For ice fishing enthusiasts, passions burn for what's below the ice

WILDHORSE RESERVOIR, Nev. - Here in the frozen outback of northern Nevada, the objects of affection on this Valentine's Day were pursued and wooed not with chocolates and roses - but with augers and worms.

The goal was not requited love but rather a lucky hole. And landing a desired beauty - preferably one with a $2,500 tag - well, that would be even better.

Welcome to the annual Wildhorse Ice Fishing Derby, where passions run deep for the bounty that swims below the thick ice of this 2,800-acre reservoir, located 60 miles north of Elko in a region commonly referred to as the Siberia of Nevada.

"No wind and lots of sun is what you pray for," said Craig Travis of Fallon.

But on this day, warmth from the winter sun was chilled by a stiff breeze off the surrounding mountains. With clouds building on the horizon and temperatures Sunday in the low teens, the wind chill was subzero.

Still, anglers jigged and dipped their lines in hopes of nabbing one of the 58 tagged fish with anywhere from $50 to $2,500.

Travis' wife, Judy, warmed herself in the family's four-wheel-drive vehicle, parked on the frozen lake, while her husband manned the ice hole.

"I've never done this before," she said. "I don't mind at all," though by mid-morning she conceded she'd had enough fun for one day.

Their friends, Glenn and Jenny Bakker of Battle Mountain, watched over their ice holes in matching, insulated, camouflaged coveralls.

"We're getting ready to go shopping for flowers and Valentine's cards in Elko," Glenn Bakker quipped.

"I was willing," Jenny Bakker said of her Valentine's Day on the frozen lake. "They didn't have to drag me."

Dave Brown of Elko wondered if he'd get a chilly reception from his wife when he got home.

"I'm probably going to get divorced over this one," he laughed. He said his wife preferred to stay home where it was warm.

While some anglers brought portable huts or tents for protection from the cold and wind, most of this rugged bunch braved the elements on folding chairs and fish pails.

Joanie Buonamici of Reno sat sewing in a pickup truck with her grandson while her husband and other family members sat out on the ice wrapped from head to toe in thick gear.

"I was out there yesterday but not today," she said. "I don't like the wind."

But she didn't mind spending this day of romance in the desolation of northern Nevada. In fact, they've made the 360-mile, one-way trip from Reno for three years in a row.

"I like to come along. I don't want to stay home," she said.

"She better not mind. She's here now," her husband Enzo said. "Besides, it was her idea."

He noted with pride the gas-powered auger his wife had given him as a gift a few years ago.

"It's a beautiful day," said daughter M'Lynn Buonamici, pointing to four good-sized trout they nabbed from below the ice. "This is better than roses. You can't eat roses."

archive