When a record number of anglers showed up for the 2020 Meeteetse Ice Fishing Derby, they didn’t see the coming storm. On the opening morning, 117 teams hit Upper Sunshine Reservoir with the sun shining and fish biting. By early afternoon a heavy snow was falling fast.

After time expired on day one, it took three hours for contestants to get to the nearest hard-surface road, said Jamie Fritz of Cody.

“Nobody could get up the hill. Trucks had slid off the road on both sides and trailers were jack-knifing everywhere,” she said. The construction worker recently recalled the conditions, while keeping an eye on her pole as she pre-fished for this year’s tournament.

By the second day of last year’s event the tournament was back on, despite a struggle to get on the ice. But for Fritz and teammates Wendy Loeper of Powell and Karina Black of Cody, the biggest struggle was finding fish. They were in the top 20 on day one, but once they got to Lower Sunshine Reservoir on day two, they couldn’t find a single fish. As time expired they knew they didn’t have a prayer.

“We just stayed on the ice even after they called it. We weren’t going to leave until we caught a fish,” Loeper said.

The team doesn’t care about harsh conditions. As they worked to find holes holding fish in the lower reservoir two weeks go, a wind started to blow out of the Absaroka Range. Gusts were near 70 miles-per-hour, Black said.

“We got sandblasted,” she said. “We were the only ones out there, and that’s why.”

Fritz’s hut was “demolished” in the wind. Through the wind and storms — even when the fish aren’t biting — the team won’t quit. They’ve never placed in the money at a tournament, but they simply won’t give up. Their secret?

“We always have a blast,” Fritz said.

The team ended up catching a few fish while pre-fishing on Saturday, although it took a few hours, a couple moves and several different bait presentations before the first real bite. Loeper’s kids, Whit and Weston, had a fun day on the ice as well, playing in the snow and chasing their dogs.

The team is determined to succeed, hoping to break into the cash at this year’s derby, scheduled for Feb. 13-14. They’ve been fishing other derbies and pre-fishing the twin reservoirs every week. If the fish gods are smiling on them, they could use the cash: They’re down to one auger now and the ice is nearly 2-feet thick.

The 13th annual Meeteetse Ice Fishing Derby begins Saturday Feb. 13. Organizer Kristen Yoder isn’t sure if that will “freak out” superstitious anglers, but she knows the event is the most important event in the tournament’s storied history. 

“Due to the pandemic, it’s been a bad year raising funds for the visitors center. We need this to be successful to help us stay open,” she said.

Yoder is also the director of the Meeteetse Visitors Center. The ice fishing derby is one of the largest events of the year for the agency. So far registration has been a little slow with only half the normal number of teams pre-registered.

Last year the derby set a record, forcing Yoder to seek permission for more room on the roster. This year they’re moving the weigh-in party outdoors to help meet COVID-19 regulations. And party they will, not only after the weigh-in, but this year they’re planning a 7 p.m. Friday night kick-off at the Cowboy Bar & Cafe as well.

Teams of one to three people cost $150, with a 100-team limit. Kids 14 and younger can enter the Small Fry division. And this year there’s a special prize for the biggest sucker (fish).

For more information, visit www.meeteetsewy.com/event/2021-ice-fishing-derby/.