Staff photo by Fritz Busch Sleepy Eye Sportsmen’s Club members stand in front of an Ice Castle Fish House to be given away at the 38th Annual Fishing Derby on Sleepy Eye Lake Sunday, Feb. 2. Club members from left, Lynn Krenz, Larry Helget, Dale Evers, Merv Speckman and Dave Hertling. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. Sunday. Fishing takes place noon to 3 p.m.

SLEEPY EYE — One of the largest fishing contests in southern Minnesota, the Sleepy Eye Sportsmens Club 38th Annual Fishing Derby is scheduled for noon to 3 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 2 on Sleepy Eye Lake.

Registration, which is $5, begins at 9:30 a.m. Participants are asked to pull their ice fishing houses with 4x4s or side-by-sides instead of heavier motor vehicles this year.

By registering, participants will be entered to win gift certificates, cash, fish locators and many more prizes. All children who enter to fish will be given a prize until they are gone.

The general raffle with hundreds of prizes will take place all afternoon during the contest. Proceeds go to local parks and lakes projects and other organizations including the new Sleepy Eye Unified high school trapshooting team.

An Ice Castle Fish House, valued at $14,000; will be raffled along with five $500 cash prizes and fouir $250 cash prizes.

A large prize raffle inclues wildlife prints, cash, gift certificates, a Strikemaster 40-volt power auger and many more prizes. Raffle tickets will be available before the contest at many Sleepy Eye businesses and during the contest. Winners need not be present to win.

Fish contest prizes include game and pan fish categories.

Food and refreshments will be available on the lake.

Participants are asked to tune radios to 89.1 FM to listen for raffle winners and other announcements. Please take your trash with you as you leave the lake.

For more information, contact Sportsmen’s Club members Dale Evers, Sam Domeier and Lynn Krenz.

Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.