Ice fishing tournament draws 10K to compete in charitable contest
Reel cold! Thousands descend on Minnesota’s frozen Gull Lake for annual Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza!
- Nearly 10,000 people descended on Minnesota’s frozen Gull Lake on Saturday for the 32nd annual Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza
- Participants competed to see who could reel in the largest fish through a hole in the ice
- All of the proceeds from the annual ice fishing tournament go to about 50 local charities
- The event has become known as the largest charitable ice fishing tournament in the world
Nearly 10,000 people descended on Minnesota’s frozen Gull Lake on Saturday wearing their warmest hats and winter coats to compete in this year’s Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza.
The annual event offered the thousands of anglers and their friends and family members the chance to win several grand prizes, including the Catch of the Day Prize Giveaway and a Random Drawing Raffle.
This year’s winners included Cody Sablatura, who traveled to the event all the way from Corpus Christi, Texas and managed to reel in a 9.15lb Northern Pike; followed by Troy Vetsch from Minnesota, who caught a 4.98lb Walleye; and Tyler Paul Herickhoff, also of Minnesota, who caught a 4.77lb Walleye.
All of the proceeds from the annual ice fishing tournament, which has been featured in National Geographic, NBC Nightly News and even ESPN, go to local charities in the area.
One lucky woman showed off her fish as she waited for the weigh-in during the 32nd annual Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza on Saturday
Anglers donned their warmest winter gear for the annual event as temperatures reached a high of 25 degrees
Kate Spangler showed off her 4.47 pound walleye after it was weighed at the extravaganza after the weigh-in
Each angler and their family and friends found their own place to ice fish on the 9,947.03-acre lake in Minnesota
An angler arrived for the 32nd annual ice fishing extravaganza on Gull Lake with his ice fishing gear in tow
Nearly 10,000 anglers were expected to participate in this year’s tournament on Saturday
One angler donned all orange as he waited patiently for a fish to catch his bait under the frozen lake
One man watched the score board for the running tally of the largest fish caught during the tournament
An angler stood next to a flag with elements of both the American and Confederate flags as he carried an iron rod to open an ice hole in the frozen lake
A man put the fish he caught into a bag in preparation for the weigh-in at the annual competition on Saturday
Some anglers expressed their political support at the annual charitable tradition, with participants coming from other states
Fishermen celebrated at the annual tournament, warming themselves up with alcohol and warm embraces at the event
One man reeled in a small fish after sitting patiently in his fold-up beach chair with his large coat and gloves
Zane Schultz used the annual tradition as an opportunity to propose to Courtney Johnson, who said ‘Yes’
The happy couple celebrated their engagement by uncorking a bottle of champagne in the freezing cold
Many of the participants at the event wore fur hats to keep warm in the freezing temperatures
The annual Minnesota tradition began in 1991, when the Brainerd Jaycees decided to create a project that would rally members and volunteers, provide opportunities for individual leadership and bring an economic boon to the region.
Every year it draws thousands of participants, and takes nearly 50,000 volunteer hours over the course of nine months to plan and execute.
Since its inception 32 years ago, the extravaganza has donated over $4.2 million to about 50 area charities. It is now billed as the largest charitable ice fishing tournament in the world.
Anglers lined up to collect their prizes during the 32nd annual Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza
Tucker Welch ice fished in a unique deer hat at Gull Lake on Saturday, one of several people who wore unique outfits to the event
Fishermen headed off to find their perfect fishing hole on the expansive ice on Saturday morning
Some fishermen rode a shuttle on the ice to travel further down the frozen lake, with their feet dangling off the side
Many fishermen brought their friend and family along for the annual extravaganza, including some of the youngest fishermen
Each of the fish had to be checked-in and weighed at the end of the day. Here, one of the judges studied a fish
One woman spread a blanket over her legs as she waited for a fish to catch the bait with a cup of warm coffee next to her
An angler held up his fish for all to see as he waited for the weigh-in. Each of the fish were kept in water and were released following the weigh-in
Fishermen headed off to the ice to find the perfect ice fishing spot on Gull Lake with their equipment in tow
Anglers and their families crowded a shuttle on the back of the van that traveled down the ice for the competition
One woman smiled as she waited to catch a fish through a small hole in the ice in the freezing temperatures
Fishermen prepared for the start of the annual tradition in their own spaces across the frozen lake
A volunteer released a fish back into the lake after it was weighed during the tournament, letting it swim to safety
Fishermen waited patiently to see who would win this year’s tournament, with the weights announced on a scoreboard
Some women played a modified version of beer pong – with cups taped to one woman’s back- as they waited to compete
The largest fish caught at the tournament weighed 9.15lbs, with others weighing in above 4lbs
One fishermen donned a unique fish hat as he waited at the front of the line for the shuttle down the ice
Many of the participants seemed well-prepared for this year’s competition with their own gear
After the event was finished, fisherman dragged their belongings back down the ice as they headed out
One man braved the elements, sitting in the ice and the snow as he waited to catch his fish during the day-long tournament
Each fish had to be checked-in and weighed for the competition, with thousands of volunteers helping out
Competitors donned their warmest clothes in the freezing weather on Saturday as temperatures remained below freezing
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