Last weekend was a great experience for everyone while showcasing trout fishing on Hebgen Lake at the Kirkwood Resort and Marina’s 5th Annual Trout Cook Off.
Activities Included:
- Live music by singer/songwriter Suzi Ragsdale of Nashville, TN
- lakeside yoga and Zumba
- a sailboat regatta
- fly casting lessons with Jacklin’s Fly Shop Associate Andy Klatt
- kayak rides on Hebgen Lake with Lava Creek Adventures
- beer tasting with Tucker Kalberg from Bozeman Brewing Company
- the new Hebgen Lake Yacht Club also held its second annual Hebgen Cup regatta during the day of the Cook-Off, which delighted people watching the lake all day.
As always, the highlight of the evening was tasting the trout entries. The two judges, Suzi Ragsdale and the Kitchen Guy, Chef Jim Gray, were presented each of the entries to score before the tasting was opened up to the 250 people anxiously waiting to enjoy the variety of trout preparations.
The winning team in both the judged contest and the People’s Choice voting, for the second year in a row, was Team Toon from Cameron, MT. for their Pontoon Peppers. Second place, again this year, were the Burden Boys from West Yellowstone, MT, who shared their Boneless Trout Nuggets. All the entries were popular with each receiving a number of People’s Choice votes.
Entries included Bacon, Trout & Pepper Pizza, Smoked Trout, Trout with Green Apple Dill Sauce, Jamaican Spankin’, Baked Stuffed Trout with Slaw and Percharon Home Brew. Most of the entries were fish caught from Hebgen Lake this summer, which gave extra points to their judged scores.
Mark Your Calendar for Next Year!
The annual Cook-Off is the 3rd Saturday of August each year. Next year’s Trout Cook-Off will be August 17th at Kirkwood Resort and Marina located on the north shore of Hebgen Lake, 18 miles northwest of West Yellowstone, MT.
The prize money for both the judged competition and People’s Choice award will be raised again next year thanks to donations for tasting and the Dessert Auction. Half the donation totals go into a fund for conservation projects for Hebgen Lake and half go toward increasing the prizes for the Cook-Off.
Do You Want More Info?
Anyone interested in competing in the cook-off or wanting more information about the event should contact Pam Sveinson at info@kirkwoodresort.com or Abby Majerus at abbymajerus@hotmail.com or call Kirkwood Resort at 406.646.7200.
