Nice catch Amy Lockli of Staples won top honors for ten year olds with this 19-inch northern during the Staples Firemen's Fishign Derby Sunday at Dower Lake. She pulled it in with help from four year old Amelia Fornstable from Wadena. (Staples World photos by Tom Crawford)

Big Birch Lake

Results

Leeches 5 fish, 17.5 points, 1st place;

Happy Hookers, five fish, 15 points, 2nd place;

Water boys & Girls, five fish, 13 points, 3rd place;

Top Water Thompson, four fish, 18 points, 4th place;

What the Fish, five fish, 12 points, 5th place;

RC & Associates, five fish, 12 points, 5th place;

Carlson Castaway, five fish, 12 points, 5th place;

Minnow Masters, six fish, 11 points, 8th place;

Dishin & Fishin, five fish, 10.5 points, 9th place;

Redneck Fishfinders, four fish, 10.5 points, 10th place;

Hindsight, three fish, nine points, 11th place;

Team K&D, four fish, eight points, 12th place;

Jam Casters, no fish, two points, 13th place;

Swamp Frogs, no fish, zero points, 14th place.

Big catch Grant Thompson carried a big trophy for catching the largest fish in the three to five year old category. He was one of the people fishing in the firemen's' fishing derby Sunday at Dower Lake.

Lake Survey

Big Birch Lake was good to the members of the SAFL. The weather for the evening presented cool temperatures, mild northwest breeze and clear skies. Twelve teams scored points measuring 56 fish for the evening. The most abundant species was large mouth bass as twelve teams measured fortytwo of them from 12 to 17 inches. Small mouth bass followed by two teams measured five of them between 15 and 17 inches and third most abundant species was northern pike four teams measured four between 19¼ and 22¼ inches. Two teams measured three walleye from 18½ to 20 inches. One teams measured one sunfish at 7¾ inches.

SAFL Biggest Fish

BIG NORTHERN - 22¼ inches Tim Leech, Leeches

BIG BASS - (small mouth) Christine Albrecht, Happy Hookers, 17 inches, 2 pounds.

Doing good Dillon Hanson was the winner of the largest fish prize for the older youths.

BIG WALLEYE - Rick Otteson, Hindsight, 20 inches, 2 pounds, 14 ounces.

BIG ROUGH FISH - (Dog Fish) Dan Austad, What the Fish, 28 inches, 6 pounds 10 ounces.