Kyle Remus of Sleepy Eye said he caught a number of smaller walleyes before reeling in a 5.2 pounder at the 10th Annual Hanska Fire Department Fishing Contest at Lake Hanska Saturday.

“I had it on the line for a minute or two. I was trying not to break the line. I was catching smaller walleyes all morning and released them before I caught the bigger one at 12:30 p.m.” said Remus.

He said he was ice fishing in his fishing house on the lake for about a week before the contest.

“I went out there on evenings when I had time. Every once in a while, I’d catch a nicer one. It’s the best lake around here for walleyes,” said Remus.

Staff photo by Fritz Busch Paxton Schmiesing of New Ulm, right, watches closely as Spencer Raatz of New Ulm pulls a small walleye out of a ice fishing hole at the 10th annual Hanska Fire Department Fishing Contest Saturday.

He said fishing is a way for him to relax.

“It’s fun to just go sit out there and fish and not deal with anything else. I find fishing nice and relaxing. I usually take fishing trips to Red Lake if I can, fish Sleepy Eye Lake and a few others near Mankato, Faribault and Willmar if I can. Ice fishing is my main type of fishing. I’m too busy farming the rest of the year,” he said.

Remus said he’s optimistic about future walleye fishing in Lake Hanska.

“With the amount of small walleyes I caught in Lake Hanska, it looks like there will be a good amount of nice ones in the next year or two,” he said.

Remus caught the biggest walleye in the contest. Josh Boerner had the next biggest walleye at 3.59 pounds. Bennett Madden caught a 2.4 pounder.

Kade Kremmin caught the biggest panfish at .68 of a pound. Following were Glenn Kuebler .63 and Josh Boerner .59.

Hanska Fire Chief said several hundred people competed in the contest.

“The wind is pretty rough,” he said.

Most people on the lake wore ice cleats for traction.

A number of people at the contest said bullheads were their favorite fish to eat. Dallas Larson of Hanska said he favored bullheads as long as the cooking oil was clean.

One man wore a sweatshirt that read “Born to fish. Forced to work.”

Paxton Schmiesing, 8, of New Ulm hooked a small walleye from an outdoor fishing line. He said he’s been ice fishing since he was very young.

“We hope to catch some fish for dinner,” said Paxton’s mother Brittany.

Hanska firefighter Jared Larson, who lives near Lake Hanska, was weighing fish at the contest.

“I enjoy fishing on the lake. I’m on it a lot. You can usually catch small walleyes, occasional perch, crappies, perch and catfish. The lake is definitely turning around. Lots of the fish are small, but they’re coming around. We’ve got lots of clear ice.Lots of it is 17 to 20 inches thick,” said Larson.