HOUGHTON LAKE — Ryan Hamilton, 10, of Bethesda MD was fishing on the dock in Houghton Heights when he caught a tagged largemouth bass recently. His 16 inch, 1 ½ pound bass was the 9th tagged fish caught Houghton Lake Area Tourism Bureau’s annual Catch Us If You Can fishing contest.
Ryan, along with his twin brother, and his dad, John, have been coming to Houghton Lake for the past five years. John is originally from Saginaw, Michigan.
“We saw the poster about the contest at Lyman’s when we went in to buy bait,” John said. “Ryan said he was going to catch a tagged fish. We were here a week and on the last day there he caught it! The boys were really excited.”
Prior to his catch, Keaton Raska, 15, of Belmont caught the 8th tagged fish, a largemouth bass.
Keaton is a frequent fisherman on Houghton Lake. His family has a cottage on the lake, and they visit most weekends during the summer.
“I was with my uncle on a family boat. We were fishing on the east side (of Houghton Lake) in the canals,” Keaton said.
That was where he hooked and reeled in the bass, approximately 16 inches long.
“I was freaking out because I caught a tagged fish,” Keaton explained. “I thought it was last year’s contest. So I took photos and released it.”
Keaton didn’t realize the fishing contest is year-round, ending on March 15 each year, and beginning again March 16. Until he took his photos to contest sponsor Lyman’s on the Lake. His photos clearly showed the tag, and his catch was verified. Ryan had also verified his catch at Lyman’s. Both boys received a $50 gas card.
As a youth anglers (17 and under), they are both eligible to win a $250 cash prize and a new kayak from Simple Adventures. There will be a prize drawing in April 2019 at Spicer’s Boat City along with the Grand Prize drawing for adult anglers.
The grand prize for adult anglers is $100,000 and Lund boat from Spicer’s. There is a guaranteed major prize of $1000 cash. The second-place prize is a Mark Martin Ice Fishing School valued at $500.
More than 100 tagged fish are swimming in Houghton Lake, Higgins Lake, and Lake St. Helen. Anglers can bring their tagged fish in for verification at Lyman’s and H&H Fireworks in Houghton Lake, as well as Korbinski’s Marine in Prudenville; West Shore True Value Hardware at Higgins Lake; and Trail’s End Motel in St. Helen.
For more information on the contest, please contact the HLATB office at 1-989-422-2002, 1-800-676-5330 or email info@visithoughtonlake.com . Contest rules are found on www.visithoughtonlake.com .
