The winners of the Bawbeese Open ice fishing competition, Matthew Osborn and Levi Watkins, were among 35 pairs competing in the Bawbeese Open ice fishing competition on Baw Beese Lake at 7:30 a.m. on Feb.15.

The competition was the ninth of 13 ice fishing competitions hosted by the Branch County Panfish Club and took place on Baw Beese Lake. Teams had to catch 15 bluegills to enter the weigh-in and could additionally catch five crappies, one yellow perch, one northern pike, and one junk fish.

One of the club directors, Israel Ferguson, said the fishing on the lake was very slow, and most fishermen blamed the sunny weather conditions but did not affect the fishing. There were many fish beneath the ice; it was just a matter of finding where they were biting.

“The 15 bluegills, that’s the most important part of the whole tournament,” Ferguson said. “We’ve been fishing for three days, and yesterday we caught a lot more fish with the sun out, same temperatures. There’s so many fish right now underneath us, it’s crazy. There’s big fish here, but they’re just not biting today.”

The competition has a $50 entry fee and up to $100 total with side pot entries. Many fishermen use tents for sight fishing, which allows them to watch the fish approach the bait and also provides warmth during colder weather.

Watkins and Osborn won the competition with 15 bluegills weighing in at 7 pounds, 2 ounces. Watkins said teamwork is an important part of the competition.

“He caught most of the big redear sunfish, and I just caught some big bluegills to put in with them,” Osborne said.

According to Kevin Clinton, who has won the championship three times, pre-fishing a lake is the best tactic for doing well in these competitions. Pre-fishing includes scouting the location, finding where the fish are, and testing out bait colors. Clinton said he always spends a few days pre-fishing, but this year, he did not have the time to properly prepare.

“If we had more time to pre-fish, we’d probably do it up a little bit better ourselves,” Clinton said. “But yeah, I’m gonna have to win the lottery for that to happen.”

One of the biggest problems in ice fishing tournaments involves the honesty of fishermen, according to John Hudson. He and his son Jake said “bird-dogging” is a big problem, which is when competitors follow around successful fishermen. Many fishermen will show up for the competition without preparing and tend to follow the more experienced fishermen.

“Half of these guys don’t even know where they’re going when they pull up there,” Hudson said. “They just let everybody go out there. Then they go out there and sit down beside somebody they know is good. Then from there, they just bird-dog it. They see somebody raise their rod, and they take off running.”

Hudson said the Mainstone family is well-known as some of the best fishermen around. 

“Gary, him and his family, the Mainstones, they pre-fish,” Hudson said. “They know where to go, and they find out what they’re biting. If anybody accused them of cheating, I’d call them out. They’d be dead.”

Although Clinton has won three years running, along with his partner, Gary Mainstone, there is a point system that accumulates over the course of the 13 competitions. For the Bawbeese Open, first place receives 30 points, second receives 25, and side pots are worth an extra 15 points. The current overall standings are Jaiden Maniston and Jamie Mainstone with 172 points, Israel and Tim Ferguson with 154 points, and Jason Lee and Jason Mainstone with 140 points. 

The next event in the tournament is the Club Classic Championship on Long Lake in Reading Mich., which will take place on March 1. Fishermen must have fished two tournaments before the Classic to enter. 

Hudson said ice fishing is not for idiots because it is difficult. Yet, it is more fun than steelheading, which is fishing in rivers as the ice begins to melt.

“The only bigger idiot than an ice fisherman is a steelheader, because at least ice fishing, you’re standing on top of the water,” Hudson said. “When you’re steelheading, you’re standing in the river with ice chunks bouncing off at you.”