Lions' fishing fund-raiser draws crowd at Mercer's Carow Park

MERCER, Wis. - Ten degrees.

Some welcome splashes of sunshine.

Plenty of food and beverages.

All systems were go for the Mercer Lions annual Ice Fishing Jamboree Saturday on Grand Portage Lake, conducted from the Carow Park pavilion on County J.

Max Ackerman, Mercer Lions Club event chairman, said more fish were being registered than a year ago, when the weather was bad. As of 2:30 p.m., 11 fish had been registered, with a 21.6-inch northern pike caught by Nick Pinzl holding the lead, but facing afternoon challenges.

There were about a half-dozen ice shacks out on the lake with about 50 fishermen using mostly tip-ups baited with minnows and chubs. More people than that gathered in the pavilion, where prizes were being raffled.

"We have a lot of merchants who donate to the jamboree," said Ackerman during a break in spinning the prize wheel. He said the annual tourney is one of the Lions Club's major fund-raisers, with a profit around $4,800.

"Last year the weather was horrible. There was a lot of slush out on the ice and most people just stayed inside," Ackerman said, noting few fish were caught.

Among those who were sticking it out on the ice this year were a group of about 10 Mercer residents who had a shack set up. As is tradition, Rick Graser and little Piper Lundquist had their annual foot race. Piper was declared the victor when Graser toppled into the snow, drawing some good-natured jeers from his buddies.

The fishermen said there are walleyes, largemouth bass and muskies in the lake, with plenty of forage fish in the form of perch and bluegills. They talked about past years when nice walleyes in the 23-inch category were caught through the ice.

The fishing competition concluded around dusk at 5 p.m.

Mercer was hopping over the weekend as the height of snowmobile season brought scores of sled riders into town and they hit the trails in bunches.