Win Tickets to Enter the February Ice Fishing Tournament

Winter got off to a slow start this year, with thin ice warnings pushing all the way up until the weekend of the Lake John Fishing Tournament in January. Luckily these unseasonably warm temperatures were replaced with some frigid days and snowfall that brought it all back together. 95% of Lake John was covered and conditions were perfect for ice fishing all weekend long. Now with the recent cold snaps hitting Colorado, all lakes throughout North Park are at 100% ice cap and the ice fishing season is in full swing!

The January Ice Fishing Tournament was a huge success, bringing in over 230 anglers and 20 youth contestants. Participants from all over Colorado and the USA brought their augers and buckets to drop lines in the icy waters of Lake John to fish for lake trout. So many came to face off on the ice that a 5th place award was given out in the youth category.

Find out how you can win tickets to enter the February 8th Ice Fishing Tournament at Lake John at the end of this article!

Ice Fishing Tournament Brings Out the Champions

This year over 100 fish were caught and registered for the Lake John Ice Fishing contest. Scores are determined by a formula of fish length from snout to tail added to the girth of the fish at its widest point. With all of the lake shrimp, worms, and beetles these lake trout have been feeding on under the ice in weed beds, it’s no wonder they can grow to such incredible sizes.

The Winners

Photos courtesy of Lake John Resort and Doug Gibbs.

Rob Stout won the $1500 first place prize, plus two hourly prizes of $100 each for biggest fish of the hour. Rob’s winning fish was a cutbow trout—a hybrid of cutthroat and rainbow trout—measured at 39.17”. Stout landed that fish on January 12th at the early morning hour of 8:15 am. Cutbows are often favored to win since they can grow to such large sizes.

Nolan McCarville’s 38.03” rainbow caught on Jan 11th at 10:14am secured his second place win and the $1000 in prize money. And 3rd Place went to Tino Archuleta with a 37.67” rainbow landed a little over an hour later on the 11th at 11:22am.

Bait varied from angler to angler, with the winning fish landed on thin mints and other placers caught on waxworms. During ice fishing, fish will bite at a wide variety of bait due to the scarcity of forage at such low temperatures. To get a handle on what works, it never hurts to keep your eyes and ears open and see what is working with other fishermen. A great place to do that is at the Lake John Resort general store during the events.

Ice Conditions for Ice Fishing

On Jan 11th-12th, thin ice warnings were in effect for most lakes throughout North Park. Lake John itself was only 95% covered with thick spots in the ice barely hitting 18”. Thankfully most contestants hiked their gear out to the ice, leaving heavy vehicles on shore for their own safety.

Lighter vehicles such as snowmobiles and four wheelers can usually ride on the surface of the ice without problems at anywhere over 12” thick. Larger vehicles such as cars and trucks have a greater chance of breaking through the ice or getting stuck. It’s always better to err on the side of caution and observe warnings on lakes during ice fishing season.

What’s Happening in February?

February 8th marks the next Ice Fishing Tournament, also being held at Lake John. Due to a shortage in volunteers this year and an increase in the numbers of entries the Ice Fishing Tournament has gotten, the event couldn’t be extended to Delaney Lakes or Cowdrey Lake as it had been in years past.

There’s still plenty of fish in the lake for the February Ice Fishing Tournament at Lake John. Entries are $60 per adult and $20 for kids. For more info and to Register online go to www.northparkchamber.org. The biggest challenge will be that the February Tournament takes place only on Feb 8th, 2025. You’ll only have one day to fight for the biggest fish in Lake John.

Cash Prizes and More!

Not only could you win $1500 for first prize, contestants like Rob Stout have the potential to increase their winnings by $100 for every prize given out for biggest fish of the hour. Entrants can win door prizes of gift cards, fishing equipment, heaters, and much more. 

Cash prizes for each category are:

Beyond the Tournaments

North Park has plenty of other opportunities for world class ice fishing, with a wide range of sport fish to catch at any number of lakes and ponds throughout Jackson County. Here are the main types of sport fish you could encounter.

• Brook trout
• Cutbow trout
• Cutthroat trout
• Sauger
• Rainbow trout
• Brown trout
• Mackinaw trout (Big Creek Lakes)
• Tiger Muskie (Big Creek Lakes)
• Grayling
• Stickleback and fathead minnows

Lake Conditions in North Park

Up a little bit higher, at the base of the Park Range, in the shadow of Mt. Zirkel, you’ll find Big Creek Lakes. Typically this time of year heavy snowfall means skiing or snowmobiling up to the lake from Pearl. This year, the road is open with some drifting on the roads and snow up to 9” deep on the lake. Ice thickness now exceeds 20” with 100% capped.

Depths of 2’ to 20’ deep have yielded the best results for fishing. Low night temps and wind chill from the mountains have dropped temperatures significantly in the area, which make for some challenging winter camping in the area.

Cowdrey Lake

Nine miles north of Walden on HWY 125, you’ll find Cowdrey Lake, just outside of the village of Cowdrey, CO. This lake has an 18” thick cap at 100% coverage. It’s a relatively shallow lake, which offers the potential for some good weed beds and good forage for lake trout. Winds and windchill are the biggest factor, with plenty of exposure around the lake to the elements with low temps throughout the day.

Delaney Lakes

One of our Gold Medal waters in North Park, Delaney lakes has a catch limit of four fish. Roads to Delaney Lakes are open, but drifted in spots with ice pack possible. The ice surface is 20” thick at 100% cap. Wind gusts up to 40mph make for a bone chilling experience without shelter and windchill can be a problem.

Delaney Lakes have the potential for some large fish, especially since they haven’t been fished as part of the Ice Fishing Tournament this year. Lots of weed beds and forage with depths of around 12-15’ provide plenty of coverage and habitat for lake trout.

Lake John

Still some of the best fishing in the Colorado Mountains, Lake John is 100% capped now with the ice at 18” and getting thicker as winter temperatures continue to plummet. The best place to catch is on the edges and grassy bottoms at depths of 2’-12’. Roads are open and Lake John Resort has year round hookups for RVs, shoreside parking, and great visibility.

Enter to Win!

If you want to take your chances at entering to win free entry to the February 8th Ice Fishing Tournament, VisitNorthParkCO.com is working with the North Park Area Chamber of Commerce to provide entry for one lucky adult and one youth for this year’s event.

What You Could Win:

One adult entry (a $60 value)

One child entry (a $20 value)

How to Enter

Your entry gets you in the running against other anglers to win big prize money, door prizes, and hourly biggest catch prizes! The Ice Fishing Tournament takes place on February 8th at Lake John Resort, 14 miles west of Walden, CO. Conditions should be ideal for a great day on the ice with the potential to catch the biggest fish of the season!

Contact Kathi Manville at [email protected] to enter! Provide your name, address, and phone number. Let us know if you read about this on the VisitNorthParkCO.com site, Facebook or Instagram, or the Visit North Park Newsletter. 

One entry per person only, please. Winner will be notified by email and the prize must be claimed within 24 hours or tickets will be given to another winner selected at random. So please check your inbox and spam folder after entering! Winner will be contacted at the beginning of February before the Ice Fishing Tournament.