Saturday in Shiocton was the 35th annual Ruff Fish Fishing Tournament where fishermen join forces to catch the more undesirable fish in the Wolf River. Jim, one of the organizers of the tournament, says the fish that are targeted aren’t named until the day, but there was a variety of kinds that were pulled from the river and a full day of events.
“Today we’ve got suckers, sheep-head, we’ve got carp. We’ve got a bounty on the dogfish. Thank God the weather is better than it was Friday” Jim said. “We’ve got a lot of food, a lot of drinks and a lot of nice prizes. We’ve got a tourney for the kids where every kid will receive something, so that’s always nice to get them something.”
Part of the lure to the Ruff Fish Fishing Tournament is that there’s really no pressure on those fishing. One fisherman named Gary says it’s a great, laid-back event.
“We’re just taking the day off to do some fishing and for a good cause. The Shiocton Business League puts it on every year. Great event. No pressure. Fun to catch. Catching fish that are easy to catch, so we bring the kids out. Food, drink, raffles, a good time all around whether you catch fish or don’t, it really doesn’t matter.”
Raffle prizes included a $500, a 12-gauge shotgun, two riffles with scopes, among many other prizes.