2009 Fishing Frenzy and Fish Fry

Sioux CIty, Iowa -- Friday night's rain subsided in time for a beautiful morning to kick off the 12th Annual 185th Air Refueling Wing (ARW) Walleye Fishing Frenzy. Saturday morning started off with fog hanging over a perfectly smooth lake and as morning turned to midday, the sun came out with a nice light breeze. A perfect day to spend on the lake fishing, and the only thing missing was the fish. Several teams were able to find their elusive prey, but ours wasn't the only boat to come in without any Walleye. Judging by the tasty dinner we had at the fish fry after the contest, however, there was plenty to feed the large crowd that was in attendance. This year's event saw a record 32 teams take to the water for what has turned out to be a great weekend to spend with family and friends. The 2009 first place winning team was Scot Clayton, Darin Holzerland and Jesse Kirkendall with eight fish weighing in at 18.15 pounds. Mike, Jim and John Schreck took second by bringing in eight fish for a total of 14.7 pounds and third place was claimed by Norm, Kevin and Randy Plantenberg and Adam Conlon with six fish weighing a total 13.23 pounds. Most importantly though was Ron Cardwell's 5.28 pound whopper that earned him the coveted "Blue Jacket", for the biggest Walleye caught, that will be his to wear with pride until next year's tournament. The way the tournament keeps growing and getting better, I can hardly wait until next year!