MARYVILLE, Mo. — It seemed as though the cards were stacked against the Missouri Department of Conservation’s annual ice fishing clinic at Mozingo Lake. A forecast of warm temperatures and an obscure city ordinance seemed to threaten everyone’s fun.

Even with these roadblocks, more than 120 area anglers showed up to learn a little and experience the sport of ice fishing last weekend. This year’s attendance was nearly double that of last year, a testament to the growing popularity of the sport in this region.

Participants met at the multi-use building in the group camp area of Mozingo Lake where they were greeted with donuts, drinks, and a short presentation from Fisheries Biologist Tory Mason. Anglers also were required to sign a waiver from the City of Maryville, which released the city from any liability while participating in the ice fishing clinic.

Mason explained that while the conservation department helps manage the lake, the property is owned by the City of Maryville, which sets its own rules and regulations.

“Obviously with the amount of interest we have in ice fishing and where we are in the state with the temperature situation, we have plenty of ice and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t have anglers out here,” Mason said.

After the quick presentation on everything from safety, gear needed, regulations and tips for catching a mess of fish, anglers headed down to the lake. Conservation department employees guided participants to several pre-scouted fishing holes. And in this case “hole” is used literally.

With well over 12 inches of good ice on the lake, conservation department employees used several power augers to access the lake below. The ice was so thick that staff members were able to operate a Polaris Ranger six-wheeled utility vehicle to shuttle equipment and anglers around to make the day even more successful.

The lake’s large population of crappie, bluegill and bass didn’t disappoint anglers, either. Throughout the day, “Fish on!” was yelled repeatedly as anglers both young and old spent the morning using small ice rods to pull their catches from the depths.

While the majority of anglers pulled one feisty bluegill after another from the ice, Jayson Prather hooked into something a little bigger. With just a meager ice spinning rod and four-pound test line, Prather managed to hook into a bass that measured 21 inches long and tipped the scales at around 6 pounds. After a couple of photos, Prather released the fish back into the lake.

Bundled in her pink snowsuit, Maggie Kemp of Maryville, was having a ball. With her mother helping remove fish and baiting her jig with fresh wax worms, Maggie proved just how successful a first-time ice angler can be, as she pulled her 15th fish of the morning onto the ice.

After an hour or so of fishing, conservation department officials began cleaning the large catches of panfish and frying them up so that participants could experience the great taste of fish taken from ice-covered clear waters. By around 1 pm, the crew had fried up more than 400 fish.

Anglers wanting to hit the ice should note that ice fishing on Mozingo Lake is still prohibited by city ordinance and was only allowed the day of the clinic. With temperature forecasts over the weekend and early next week predicted to be well above freezing, anglers should ensure ice conditions are still safe before heading out.