A Heartfelt Thank You! The 2026 Ontario Steelheader Derby was a record-breaking event, with over 160 participants coming out to enjoy a fantastic day of fishing, fellowship, and community spirit! On behalf of the organizing team, I would like to extend a sincere thank-you to all of our generous sponsors:
Angling Outfitters https://anglingoutfitters.net
Center Pin Angling https://www.centerpinangling.com
Cozy girlie https://www.instagram.com/cozygirlie95
Junction 4 & 19 https://www.facebook.com/junction419?mibextid=ZbWKwL
Lake Huron Fishing Club https://lakehuronfishingclub.com
Raven Tackle https://raventackle.com
Redwing Tackle https://redwingtackle.com/
A special thank-you also goes out to Len and Krista Kohnert, JimmyJohn, Deb Zettler, Dave Munro, Karl Lansdowne, John McFarlane, Andy Bukowski, John Green, Dave and Lori Rounds, Ken and Ron, William and Patricia Wands, and Teresa Pfaff for their generous donations to our raffle table. Your contributions helped make this event even more successful, and your support is greatly appreciated. I would also like to recognize and thank all the volunteers who dedicated their time and effort to organizing and running the derby. An event of this size would not be possible without your hard work, commitment, and enthusiasm. Thank you for helping make the day such a success!
The weather certainly cooperated, giving us a beautiful day on the water. Although we had only a few fish entered, they were certainly some dandies! 2026 Fall Derby Winners are:
1st Place: Chad Southern – 10.4 lbs
2nd Place: Dio McConkey – 9.6 lbs
3rd Place: Kirk Shepley 6.11 lbs
Live Release: Paul Drmay – 31½ inches
Junior Winner: Lennex Rounding – 7.2 lbs
Congratulations to all our winners, and thank you to everyone who came out to participate and support the derby. Your continued support is what keeps this event going and helps make it bigger and better each year. We are truly grateful to our sponsors, donors, volunteers, participants, and everyone who contributed to making this year’s derby such a memorable occasion.
Thank you all once again for being part of this record-breaking event. We look forward to seeing you all again in the spring!
Warm regards,
Brian Zettler