Murphy Lake’s 16 th Annual “Pike Pull” ice fishing contest

Located near Millington in southwestern Tuscola County, (manmade)
209-acre Murphy Lake has long offered some bountiful fishing
opportunities. It was created during the 1850’s by lumbermen to be able to
float logs down Goodings Creek to the Cass River near Vassar. Small
creeks were vital during the lumber era to readily access the forest and
more easily remove winter-harvested logs. Damming the creeks was a
common practice to build up enough water depth to send a flotilla of large
logs in a controlled downstream rush when the dam was opened in the
spring. Goodings Creek flows in a northerly direction and before a log dam
was constructed, it had a close relationship with a marsh and several
spring-fed kettle lakes which easily led to the creation of Murphy Lake, still
resting in a woodsy setting, thanks to the closely associated and spacious
Murphy Lake State Game Area. The management of the lake’s water depth
is under the authority of the Tuscola County Drain Commissioner, and the
wooden dam was replaced by more durable materials in the mid-20 th
century.

The catch from some anglers at Murphy Lake

Because of the great water quality, Murphy Lake was stocked with
trout by the DNR during 1949-1952, but it was determined that too many
hungry northern pike made it impractical. In 1957, it was stocked with
northern muskellunge to act as broodstock for a state-run fish hatchery on
the west side of the state. “Muskies” were readily netted during the spring-
run into Goodings Creek, and “milked” to develop fertilized eggs which
were then transported to the hatchery. The muskie planting was done semi-
annually and Murphy Lake became well known as a muskie fishing hotspot
in Michigan. However, the stocking effort came to an end in 1979 when it
was determined that getting and transporting muskie eggs in the original
manner became too impractical.

authorities monitoring the fishery at Murphy Lake

In 1985, the DNR decided to “rehabilitate” the fishery in Murphy Lake to a more diversified nature, which became quite a contentious issue, especially with local anglers (nope, folks, I was none too pleased myself). In 1987, rotenone was used to “clarify” (kill all the fish) and the lake was then restocked with northern pike, largemouth bass, black crappie, blue gill, walleye and channel catfish. Murphy Lake is now well known for providing good fishing opportunities for all the above, especially northern pike. In 2010, local anglers created the Murphy Lake “Pike Pull” annual ice fishing contest, which has since become quite popular. Besides an entry fee and donations from contestants, local businesses generously donate quality items which are raffled off at the end of the contest. The entire profits are then used to help local folks and programs in need. The first dinner and contest celebrations were held at McKatam’s Pub in Millington. Due to mild winters causing unsafe ice conditions, a couple
Pike Pull contests only entailed a dinner and raffle to continue assisting
local folks and programs in need, and the turnout of supporters remained to
be outstanding while raising the much-needed funding, despite the
unpredictable whims of Mother Nature.
Since 2018, the Annual Pike Pull has taken place right on Murphy
Lake at the residence of Ed and Peggy Masche, who arrange and handle
matters with the dependable and dedicated assistance of many volunteers.
Festivities and the dinner take place in the large garage and nearby, large
tents, with plenty of available parking also being offered. It is a very family-
oriented event, always held on a Saturday during Michigan’s Free Fishing
Weekend in February, when fishing licenses aren’t required.
This year it happened on Valentine’s Day, and I enjoyed showing up
and observing all from start to finish, which I much enjoyed. What I truly
appreciated was seeing plenty of kids joining in the fun and fishing action
with family members during a gorgeous sunny and mild winter day
featuring hardly any wind at all – yep, folks, it is hard to beat ideal
conditions such as that! Despite some thawing 40-degree temperatures,
the ice was still 14 inches thick over the whole lake which featured some
portable tent-like fishing shanties, but most folks were enjoying simply

Fish On!

sitting or standing out in the open, something which I appreciate doing, especially on inland lakes. I like it when all that is required is just walking out while towing a small sled to bring all the necessities needed. Plastic “jet-sleds” are the most popular today and for good reason, because they work and are spacious enough to easily pack matters in. I prefer to use a plastic 5-gallon bucket with a lid to sit on, as well as it is great for holding a lot of items.
Another popular item I observed was battery-powered ice augers, which are efficient and much quieter than the gas-powered models, and sure beat an old-fashioned ice spud for convenience (being old-school, a dependable ice spud still does the trick for me and makes a great hiking staff for
walking on the ice). The Pike Pull started at 8:00 am, and stopped at 1:30 pm to check-in
and measure fish, which were scored by length only. Announcing winners
and doing the raffles began around 2:00 pm. From mid-morning until the
end of the event, plentiful and very good food was always available. There
were 175 registered contestants as well as more than 50 folks there to
enjoy the food and enter the fund-raising raffle. Quite a crowd enjoyed
seeing fish scored and hung up on the scoreboard. Northern pike were in
evidence, with a 26.5 incher caught by Chris Lemmon of Millington taking
First Place. He very generously donated his $300 prize money to the
fundraiser. Ron Collins and Jason Paterson tied for Second Place with
25.5-inch pike. Avid angler James Clement, age 16, of Otisville placed
third with a dandy 11.75-inch black crappie. In fact, he and his father,
Josey, caught a whole bunch of black crappies, and threw back several 10-
inch fish and kept only several of the largest to have for supper. He beat his
father’s largest crappie by half an inch! They discovered right away that red
waxworms weren’t on the menu, but minnows certainly were.
Jerry Mulder of Fostoria didn’t catch any fish but had a great time
trying. He especially enjoyed being invited by neighborly homeowners on
the other side of the lake who invited him to join them on their deck for a
sloppy joe, which he did.

Capping off the 16 th Annual Pike Pull contest was to present Myra
Germain of Millington with $9200 for medical expenses.
Yep, folks, the Annual Murphy Lake Pike Pull and what it represents
is my kind of ice fishing contest, and I’m already looking forward to next
year.

Author
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Tom Lounsbury

Tom Lounsbury has been an outdoor writer and photographer for more
than 40 years and has had his weekly radio show, “Tom Lounsbury
Outdoors” for more than 20 years. Tom grew up on a farm in
Michigan’s Thumb, and it is where his first outdoor adventures began
as a kid accompanying visiting pheasant hunters into the field during
the “pheasant hunting heyday” of the 1950’s and 1960’s. It is a passion
he still has to this day and being the 4 th generation to own the family
farm, he has put most of it into conservation programs with a focus on
wild pheasants, which in turn helps all wildlife.
Being an outdoor communicator, Tom appreciates all the outdoor
adventures he experiences in different places, and especially the
people he meets in which to share them.