Murphy Lake was bustling with activity Saturday (February 6th). It was the 16th Annual Ryan Wagner Ice Fishing Derby. Money raised at the derby goes to the Ryan Wagner Memorial Scholarship, which provides scholarships to Lincoln County High School students. The scholarship fund will also accept direct donations.
Parking was crowded, and the lake spotted with small groups of activity: Snowmobiles, fishing tents, one instance of what appeared to be grilling, and plenty of people having a good time.
A good time, for a good cause. Many thanks to Mike Sartori, who started the memorial fishing derby. More information about the derby in previous years can be found here. For those that can’t get enough of ice fishing, the list of state approved contests is available here. There are a few still on the schedule for this year -the Montanian provided a nice overview.
Trego's Mountain Ear 