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BY GRACE DOVE FOR THE GREATER NANTICOKE LEADER
Tuesday, February 01, 2000 Page: 13
In the end, the secret was in the bait. Brian Rapchak of Nanticoke, who
describes himself as a “diehard” ice fisherman, reeled in the heaviest perch
Saturday at the Nanticoke Conservation Club’s Ice Fishing Derby at Moon Lake
County Park. His catch tipped the scales at 11.64 ounces. “Maggots – that’s
the secret,” said Rapchak, who hasn’t gone ice fishing in several years. He
also hooked a nice size bluegill.
The fish gulped down a variety of baits – artificial lures, minnows,
various types of grubs or salmon eggs. And it didn’t seem to matter what type
of tackle was used – tip-ups, which signal a bite by popping up a small orange
flag, or jigs, short poles that the angler gently moves up and down in the
water. Henry Steuer and Gerard Zippo of Nanticoke used minnows to reel in
their prize-winning fish. Steuer caught the heftiest trout, while Zippo
reeled in the biggest bass. “Whenever there’s ice, we’re out (fishing),”
Zippo said. The fishing derby was open to all anglers, with kids under 16
fishing for free and everyone else paying a $5 entry fee. About 71 adults and
19 kids competed for $75 prizes awarded for the heaviest bass, crappie, perch,
bluegill or trout. Ted Wiaterowski of Nanticoke used a grub and a jig to reel
in a rainbow trout weighing 14.68 ounces. “One guy got a 19-ounce trout, but
he didn’t register for the contest before he went out on the ice,” he said.
“He wasn’t eligible for a prize.” Some fishermen were extremely lucky, like
Frank Kelly and friends Matt Spak and Seth Serbel, 12, who reeled in 23
crappies. It was Seth’s first time ice fishing – but certainly not his last,
he said. But others were content to have a good time. Club member Don Selner
of Plymouth Township took 18 kids out on the ice after a two-hour workshop on
the basics of ice fishing and safety. “We didn’t catch anything, but they had
a good time,” Selmer said. “They were biting, but we just weren’t hooking
them,” said Kevin Schinski, who came out with his son, Kevin, and their
friend Derrick Cooney. “They were catching a lot on grubs,” said young
Kevin, who tried his luck with a teardrop lure on a jig. The equipment was as
varied as the baits and tackle. While some anglers traveled light, carrying
their tackle in large plastic buckets, others dragged their necessities onto
the ice on plastic sleds. A few were especially well outfitted with special
ice fishing sleds, equipped with holders for buckets and poles, a seat and
even a tarp to protect them from the wind. One family brought a homemade
portable wood fishing shack, which fit nicely on an old-fashioned sled with
metal runners. The truly dedicated ones heated water and soup on hibachis,
which also provided a source of heat. And if you got hungry or really cold,
the club provided free coffee, hot cocoa, potato soup and hot dogs. The
Nanticoke Conservation Club held its first fishing derby in 1997. The next two
were rained out, making Saturday’s event the second of four attempts. Formed
in the mid-1940’s, the club has 100 members, 40 of whom worked at Saturday’s
fishing derby. For more information on the Nanticoke Conservation Club call
735-5866. Hooking the heaviest fish were: Gerard Zippo, bass, 71.9 ounces.
Henry Steuer, trout, 17.24 ounces. Brian Rapchak, perch, 11.64 ounces. Walter
Dzwileski, bluegill, 8.8 ounces. George Nice, crappie, 16.14 ounces. JOHN E.
KASKO 1: Brian Malast, Nanticoke, waits patiently for this catch of the day at
the Nanticoke Conservation Club’s Ice Fishing Derby held Saturday at Moon Lake
Park. 2: The Nanticoke Conservation Club saw a great turnout for their Second
Annual Ice Fishing Derby. The last two years’ derbies were cancelled due to
thin ice. 4: David Burgess of St. Francis Cub Scouts, Pack 415, Nanticoke,
learns the basics of ice fishing from Phil Levandoski, a member of the
Nanticoke Conservation Club.