Water, cold and contestants: all the necessary ingredients are lining up nicely for the Meeteetse Ice Fishing Derby.

One of the main concerns through the summer and fall were water levels in Upper Sunshine Reservoir, the venue for day one of the derby. After the reservoir was drained to about 10% of the normal pool through the summer, divers were deployed on Nov. 5 to study a conduit tube at the base of the dam. Immediately after they finished, irrigation district crews opened the gates for the canal to begin refilling one of the most popular fisheries in Park County.

There is still work left once results of the dam study are complete. Likely repairs to the 84-year-old dam will require the reservoir be completely drained again in the next three to five years, according to Greybull Irrigation District Manager Melissa Leonhardt. But that won’t affect the derby this year, said Kristin Yoder, spokesperson for the Meeteetse Visitor Center.

“We are actually to the point now where we’re higher right now than we were at this time two years ago,” Yoder said.

An Arctic blast coming this weekend will ensure the water will firm up nicely for the competition, Yoder said, and registrations are already streaming in. There is a limit of 125 teams this year and registration will conclude when the roster is full or at the kickoff party, whichever comes first.

The event is the Meeteetse Visitor Center’s largest annual fundraising event and has been growing steadily over the past few years. The 2022 derby had a record 125 teams registered, according to Stephanie Faust, the new director of the center. The tournament is a three-day event, scheduled for Feb. 2-4, with the first day of fishing Saturday spent on Upper Sunshine Reservoir and day two scheduled for Lower Sunshine.

It all starts Friday night with the kickoff party at the historic Elkhorn Bar and Grill. The next two days, teams of one to three anglers will head to the reservoirs to try their luck in the 16th annual event.

On Saturday night the Friends of the NRA will host its “Wall of Guns” fundraiser. Sunday after the weigh in, prizes will be awarded for the derby winners, as well as door prizes. The Cody team of Jason Stafford, Andy Childress and Fred Bronnenberg won the 2023 derby thanks to a 32-inch lake trout pulled in by Bronnenberg.

For more information or to register, visit meeteetsewy.com or call 307-868-2454.