Strong winds didn’t stop Jesse Erickson from going out to watch his fishing line on Lake Hendricks. Anglers spread out over the ice to compete in the annual Hendricks ice fishing derby on Saturday.

HENDRICKS — There was a chilly wind blasting across Lake Hendricks, but that didn’t stop the anglers spread out over the ice on Saturday afternoon. A few people, like Montevideo resident Jesse Erickson, were even braving the elements by fishing without a portable shelter or fish house.

“I kind of like it out here,” Erickson said. He had joined the Lake Hendricks Improvement Association’s annual fishing derby together with family members. Erickson said it was his second year doing the contest.

“It’s been slow, but we know there’s fish in the lake,” he said.

This weekend the LHIA derby was back, after being canceled last year due to a lack of ice. Turnout at the derby was “pretty close to normal,” said Dennis Johnson of the LHIA. He estimated around 130 fish houses, and over 400 people, were scattered across the lake.

“We’ve had some nice perch, walleyes and northerns,” he said.

Some of the fish brought in to the weighing station Saturday afternoon included some good-sized northern pike. Tommy Krier had his picture taken holding his first-place northern, which weighed in at 1.84 pounds.

Krier said it was exciting having the fish bite on his line. “It just felt like it was moving and moving, and then it started pulling,” Krier said.

Brittney Moravetz said the derby had been going well for her, with a few fish biting.

“To have three good ones right off the bat is really awesome,” Moravetz said. “I didn’t get to practice this year before the derby.”

Moravetz brought in a perch and a 3.82-pound northern to be registered. The northern just missed making it onto the leaderboard.

A total of 39 fish were registered by the end of the derby. There were youth and adult competitions to bring in the heaviest walleye, northerns, and perch. The awards for first fish caught at the derby went to Riley Niehus in the adult division, and Hanna Groenhoff in the youth division.

In the adult division, Haley Skorczewski had the first-place walleye, weighing in at 5.86 pounds. Kyle Berkness caught the first-place northern, which weighed 7.56 pounds. Axander Curvin-Drietz had the first-place perch, weighing in at 1.18 pounds.

In the youth division, there were no walleye registered. Tommy Krier had the first-place northern, at 1.84 pounds. Beua Schwartz and Oakley Franken caught the first-place perch, weighing in at 0.72 pounds and 1.08 pounds.

The fishing derby is the LHIA’s main fundraiser event, Johnson said. Money raised by the association goes toward projects to help maintain and improve the lake.

Johnson said he thought the wind might have kept some people off the lake on Saturday. It definitely posed some challenges for fishing. Hunter Lundberg left his lines for a moment to help a nearby angler chase down a sled being pushed across the ice by the wind.

Lundberg, a Lake Benton resident, said he came to the Hendricks derby partly because it was close to home. “I wanted to hit more tournaments this year,” he said.

Having a hometown event was part of the fun for many of the anglers Saturday. “We fish on this lake every day, almost,” said Hendricks resident Tanner Krier.