Sun shines on Gile walleye tournament

By RALPH ANSAMI

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GILE, Wis. - A sunny, but windy Saturday provided excellent conditions for pursuing walleyes on the Gile Flowage during the third annual Annie's Bar tournament.

Tournament host Annie Van Epern said at noon that 106 people had registered for the tourney. No whoppers had been caught yet, but some decent-sized walleyes and northern pike were being iced in 30-degree weather.

Competitors had until 5 p.m. to register fish and the walleye bite usually doesn't start until around 4 p.m.

The top four fish in each category won cash prizes.

Van Epern said there's a $100 prize every year for any northern over 30 inches and it was paid out the first two years of the tourney, which was previously run by Stutzy's Bar. "We had planned on having it roll over, but it was good to see the nice northerns caught," she said.

Just two weeks ago, during another tournament, the Clyde Berglund group caught four walleyes between 26 and 28 inches, spurring considerable interest in the flowage.

After Friday temperatures that reached the mid-40s, there was some slush on the ice, but it had frozen sufficiently in most spots overnight.

Tents came in handy to shield the fishermen from the wind.

A wind gust knocked down and ripped a tent owned by Dave Tarasewicz, of Gile, who wasn't too disappointed because his wife had given it to him many years ago.

The Tarasewicz foursome of fishermen, fishing the main channel, had only had one flag go up as of noon, catching a walleye that wasn't much bigger than the bait. Then the 12 o'clock siren blasted, indicating it was time to pop the top off a refreshment.

They recalled another Gile Flowage tournament when there was two feet of snow covering the ice.

A registration tent was available on the ice at the Gile boat landing and the tavern is only a few blocks from the flowage on the main strip of Gile, also accessible to snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles.