World Ice Fishing Championships: Day 1
I wasn’t even aware of the World Ice Fishing Championship until recently, but this year it’s being hosted in Wisconsin and the rules are quite interesting. For instance competitors are not allowed to use electronics such as cameras, GPS, even powered augers. 11 countries are competing with some of the strongest being- Russia, Ukraine, Poland and Latvia. The US hasn’t ranked so well in the previous years, but this year on Day 1 of the tournament the US is in first place!
Technique, skill and equipment play big roles, as well as a bit of luck. “Out stuff is excellent, but their equipment is extremely sensitive,” says Michalak, NAIFC media rep and long-time Rhinelander area resident and businessman. “Our strike indicators typically are spring bobbers. They use a piece of X-ray film which is slivered and extremely sensitive. This is truly a science. They use half-pound or quarter-pound test line, special little rods, jigs up to 1/80th of an ounce, 24 karat, poles that are, no pun intended, completely foreign to us. It’s tremendous the way it works. We have technology on this side of the pond and the expertise with power augers, GPS, depth finders and fish finders. But you can’t use any of them here.”
I’m sure home ice advantage is a big factor too.
Stay tuned for updates!
1 year, 11 months ago #