Search for ‘uber’ Alaska spawns ice fishing growth

MAT-SU — According to Butch and Jehnifer Ehmann, ice fishing is a true Alaskan sport that has newcomers to the state flocking to the Mat-Su Valley to drill and drop a line in local lakes, despite warm winter weather.

“The sport of ice fishing is growing exponentially, we’ve never seen it as big as it is now and as popular as it is now,” Jehnifer said.

The Ehmann’s host the annual Mat-Su Kids’ Ice Fishing Derby as Ehmann Outdoors. They also offer guide services and host other fishing events throughout the year.

There are a few aspects of ice fishing that make it more unique than open-water, summertime fishing.

“It’s completely different, I think,” Butch said.

One difference is access. While many lakes have more private than public access, and ice fishermen or women must therefore either live on a fishable lake or know someone who does, the upside is that no boat is required. This means the sport can be both less expensive and more group-friendly.

“It’s hard to pile everybody on a boat” when you have more than a few people, Butch said.

Ease of access to the venue is not the only perk ice fishing offers. Pastor Jonathan Rockey of St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer said he once encountered a man cross-country skiing across the ice who stopped to chat, and the two soon became friends.

“Now we (still) get together with each other from time to time,” Pastor Rockey said.

The community aspect also has drawn people to the sport.

Butch Ehmann cited fishing with veterans and military personnel new to the state as examples. While the sport seems to come very naturally to most of them, they’re often missing one key component.

“They know what they’re doing, they just need local knowledge,” Butch said.

Jehnifer agreed, adding that the Mat-Su Valley is a particularly good place for military to look for and find that knowledge.

“The Mat-Su is such a great place to recreate, so once they hit the base it sounds like word travels quickly that they need to come out here,” she said.

Andy Couch of Fishtale River Guides also sees much of the non-resident crowd, but maybe more tourists who are “just looking for something to do.”

Then ice fishing catches their eyes.

“For a lot of them, it’s just something unique,” Couch said.

While the sport is unique to residents as well, Couch said locals tend to realize after one outing that it’s easy enough to do on their own.

“If you know anybody that knows ice fishing they’ll probably take you along if you ask,” he said.

Although it’s not always about who you already know, many people who ice fish, if not just starting out, are the beginnings or ends of generations of fishermen and women. Rockey, for example, wrote of a trip with his grandchildren in a Frontiersman Faith column this past November, and the Ehmanns both grew up fishing with their families.

This also makes the sport more appealing to children. The kid-friendly aspect is in fact another reason why the ice fishing has caught on recently, for a couple reasons.

Even if they don’t catch much, Jehnifer said, many children are just happy to slide around on the ice and play outside while their parents fish.

But when they do catch a fish, for some, it’s the experience of a lifetime.

“So many kids that we’ve found have never caught a fish before,” Jehnifer said. “We just can’t imagine that there’s like a whole generation of kiddos coming up who haven’t had that opportunity.”

Hence, the fishing derby, and also involvement by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. In their annual fishing festival — recently postponed due to poor ice conditions — Fish and Game sees somewhere around 1,000 fourth-grade students, Jehnifer estimated, providing ample opportunity for education.

“Parents are saying ‘we wanna get our kids out, we just don’t know where to start,’” she said.

Now, there are various resources available. In addition to services offered by outfits such as Ehmann Outdoors and Fishtale River Guides, and tips from leaders in the community like Pastor Rockey, substantial information on ice fishing can be obtained from the Fish Game website. A detailed curriculum, for example, can be found at 1.usa.gov/1tIr0Gv .

For some fishermen, like the Ehmanns, ice fishing really comes down to not wasting 6 to 8 months of fishing opportunities during the long winter. For others, like, Rockey, it’s about getting fresh air and seeing the sun during the darkest times of the year. Some, like Couch, even say their favorite part is just coming in from a cold day of fishing to a warm drink and a blanket.

Whatever the reason a person chooses to ice fish, the sport seems to fit the criteria for true recreation in the Last Frontier.

“This is Alaska, it’s the holy grail of places to fish and hunt,” Jehnifer said.

Contact Caitlin Skvorc at 352-2266 or caitlin.skvorc@frontiersman.com.