went limp, he still had a great attitude.

An hour later, I get a flag and it is fight on. My gator is big, but not like what my neighbor lost. I catch it and it is 35 inches, giving it a solid chance of winning a contest that still has six hours left in it. The fish is let go after photos and the four of us start a pretty good “we got a big one” party. Throughout the day, we had visitors and everyone was in a celebratory mood.

At 5, we pulled our tip-ups and headed in to listen to the last band and find out if the 35 was big enough to win the day. Holy moly, was I ever in a super good mood when my good friend Alex Dalnodar, the man who created and runs Tip-Up Pike Jam, told me I had taken first place and the winnings netted me $1,000. As you can well imagine with Doug, Megan and I sleeping on the ice, we had a pretty serious “we won”party.

Alex is a full-time musician in the band Dig Deep and they are going on tour yet this winter. Next year’s Tip-Up Pike Jam will be Feb. 14 and 15; check it out on Facebook and attend this EXTREMELY COOL EVENT! Sunset

Mark Walters