The Moose Jaw Wildlife Federation is once again hosting its Youth & Family Ice Tournament, to encourage families to hit the ice and spend the day outdoors.
“The goal of the tournament is to get youth and family out to experience the sport of ice fishing and get them into another winter activity that they can get under their belt,” said MJWF president Todd Smith.
The catch-and-release tournament will take place on Buffalo Pound Lake on Mar. 14, beginning at 10 a.m. and running until 2 p.m. Participants will be able to set up on the ice near the boat launch in Buffalo Pound Provincial Park as early as 8:30 a.m.
Adults must register with a youth, and there will be prize categories for both — including the largest perch and largest fish for youth fishermen, and largest fish for adults.
Since the focus is just on the enjoyment of the sport, the Wildlife Federation is making the tournament as easy as possible.
Shelters and electronics are allowed, and there will be Wildlife members on hand drilling holes for tournament fishermen wherever they’d like to set up. A barbecue lunch will be offered to all participants.
“The goal is to keep the kids happy and warm and catching fish,” said Smith.
Turnout for the tournament depends on the weather, said Smith, but the Wildlife Federation is hoping to see around 100 people come out again this year.
The Saskatchewan Sportfish Research Group, headed up by University of Regina biology professor Chris Somers, are also tagging fish in Buffalo Pound for research this year, said Smith. The floating orange buoys are part of a study on how fish use their environment, and any fish caught sporting a two-bar identity tag are part of a catch-and-release study on fish mortality.
"If we end up recapturing any fish, they gain data for their dataset, for their program," said Smith.
Registration fees are also relatively low for a fishing tournament, at $5 for youth aged 2 to 15, $20 per adult, and $50 per family.
Smith will be taking registration prior to the event, as well as on the ice the day of the tournament, but those who register before Feb. 29 will have their bait supplied by Curly’s Bait Shop.
He also noted that as a change from previous years, those participating will need a day pass into Buffalo Pound Provincial Park to participate.
To register, contact Smith at either 1 (306) 693-8586 or by emailing mjwildlife.federation@gmail.com.
