Wakefield VFD's annual fishing contest draws crowd

By P.J. GLISSON

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Wakefield - Saturday turned out to be the perfect day for the annual fishing contest sponsored by the Wakefield Volunteer Fire Department.

A total of nearly 500 adults and children participated in the event, which is the department's largest fundraiser, having pulled in as much as $14,000 in recent years.

Sunday Lake was filled with activity, including numerous tents and fishing holes, along with constant traffic in the way of 4-wheelers, snowmobiles and a lot of feet.

"It's a beautiful day," said Linda Kitto of Bessemer as she returned to shore, where her two grandchildren were expected to take a nap.

She was there with her husband, Shawn; their son, Bradley; and his children, Raelynn, 2, and Paisley, 1.

"She's excited," said Kitto of Raelynn. "She carried the minnow bucket out and had a great time."

Shawn Kitto reached the shore a short time later, reporting a thick layer of ice on the lake.

It was not unusual to come across groups spanning more than one generation.

Bob Bouska of Ironwood was there with his son, Kevin Bouska of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, along with Kevin's wife, Melissa, and their son, Maverick, 3.

Their sled was chock-full of all of the supplies, which resulted in Maverick catching a small perch. His mom said he was tired, and her father-in-law declared with a laugh that it was "crabby time," so they were calling it a day.

"It was an excellent day for people to be out," said Fire Chief Mike Singleton, who organized the contest. He reported that 400 adults and 93 kids had registered. "A lot of kids had smiles on their faces all day."

According to Singleton, 97 fish were caught, resulting in many prizes being awarded at VFW Post 9084 at the end of the afternoon.

Brian Miskovich of Ramsay was the 50/50 winner, receiving $1,962.50. 

There also was a table raffle with approximately $15,000 in prizes donated by local businesses, including an ice fishing tent that can hold 4 to 6 people.

Also featured were face painting and hot sandwiches and beverages.

At the registration desk, Kim Wanink and Ali Willame were working in support of their firefighter husbands, Ron Wanink and Rob Lane, respectively. Wanink said their day had started at 8 a.m. but that others had started even earlier.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fishing contest had not been held since 2019.

As of Monday, Singleton said that he did not yet have the results of this year's profit and added he expects the money to be spent on firefighter equipment.

All in all, the event left most in good spirits, with Missy Lane of Wakefield declaring, "It's fun. It's a great day - a good fundraiser, for sure, for a good cause."

According to Singleton, contest results were as follows:

Kids' pike: 1. Brodi Roberts, 23½ inches; 2. Reid Paquette, 21; 3. Luke Demerath, 18½.

Kids' perch: 1. Carter Bouvette, 11 inches; 2. Carter Bouvette, 10¾; 3. (tie) Grady Grantor and Adalidia Verdick, both at 10½; and 5.Luke Demerath 10¼.     

Adults' pike: 1. Anne Curtis, 23½ inches; 2. Bob Tarnasky, 23; 3. Rourke Tijan, 21½; 4. Adam Roberts, 20¼.                             

Adults' perch: 1. Nate Bouvette, 12¾ inches; 2. Cody Thompson-Zwick, 12½; 3. Gary Raymond, Sr., 11½; 4. (tie) John Granato, Jr. and Mindy Raymond, both at 10¼.  

Adults' panfish: 1. Kelli Brown, crappie, 8¾ inches; and 2. Tristan Geraldo, blue gill, 8.

Prize winners received $100 for first, $75 for second, $50 for third and $25 for fourth.       

"Then, we had some unique categories," said Singleton. Those included Logan Bressette for First Registered with a 9½-inch perch; and Smallest Fish for Bradley Ducharme with a 4½-inch perch. The Fifth Fish Caught of the Day, in memory of Jim "Hummo" Anderson, was caught by Amanda Granato with a 9¼-inch perch. The youngest child to catch a fish was 2-year-old Raelyn Kitty with a 4¾-inch perch.