OSKALOOSA — Although there was no ice on the ponds at the Russell Wildlife Area Saturday afternoon a few hearty souls ventured out into icy breezes to fish.

The Mahaska County Conservation Board held its annual ice fishing derby Saturday and two local ice fishermen and their children joined naturalist Pete Eyheralde for the derby. Eyheralde said the event is very popular when there is ice on the five ponds at Russell Wildlife Area — usually there are 30 to 40 people competing for the three trophies. However, recent warm weather has melted the ice and bitterly cold winds Saturday kept many from fishing, he said.

Not as many people ice fish as they do during the spring and summer, “but I know lots of people who only ice fish,” Eyheralde said.” People who ice fish really want to catch fish.”

Ice fishing is more of a challenge because fish are not as active as during the spring and summer.

The water temperature is 32 degrees at the top and about 38 or 40 degrees at the bottom. Therefore, fish tend to congregate in the middle of the pond where the water is deepest, Eyheralde said. The fish swim really slowly due to the cold, he added.

The ice must be at least 4 inches thick for one person to stand on it and 5 inches for a group to walk on it single file, he said.

A person does not need much equipment to ice fish.

Ice fishermen need an ice auger to drill holes, and if ice fishermen do not get a bite within 10 to 15 minutes, they should move to a different spot, he said.

“Most people drill several holes until they find fish,” the naturalist said.

Ice fishermen sit on the buckets that they use to transport their catch. Some will sit inside an ice fishing house or tent for protection from the elements, he said.

The typical ice fishing pole is about one-third as long as a regular pole, Eyheralde said. Ice fishermen slowly lift and drop their lines. The flash of color and the smell of the bait attract fish, he said.

Most people use wax worms, grubs and minnows for bait, Eyheralde said. “You can find it in any bait shop.”

Another source of ice fishing bait is goldenrod galls that contain fly larvae, he said.

Although the fishermen had to cast their lines from the shore Saturday, Eyheralde said they still had to use ice fishing principals to catch fish.

Ice fishermen can use both simple and high-tech tricks to help them catch fish.

Some people sprinkle egg shells in the water, and as they sink, the shells help highlight fish swimming through them, Eyheralde said. Also, fishermen use fish finder equipment. In fact, last year’s ice fishing derby winners used a fish finder to locate their catch, he said.

Eyheralde demonstrated the use of the Aqua-Vu fish finder Saturday, loaned to him from a local bait shop. It utilizes a fiber optic television camera, camouflaged as a fish, linked to a viewing television screen on shore. It also has lights for low-visibility conditions, he said.

“It’d be neat if you had a boat” to see any schools of fish underneath,” Eyheralde said. “We need to get out in the middle, that’s where they’re at.”

The ice fishermen who came to the derby Saturday said they enjoyed themselves.

Dana Tabbert, of Oskaloosa, brought his son, Ethan, who is 6 years old, out to fish.

“I took him when he was a couple of years old,” Dana said. “He loves to fish.”

“The kids always love doing things like this,” Dana said.

Dana said he used to do a lot of ice fishing before his children were born; now he doesn’t get out to ice fish as often.

Mark Rieckhoff, of Oskaloosa, brought his son, Matthew, 3, and his daughter, McKenna, 6, out to fish Saturday.

“I grew up in Wisconsin and up there, (ice fishing) is a way of life,” he said.

Rieckhoff said he likes to get out of doors to ice fish. “It breaks up cabin fever,” he said.

Rieckhoff also likes to bring his children out of the house to appreciate the outdoors.

Rieckhoff was impressed with the fish finder.

“I’ve seen them in the stores, but I’ve never seen one in action before,” he said. “The clarity, it’s like watching a black and white television.”

Although the fish weren’t biting, Eyheralde used the bad luck to give an ad hoc fossil hunting class near Pond No. 4.

Eyheralde, the fishermen and their children found many examples of prehistoric fossils near the pond. They found brachiopods. “These are older than dinosaurs,” Eyheralde said.

“This was an old rock quarry,” Eyheralde said of the area around the Russell Wildlife Area’s ponds. “This is a discard pile. The ponds used to be mine pits,” he said. “You’ll find snails and coral.”

At the end of the afternoon, the fishermen came back from the ponds empty handed. However, each of the three children at the derby took home a trophy to mark their afternoon of fun.

Herald Editor Duane Nollen can be reached by email at oskynews@oskyherald.com