Pictured is a nine pound walleye caught by Chris Free, son-in-law of Terry Cayko, on January 15th. The fish is currently at the taxidermist getting mounted.
When you farm for a living, what do you do on the off-season? For Terry Cayko of Fairview, the answer is definitely ice fishing. It all started about 20 years ago, when there was talk of Imperial Sugar going bankrupt. Cayko was reading articles and doing some paperwork when his son, Jason Cayko, told him to ‘pack it up’. As Terry recalls, he was not allowed to take any paperwork or even his phone with him. That was the start of a peaceful passion.
For the last 20 years, Cayko has been hitting the ice two or three times each day. Cayko lives just down the road from where he fishes, so he doesn’t have to go very far. Starting at 6 am, until about 6:30, there is a steady stream of fishermen in their pick-ups heading for the ice. He’s definitely not the only one out there, as there are about 30 ice houses in the same area. “It’s like a small town out there (on the ice),” Cayko stated. He frequently fishes with his son-in-law Chris Free or his grandsons, but typically goes down alone. Cayko stated, “It gets to be like a little community,” so he’s never truly ‘alone’.
Cayko usually does pretty good out on the ice, but this year he has been getting bigger fish than usual. They have been catching mainly walleye with some sauger and bigger catfish in between. During one of their trips, his son-in-law Chris Free caught a 9 pound walleye. It’s one of the biggest ones they have caught, and it’s currently at the taxidermist.
After 20 years out on the ice, he has plenty of memories and stories. Cayko couldn’t nail down one specific moment that was the most memorable. The times that make it all worth it is when the fish are really active and you can catch them pretty consistently. He stated, “It only usually lasts about an hour at a time.”
Although he has never gone in, he has had to help pull others out of the open ice. He stated, “You have to respect the river.”
Cayko claims he isn’t the most die-hard fisherman out on that ice, as some guys stay out there all night. Cayko also stated, “I’m not the oldest out there. There’s at least 5 older than me out there.”
In the end, he enjoys ice fishing because its just got this peacefulness about it. It’s like a whole other country where you don’t have to worry about a thing.
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