LAKEVIEW, Mich. -- Team USA had the lead at the World Ice Fishing Championship on Saturday in Lakeview.
But the weather changed a bit on Sunday and Team USA slipped a bit. Lithuania came in first and Team USA fell to 6th place when the contest wrapped up late Sunday.
Team USA member Chas Thompson described it as a "wild" weekend on West Michigan's Morning News.
"Saturday, when Schmitty (WOOD Radio's Lauren Smith) was out there, we were in first place. USA was dominating. And, especially, Zone A. I think we were over 15 kilos (of fish). And it was just a ton of fish, a lot of little fish."
"But it was a rough day on Sunday," he said.
Anglers from 10 countries competed on the banks of Tamarack Lake in Montcalm County.
Thompson said the spotter plays a key role in working with the fisher.
"(They're) just as important as the fisherman," Thompson said. "Because they're the eyes. When you're fishing, you have to stare at your indicator; you can't be looking up, looking around. So, your spotter is really your eyes. And they're talking to you the whole time: how your pace is, is somebody faster than you, should you move. And if you should move, is there room for you? Because there is a distance regulation between anglers of five meters."
Team USA did not win, but the Lakeview community came out a winner, hosting the event. Besides the ice fishing tournament, there was a parade.
"The streets of Lakeview were just packed with people. They brought out the fire trucks (and police cruisers) ... We had all the teams marching up the street, carrying their flags, and they'd stop up by McKenna's (Village Restaurant) and play the national anthem for that country, and march on up. Then, we had a social gathering, meet the teams where anybody could walk up. We had people coming out of the woodwork that spoke Lithuanian and spoke Latvian, and spoke Polish, that live in West Michigan. They wanted to meet the teams."
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