The USA Ice Fishing Team is catching up with the rest of the world.
On March 23-29 teams from across the globe will gather on frozen Lake Kallavesi near Kuopio, in eastern Finland for the 12th annual World Ice Fishing Championship.
‘We placed 12th overall as a team last year’s world championship in Belarus,? said Kelly Gotch, a 1998 Brandon High School graduate and Ortonville native who has traveled with the team as a media producer since 2009. ‘But word is going around that other countries are now afraid of the US team this year due to our overwhelming progress at mastering European rules and techniques.?
Gotch, a Central Michigan University graduate and former co-host and associate producer of Michigan Out-of-Doors, said this year’s team include four anglers from Michigan along with members from Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and North Dakota. Past participants include Japan, Sweden, Russia, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Finland, Canada, Belarus, Bulgaria, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Norway, Iceland, Czech Republic, Moldavia, and Romania in addition to the United States. Each team consists of five fishers with one alternate, a captain and a coach.
The team, will catch perch and European roach, a silver fish in the carp family ranging in length from 6-16 inches and weighing up to 4 pounds. In the world championship there are no electronics, all holes are drilled by hand (no gas augers) and many anglers one pound test line.
The tryouts to make the 2016 U.S. Ice Fishing Team will be held Feb. 26-28 at Holiday Acres Resort in Rhinelander, Wis.
‘International ice fishing rules will be in force,? she said. ‘Those who wish to try out should practice hand drilling many holes in very short amount of time. These are extreme athletes and anti-doping practices are in place.?
‘Last year in Belarus they were catching some bream’it’s similar to a crappie or blue gill,? she said. ‘Most of the time they catch roach’by the hundreds. It’s funny when Europeans come to the United States and we have limits on the number of fish caught. But then they realize how much larger the fish are here.?
Gotch said feeding techniques are utilized in Euopean fishing by way of bloodworms, jokers and extremely small gear called palm rods along with very small mormyschka (jigs). ‘Anglers never stay still for long on the ice, running and battling the entire competition,? she added. ‘Every second counts. It is important to stress that world competition is not as much about size of fish, but mostly about speed, finesse and strategy. You must figure out how to continuously catch. It is not easy.?