Two weekends out of the year, anglers are given the chance to snag in on a catch for free.
Gladwin County is utilizing this time and will be hosing a special pike tournament for the anglers of the community.
It all started when a DNR biologist conducted a study on the aquatic population in Wiggins Lake. The results showed that the length and size of pike fish were smaller compared to other surrounding lakes.
The goal of the tournament is to ease the smaller pike population in the lake in hopes that the aquatic population will become more balanced.
“It is a competition as well as there will be some prize money and some prizes as well to the five smallest fish in weight. That’s what makes us a little unique since most tournaments are largest fish. (We’re) Smallest fish to get rid of our pike problem. So that kind of incentive to catch smaller fish to eliminate those,” Adam Carey, the event organizer, said.
the tournament kicks off Sunday, Feb. 19. Registration begins at 7 a.m. at the DNR Launch on Wiggins Lake.
The cost of registration is $25.