What a Catch! Laramie's 2024 Lake Hattie Fishing Derby Winners

The results are in. After two days on the ice, poles at the ready, the winners of the Lake Hattie are in.

Anglers of all ages competed for the honor of 'Biggest Fish' - an honor which netted the winner of the adult category $1,500 and $150 for the youth champ. It was an occasion marked by the "perfect" weather for ice fishing, according to Laramie Lions Club spokesperson Lewis Gordon Lyons.

The Lake Hattie Ice Fishing Derby is a fundraising event supporting the Laramie Plains Lions Club and various other Lions Club programs at the state and national levels. This year, Mr. Lyons predicts that over $5,000 was raised by the event. The funds, he noted, will go towards foundations like the Rocky Mountain Eye Bank, Eye Institute Foundation, and the Lions Leader Dog, programs that help community members who are blind or visually impaired get eye exams, glasses, and, in some cases, seeing eye dogs. In addition to the vision programs, some of the funds will go to the Lions of Wyoming Foundation, which helps Wyomingites suffering from disasters get back on their feet. (For more information on Lions Club programs, click here.)

"Our club really appreciates the support we get from the community and the anglers. Looking at the people that turned in their fish, it was mainly from Wyoming and Colorado," said Mr. Lyons, expressing great thanks to the West Laramie Fly Store and Laramie GM for their continued sponsorship of the event since its inception 31 years ago.

Announcing the Laramie Lions Club's Lake Hattie Ice Fishing Derby Winners

About 200 participants registered for the Ice Fishing Derby, but only a handful would walk away with prizes. Both the adult and youth competitions ranked the top five fish, as well as a prize for the smallest fish caught by a participant. Prizes ranged from $1,500 to $35 for adults and $150 to $10 for youth. Scores were calculated by the weight and girth of the fish.

Here's the breakdown of the winners:

Adults

1st - Mark Roth (Rainbow Trout - 3.68 lbs - score 33.2)

2nd - Zachary Cordova (Rainbow Trout - 3.38 lbs - score 32.05)

3rd - Wesley Schievone (Cutthroat Trout - 3.51 lbs - score 31.95)

4th - Jim Tryvsdale (Rainbow Trout - 3.26 lbs - score 31.9)

5th - Roy White (Rainbow Trout - 3.02 lbs - score 30.7)

Smallest Fish - Mason Barker (Perch - .05 lbs - score 7.5)

Youth

1st - Kyler Soozzafazza (Rainbow Trout - 3.28 lbs - score 31.6)

2nd - Nora Hardesty (Rainbow Trout - 3.23 lbs - score 31)

3rd - Ethan Haugerford (Rainbow Trout - 2.92 lbs - score 30.2)