Still Cold Open Ice Fishing Tournament Coming Back Soon To Alaska’s Big Lake

We’ll be featuring Big Lake’s Still Cold Open ice fishing tournament, which has become a traditional highlight of the new year in the Mat-Su Valley, in our January issue. But here’s your chance to sign up for a unique event that begins on January 3 and continues every other Saturday until a Sunday, March 1 grand finale.

Here’s a graphic with more information on how to sign up:

Here’s some more information courtesy of the Still Cold Open registration page (purchase tickets at this same link:

Alaska’s toughest and longest ice fishing event on Big Lake, where skill, endurance, and strategy are required to catch elusive trophy Char.

This tournament requires dedication, skills, and endurance, with hard work to compete against Big Lakes’ best hard water anglers to become an SCO champion. This is a 2-person team event that requires coordination and teamwork with planning. Teams will compete over 6 bi-weekly events, with 2 events being all weekend, then a bonus/make-up day event, and then finally ending with championship weekend. All levels of skill are encouraged to compete, and beginners will gain a wealth of ice fishing knowledge from our veteran competitors and guides. 

All age groups, both genders, are encouraged to come and compete as two divisions for Pros and Recreational groups are divided by teams in ranking by points at the end of day 3, and a bonus day. Divisions will be split in half, with the top half being the Pro Division and the lower half being the Recreational Division. 

Depending on the lake’s conditions, you can drive, snowmachine, 4-wheeler, SXS, as teams choose where they’d like to fish for the day, anywhere on Big Lake, Mud Lake, or Flat Lake. No other bodies of water may be fished for the SCO. The teams will attempt to land with photos and measurements of Arctic char, rainbow trout, and bonus points for Pike. All are catch and release except Pike by law in this tournament. The teams may choose their best 5 fish to turn in for points.

There will be a turn-in of photos with measurements at the end of the day at the HQ start point in front of Susitna Brewing Co., with top 3 scores, information announcements, raffles, and prizes for the largest fish caught that day.

On championship weekend, prepare to fish your tail off to have a shot at becoming the next SCO champion team. The top 3 teams in each division will get cash, prizes, and trophies, with the pro champs receiving custom Simms apparel embroidered with SCO champions, with a SCO Cup traveling trophy with their team embossed forever on it for that year. But, wait, there’s more! The team that catches the largest fish for the tournament gets a trophy and $200 gift cards! Many raffles with outdoor gear and fishing equipment will be given away as door prizes weekly. Attendance greatly affects the budget, so if we have high attendance, there will be a maximum budget for prizes.

The championship banquet on March 1st, 2026, will be in the hall at Susitna Brew Co., which has hosted us for the 4th year now. Families are encouraged to attend the awards banquet to cheer on their favorite teams! Additional proceeds go to Wasilla VFW Post 9365, and we donated $1k to Wasilla HS Ice Fishing Teams to encourage teens to get outdoors.

If you want a winter challenge that is fun, with a great community of hard water anglers, this is your tournament, and welcome to the SCO family.

Here’s a sneak peek from our interview with tournament director Jerrid Hixon:

TH The event is described as Alaska’s toughest and longest ice fishing tournament. What makes the SCO stand out from other derbies in the state?

JH As a former competitor and now director, I can say with confidence that this tournament can take a novice angler and exponentially turn them into an expert at targeting these coveted Arctic char for those willing to endure the conditions and display resilience. We have fished days where it was minus 47 degrees out there beginning at 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the elements with the best gear ice anglers can find to protect themselves. Many of us are avid outdoors folks who have learned many tough lessons on how to survive these conditions, continue to compete ferociously and, most importantly, take care of these fish once they are exposed to the harsh elements out of water. Speed, practice, learning from others, education, and awareness are key to mastering the ability to compete at this level. The staff takes extra precautions to ensure the safety of the anglers and the fish alike with briefings every competition morning before the shotgun release. Anglers race off with team plans to hit their favorite spots where they believe the fish might be in a spectacle of a rush to lock down their positions on the lake, working quickly, exhibiting teamwork, working diligently all day in sometimes extreme cold, snow and wind, exposed the entire time to overcome obstacles that may arise, catch their five best fish for turn-in times, and return all fish alive successfully. Anglers begin this tournament on the first Saturday of every January and fish every other week until the first Sunday of March, which is the championship weekend. Catching fish with bait any angler can do. However, on Big Lake, by ADFG regulations there is a single-hook (limit), artificial lure, no scent allowed, and no chumming allowed. Getting the Arctic char to hit is sometimes a chore all in itself, with these fish being notoriously finicky. The right barometric conditions help and the angler’s ability to get the fish to hit. All of the seasoned SCO veterans call Big Lake “the Mistress,” with many beginners abandoning their short-lived efforts to fish it. To the ones who are determined and land their first big char, they describe it as wrecking their life with a crippling addiction to chasing these big native fish. It can literally become an addiction that replaces all the anglers’ spare time –  hence why she is called “the Mistress.” 

We are not currently aware of any other tournament in North America that lasts as long as this tournament does, and we definitely know that no other ice fishing tournament in Alaska lasts like this one does. These anglers and staff work all year to compete in this tournament, ensuring that they even have work days off to compete, for instance. These are, without a doubt, the toughest ice fishing junkies I have ever heard of and witnessed. Many do not have the fortitude or willingness to endure this type of commitment required to compete at the highest level required to win a first-place championship SCO.

Here’s the tournament’s Facebook link as well.