Heading into Sunday’s final weigh-in with soggy sleeves, Jason Stafford was being teased for his 20-inch trout; a nice fish most days. But on this day he was sandwiched between teammates Andy Childress and Fred Bronnenberg holding the two largest trout pulled through the hard water at the Meeteetse Ice Fishing Tournament.

“Get closer to the camera so it looks bigger,” one of the organizers told Stafford during a spate of heckling.

But Stafford may have saved the day for the team. Bronnenberg had a 32-inch lake trout on his line, but it was poorly hooked. When Stafford saw the fish trying to escape, he went in for the save.

“It was barely hooked. It had its mouth open and kept getting caught on the bottom of the hole,” Stafford said.

Pulling the monster out of the hole before it threw the hook, the largest of the derby, helped propel the team of Cody fishermen to a stunning victory, winning by more than 18 total inches. Childress contributed the team’s second-biggest fish, another lake trout, at 29 inches. But other than complaints about soggy sleeves, the team was tight-lipped about how they lured in the fish and where they were located on Lower Sunshine Reservoir. They’ve been on the podium before and aren’t about to help educate their competition.

The team was awarded about $3,100 for the win. The derby set a new record this year with 119 paid teams and the total cash payout for tournament winners was $8,850.

Last year’s championship team, which featured a 34-inch monster lake trout by Sam Korhel, finished in 19th place this year. Korhel said the catch was reported across the state and he received a surprise congratulations from one of Wyoming’s national representatives.

“I got a congratulations letter from Sen. [John] Barrasso,” he said.

But the team finished about 25 inches back of the lead this year.

In recent years Game and Fish had been stocking 15,000 Yellowstone cutthroat trout and 10,000 each of tiger trout and splake (a hybrid of two fish species resulting from the crossing of a male brook trout and a female lake trout) in Lower Sunshine Reservoir. The department also been requesting 80,000 Yellowstone cutthroat trout in Upper Sunshine Reservoir but are reducing that request to 60,000 this year to increase the growth and condition of the fish in that water.

Game and Fish does a fish survey on each reservoir every three years. The department is currently requesting stock for the summer of 2025. Last year the number of fish in Lower Sunshine was “just below” management objectives, said Jason Burckhardt, state fisheries biologist managing the twin reservoirs. Surveys at Upper Sunshine were above the objective. It sounds positive, but there’s a fine line between too few and too many fish in the system, he said.

“When fish are really skinny, it gives us an indication that we might be putting too many fish into the reservoir,” he said after spending the day checking licenses and the number and health of fish on contestants’ stringers.

“Our management is structured around providing opportunities to catch and harvest trout in these waters,” he said, pointing out the importance of the two manmade reservoirs. Buffalo Bill Reservoir is the next best resource to harvest fish in Park County, but it isn’t stocked by the state — relying on wild fish to do the job.

Because of the difference, the limit for trout on the twin reservoirs is six per day, while the limit at Buffalo Bill Reservoir is three per day.

Burckhardt said he can see more fisherman-caught fish during the two-day derby than at any other time of the year. The derby is a big event for Meeteetse.

“It’s the biggest event of the year that brings people to Meeteetse. Our furthest travelers came all the way from Florida this year. And then we have a couple from New Mexico and fishermen from North and South Dakota as well,” said Kate Biaggi, visitor center coordinator for Discover Meeteetse.

There were several “small fry” or youngster entries not included in the paid entries. Karter Kiser won the category with 34.75-inches of trout. Alexis Stephan placed second and Renner Coggins came in third. Both were less than an inch from the gold medal.

Powell resident Rick Vertz was once again on the hard water without a fish on his stringer, but still beyond thrilled to be at the event. Vertz was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and given about four years to live in 2015.

The cancer forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell. Healthy plasma cells help you fight infections by making antibodies that recognize and attack germs. In multiple myeloma, cancerous plasma cells accumulate in the bone marrow and crowd out healthy blood cells.

Every extra year on the ice is “a blessing,” Vertz said. He still has pain from severe arthritis caused by the cancer, but he won’t miss a derby as long as he’s able.

This year was special. His brother, Randy Vertz, was able to join the team.

“I recruited him, but he hasn’t caught a damn thing yet,” Rick joked.

The icing on the cake was being able to fly in his son, Gabriel, from college to be on the team for the first time.

Gabriel is attending college at Central Washington University, studying to be a fisheries biologist with future hopes of returning home to Wyoming to work for Game and Fish. He and his father had never gone ice fishing together but he wanted to be there for him this year.

The normally jovial father had a moment when his emotions overwhelmed him while reflecting on the special gathering on the ice.

“When I was able to accept that I had cancer, it made life better. Coming to terms [with the disease] has helped give me the longevity that I have. So now I just do whatever I want to do, within my means,” he said. “This is a special day.”

Team Vertz finished the tournament with cold feet in 96th place, but with hearts warmed by family, laughter and love of the great outdoors.