An Outdoorsman’s Journal: Tip-Up Pike Jam, as fun as it gets
Hello friends, We are hitting that time of winter where it is becoming obvious that our days of walking on water are numbered.This week I am writing to you about my third year of camping and fishing in the Tip-up Pike Jam. TPJ is held on the Wisconsin River just north of Stevens Point at The Waters Pub & Pier. This event is run by Alex Dalnodar with a lot of help from his parents, Mike and Diane Dalnodar.
Here is the scoop: Alex, who is a musician, is also a dyedin- the-wool old school ice fisherman, as in just tip-ups and no electronics (we could be brothers). Thirteen bands play in a tent, and they are from all over the country, and at the same time a winner-takes-all fisheree on the longest gator of the day takes place. The rules are basic: no electronics and only tip-ups. When you enter, you are given a 40-inch yard stick. When you catch a gator, you take its pic and send it to Alex.
Two years ago, my buddy Doug Cibulka got second at the very end of the day. Our fishing neighbor and crazy UWSP college student Brock Berndt got first. Actually, Brock is a cool kid and, like the rest of his gang, knows how to fish. I’m not backing down on the crazy statement. Last year I got first and $1,000, thank you very much, and Brock’s gang got second. Friday, Feb. 14 — High 28, low 20 It’s Valentine’s Day. I am camped on the ice in a very real snowstorm with another man and three dogs. I miss ya, Michelle! Anyhow, my partner this year is 35-year-old Seth Steinhauer and his two Chesapeakes, Flower and Arrow. My golden retriever, Red, is sharing a cot with me.
About the snowstorm: I think it was 7 inches that eventually fell, and I messed up when I did not bring a tarp for my Eskimo portable ice shack. Let’s just say there was plenty of moisture. We did keep it at bay with twopropanelanternsandaMr.Buddyheater.
Our goal today was to find some hot holes for the next day’s“festivities,”and we did just that and had a very good time doing it.
Saturday, Feb. 15 — High 35, low 18 Our camp, ATV, and trucks were a winter wonderland when we woke up and all was well in our world when Dustin Soda pulled into camp. Dustin and Seth were hardcore outdoorsmen when they both attended UWSP and played a lot right where we were fishing. Dustin uses dead bait, so I would learn a thing or two today. The tournament starts at 9 and runs ’til 5. I had my somewhat serious hat on and was also going to stay away from the beer consumption, as our plan was to go home at dark.
The bite was slow from 9 to 11, then the snow stopped, and then I said we needed to drink a beer. I had just taken my first sip of a PBR when lo and behold, I got a flag. Soon the fight was on, and it was a good one. A bit later I had a very chunky 34-inch gator flopping on the ice and after sending the pic to Alex, we were informed that we were on top of the leaderboard with several hours to go.
About 1ish we were still in the lead and an executive decision was made after some phone calls. It was determined that since we were in the lead at least for now, we “MUST” stay another night. This also gave us the green light for the enjoyment of a few more of those highly nutritious PBRs and life was good.
In all honesty, we did not care if we won Pike Jam; just the aura of being in first created an energy in our camp that you cannot buy. At 4:10 I received a text from Alex that a 36-inch gator had been caught by Cory Bush from Somewhere, Wisconsin. The mood did not diminish; we did not win. Seth is the son of Beth and Gregg Steinhauer, both of whom have been part of our gang of at least 70, and are really fun, outdoor-oriented people. I had a two very nice nights catching up in our ice shack and 100% coming up with a plan for next year! You can check out Tip-up Pike Jam on Facebook, and thank Alex and family (and I am sure some friends) for getting it done! Sunset
Mark Walters
