“I just turned 15 today. It’s my birthday,” he said after catching a five-pound northern, with a minnow on a small, spoon lure.

It was the heaviest rough fish caught at the Lake Hanska Ice Fishing Derby Saturday that drew more than 400 registered entries.

Gulden said the fish put up a fight before he landed it. He released it near Geiger Point.

He said he often fishes Lake Hanska in the summer but never caught a northern quite that big. Gulden said he plans to try his luck Sunday at the Sleepy Eye Sportsmen’s Club Ice Fishing Derby.

Staff photo by Fritz Busch More than 400 participants registred for the Lake Hanska Ice Fishing Derby Saturday.

“I hope I catch a big one there (at Sleepy Eye) too,” he said.

Gulden said he caught two northerns that were about a foot long at Sleepy Eye Lake a couple weeks ago.

Last Friday night, Gulden said he caught at few fish on Lake Hanska and fishing at the same spot Saturday.

Jen Lang of Hanska caught the second heaviest rough fish, a 3.18 pound catfish.

Cooper Olson of Hanska caught the biggest walleye, a 3.06 pounder.

Not everybody at the fishing derby was fishing. John Schlueter of Arlington and Marge Diggins of Hanska came to the fishing derby to try their luck at cash drawings. They kept warm near a fire pit with their dog “Chico,” an Australian cattle dog.

More than $16,500 in cash prizes were drawn.

Certified fish scale operator and Hanska firefighter Dallas Larson said fish derby compares to fishing events held there the last three years.

“Fishing was about the same as it’s been the last few years, regarding size and species. The weather compares to the last couple years too. The ice is great. The food is phenomenal,” he said. “It’s great to see so many people out here. People here really support us, even if they don’t come to fish. They come for the drawings. I think they’d even come here if there was a snow or sleet storm. Hopefully, they enjoy it just as much in Sleepy Eye Sunday. I’m going to Sleepy Eye to fish Sunday.”

The fishing derby is the biggest Hanska Fire and Rescue Relief Association fundraiser of the year. Other fundraisers are a September pork chop feed and a March waffle feed.