By Madeleine Smith

msmith@mininggazette.com

The second annual CLK Rotary Club Fishing Tournament is coming up Saturday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Every dollar raised stays local and goes directly back into the community for renovation, beautification and infrastructure improvements.

This tournament, which launches from Lac La Belle, Copper Harbor, Eagle Harbor and Big Traverse, also serves as an opportunity for locals to get out on the lake and fight for some hefty cash prizes. There are both trout and salmon prizes available to win. First place wins $2,000, second place wins $1,000, and third place wins $500. Plus, there will be random drawings and boat prizes as well.

This year, local businesses in the area have donated $8,500 worth of prize money to go out to participants.

Vice president of the Rotary Club, Ethan Deshetsky, explains the mission of this club and how they’ve been working to improve the community.

“Here in Calumet, we’ve done quite a few different charity events to raise money for the community in the past. Our goal as a club is to better the infrastructure of our community, to encourage people to come here and spend money in our local shops and make this an overall better place to live and recreate in – up here in the Copper Country,” he said.

He specifically mentioned a goal of improving fishing infrastructure. This would allow anglers to have all the resources they need for sustainable and responsible fishing.

“Being a fisherman myself, one thing that I noticed was that the Keweenaw lacks a lot of the fishing infrastructure that’s commonplace around Michigan. … Things like fish cleaning stations. We have very few places up here where people can clean fish. What we decided to do was a charity tournament annually that will raise funds for fish cleaning stations throughout the Keweenaw. We’re looking at trying to have all our major boat launches equipped with a fish cleaning station,” he explained.

These stations are expensive to build, but he feels they are a necessity and will provide benefits for everyone. They are currently raising the money that is needed to apply with the township for grants.

Currently, the Rotary Club is working with the Schoolcraft Township Board of Directors to build the first fish-cleaning station in the Keweenaw at the Big Traverse Boat Launch, which is in Lake Linden.

“I met with them this week and they gave us 100% approval to go forward with all the planning phases of getting drawings and things like that done,” he said.

This tournament is open to the public. Anglers with all levels of experience are encouraged to come out and fish. There is a $150 entry fee.

“We also got over 50 businesses to participate, and they’ve given us cash to help run the tournament. And some of those funds are also going to other projects this year in Calumet to help beautify the place. So, we’re looking at places that have had fire damage in the last several years, helping the township put in green spaces, as well as supplying flowers and things for the community. You know, things that really add value to our community and are nice for visitors but also for us that live here,” he mentioned.

The fishing tournament is in its second year. They have a goal of trying to get 100 boats to participate, so it’ll be a big tournament.

The emphasis on zero-waste fishing is a huge deal for the club. They have worked to create a plan that allows anglers to be able to release many big “trophy status” fish, so they will not be killed. Additionally, the cleaning stations will offer a carcass recycling feature that allows scraps to be used for compost, bear bait and dog food.

Any extra fish can also be donated to local families.

Deshetsky mentioned that the Rotary Club has three active members over the age of 90. Their names are Tom, Joe, and Don. Between these three men, there are over a hundred years of Rotary experience and knowledge.

“They like to tell me that they joined the Rotary Club when there were still horses on the streets of Calumet. It’s so cool to see their involvement,” he said.

The club’s goal has always been to support the growth of local towns and build spaces that people are proud to call home.