BY ANDY WALGAMOTT, NORTHWEST SPORTSMAN MAGAZINE
A 22.5-inch trout was the grand prize winner at last weekend’s 22nd Annual Molson Ice Fishing Derby, the first of two notable hardwater contests in the Okanogan Highlands this month.
The other is coming up this Saturday at Bonaparte Lake, and hopefully the angling is a little better than it was at Sidley Lake east of the Okanogan River.
Organizers at the Oroville Chamber of Commerce report that only 20 fish were caught, down from about 64 in 2025.
“Tough bite with fewer than expected fish caught,” stated angler Chris Marcolin, a Mack’s Lure pro staffer who also wrote about ice fishing in this neck of the woods for the January issue of Northwest Sportsman magazine.
He said there were about 200 participants last Saturday on a day that started out sunny and 26 degrees but fogged up by early afternoon while warming to 32.
That derby-winning, nearly 2-foot-long trout was good for $500 in cash and a $500 gift certificate from Country Store for Kaydi Colter of Manson. The fish went 4.4 pounds.
The second-place fish was just a quarter inch shorter, but served up $300 for Alberto Granados of Chelan, while Chuck Omit of Kettle Falls scored $200 for his third-place fish, a 20.75-incher that also went 3.9 pounds.
In the youth division, grand prize for the longest fish went to Joshua Willis of Oroville, who caught a 16.5-inch, 1.15-pound rainbow on a tungsten jig, winning him a $300 gift certificate from North 40, as well as a tackle box and tackle from Mack’s Lure.
There was also a boat raffle – won by Dick Larson – that raised over $4,700 to rebuild an old aerator as a backup device for both Sidley and Molson Lakes, and to install a Porta-Potty at Sidley, and a meter to monitor environmental conditions at both, according to the chamber. WDFW annually stocks 3,000 catchable-sized rainbows and 5,000 rainbow fry in Sidley.
The Molson derby is known for attracting anglers from well beyond the Okanogan Highlands, and that was the case again this year, with fishermen coming from as far away as Seattle, Spokane and Portland.
Besides the derby hosted by Bonaparte Lake Resort next weekend, there will also be an Operation Hardwater veterans, active-duty, first responders, family and friends event there the following Saturday. On February 7, North Idaho’s Lake Cocolalla will host a fishing tournament, and there will be a meet-and-greet on the ice at Lake Sacheen north of Spokane on February 21.
This has been an odd and warm winter so far in the Northwest, with more than a few folks getting out their lawnmowers in January, but webcams show ice has come as expected to mountain waters as far south as Diamond Lake in Oregon’s Southern Cascades.
Still, ice fishermen should always be extra careful while venturing out onto frozen surfaces. WDFW recommends at least 4 inches of solid ice for walking on, thicker when taking ATVs or vehicles onto the ice. Check locally and with social media groups. While not for everyone, ice fisheries provide an opportunity to get out and catch trout and other species during a quiet part of the year, at typically quiet venues – at least until someone hooks a derby winner!
