Reeling in the 2025 Ice Fishing Derby winners
Monroe. Over 175 anglers turned out for the 2025 Ice Fishing Derby at Walton Lake last Saturday.
Monroe /
| 25 Feb 2025 | 12:30
Adults and kids alike braved the cold last Saturday, Feb. 22 for the Orange County Jon Boat Bass Club’s 2025 Ice Fishing Derby at Walton Lake.
In total, 131 adults and 45 youth anglers under age 16 got out on the ice for this year’s event.
It was just 18 degrees when the derby kicked off at 6 a.m.; temperatures warmed to the low 30s as the fishing continued throughout the day, concluding at 3 p.m.
This year, youth fishermen took first place in two of the four top categories.
Overall winners:
Trout: Don Wittekind. The winning catch weighed 5 pounds, 2 ounces, and measured 23 inches long.
Pickerel: Kevin Janiak. Janiak’s winning 22-inch pickerel weighed 1 pound, 9 ounces.
Yellow Perch: Clayton Bowe. Bowe, a 12-year-old youth angler, won this category with a 13-inch perch weighing 1 pound, 2 ounces.
Bluegill: Six-year-old Joey Vail won this category with his 5-inch catch, which weighed 2 ounces.
Junior Division Winners:
Trout: Nathan Andersen’s winning catch measured 14 inches and weighed 1 pound, 4 ounces.
Yellow Perch: Pyper Jahrling’s prize perch measured 10 inches and weighed 8 ounces.
Supernova Bait and Tackle, Monroe’s American Legion Post 488 sponsored this year’s derby.