Three hundred or more folks likely will be out on Bangs Lake in Wauconda dangling fishing poles beginning at 1 p.m. Jan. 27 and ending at noon Jan. 29 for the annual LVVA Ice Fishing Derby.
“It will be 24/7 — there will be a handful of people who will even sleep out there,” said Ryan Jacobsen, the LVVA Ice Fishing Derby co-founder, who is a U.S. Navy veteran from Wauconda. They bring food, something hot to drink and battery-powered headlights and lanterns if staying past dark.
If the ice isn’t safe, an alternate weekend of Feb. 10-12 has been scheduled. The group’s website and Facebook pages will keep participants up-to-date on ice conditions.
The annual catch-and-release fundraiser supports Veterans Path to Hope Outdoors, a local organization Jacobsen administers. The group pays for veterans to join in outdoor adventures such as weekend trips to Minnesota or a day at the Chain O’ Lakes.
Derby participants come from Lake and McHenry counties as well as Wisconsin and Indiana. Spectators are welcome.
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The fishing derby is a hybrid event, part virtual, part live. Participants register online for the derby on the app FishDonkey. It’s $25 per person and free for those under age 14 who come with a paying adult.
Participants dressed in layers to keep warm venture out onto the ice and can use some of the 50 to 100 huts that will be stationed on the lake. They can use an augur to put a hole in the ice, then drop in a pole and wait for a bite. When they catch something, they measure the fish and take a picture of it on the FishDonkey app, then release it back into the water.
Derby judges get the information from the app and can record who caught the largest of several different species in the lake, which include northern pike, bass, crappie, perch and blue gill. The lake is stocked and run by an advisory committee, of which Jacobsen is a member. One of the prizewinning fish in the past was a 37-inch northern pike.
During the event, Jacobsen walks around and engages with those fishing as well as spectators.
“It looks like people are camping on the ice,” Jacobsen said. “It’s really cool to see people out there having a good time. I like to see the families out there. There are quite a few kids, as young as 3 or 4 years old who are out there participating. They’re outside and learning an outdoor activity with their parents or family and friends. They may come out for a half day and bring snacks for the kids.”
Jacobsen and other volunteers will be stationed in a warming hut selling hoodies and answering questions or solving problems if they arise, he said.
“This is our 14th year. When we started out, it was small with a handful of people out there. It has grown and in the third year we started generating funds.”
The derby has raised $5,000 to $10,000 annually to support veterans, he said. At derbies before COVID-19 hit, some 500 or 600 people have joined the event. “We expect about 300 to 400 this year,” Jacobsen said.
Lake View Villa Association Annual Ice Fishing Derby
Where: Bangs Lake, 803 Edgewater Parkway, Wauconda
When: 1 p.m. Jan. 27 through noon Jan. 29
Tickets: $25 per person, ages 14 and younger free with paying adult
Information: 224-634-0029, waucondaicefishingderby.com
Sheryl DeVore is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
More things to do this week
Looking for more fun things to do this week? Here are some suggestions.
Documentary film festival
A documentary film festival focusing on ecology will be held 7-9 p.m. Jan. 27 and 2-9 p.m. Jan. 28 at the Gorton Community Center in Lake Forest. Feature length films include “Surf Nation” on Jan. 27; Best of the Fest short films from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Jan. 28; Adventure Shorts from 4 to 6 p.m. Jan. 28; and “Mountainfilm on Tour: The Medley” from 7 to 9 p.m. Jan. 28. Winterfest, which will include outdoor fun, food trucks and a free s’more, will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Jan. 28 and is included in ticket price. Tickets are $25-$45 for entry to all four movies. At 400 E. Illinois Road. 847-234-6060. gortoncenter.org.
Dive into pop, rock and soul
Lake Street Dive, a band that blends new soul and pop rock, performs its Gather Round Sounds Tour at 7 p.m. Jan. 29 at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan. The group will play covers as well as some original tunes. Tickets are $60.50-$80.50. At 203 N. Genesee St. 847-263-6300. geneseetheatre.com.
The Short Trip Home Tour
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In 1999 classical violinist Joshua Bell joined legend Sam Bush and Mike Marshall in recording an album of original songs with composer and classical bassist Edgar Meyer. Twenty-two years later, they have joined together, with Bell replaced by Meyer’s son, to perform as Bush/Marshall/Meyer/Meyer in the Short Trip Home Tour, featuring music from the album at the James Lumber Center in Grayslake. The quartet performs at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 2 in Grayslake. Tickets are $48. At 19351 Washington St. 847-543-2300. jlcenter.clcillinois.edu.
? Sheryl DeVore