Every winter, thousands of anglers – and a whole lot of spectators – flock to Hole-in-the-Day Bay on the north end of Gull Lake in Nisswa for a unique Minnesota event: the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza. It’s the largest charity ice fishing event in the world, and it’s truly something to behold.
The world’s largest charity ice fishing event takes place in Nisswa every January or February.
Nisswa Chamber of Commerce/Facebook
Anglers from all over Minnesota, the United States, and the world come to compete.
Nisswa Chamber of Commerce/Facebook
Thousands of them flock onto the ice.
Nisswa Chamber of Commerce/Facebook
All anglers must show a ticket and have their bait inspected at a checkpoint as they enter the fishing area.
Brainerd Jaycees/Facebook
Then they proceed to one of thousands of pre-cut holes in the ice.
Nisswa Chamber of Commerce/Facebook As many as 10,000 anglers have fished from more than 30,000 holes during the tournament.
Fortunately, teams do constant safety checks leading up to and on the day of the tournament.
Lorie Shaull/Flickr
The rules are simple: Catch the biggest fish in a three hour period…
Lorie Shaull/Flickr
and you win.
Lorie Shaull/Wikimedia Commons
But it’s the waiting…
Lorie Shaull/Flickr
Staring into a hole with 9,999 of your closest friends looking on, waiting for a bite, that’s the hard part.
Brainerd Jaycees/Facebook
Sometimes, just to break the tension, a snack is called for.
Lorie Shaull/Flickr
Anglers lucky enough to land a fish place their live catch in a bag.
Lorie Shaull/Flickr
They take it immediately to the Weigh In Tent.
Brainerd Jaycees/Facebook
The fish is weighed, recorded, and released back into the water.
Brainerd Jaycees/Facebook
The results are updated in real time on the leaderboard and the tournament website.
Lorie Shaull/Flickr Whoever has caught the biggest fish by the end of the day wins. But, given the tournament’s convivial atmosphere and charitable nature, pretty much everybody wins.
Visit the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza website to purchase tickets or for the date and times of the event. If you’re heading up for the tournament, consider a stay at nearby Grand View Lodge – it’s right on the lake.
Nisswa Chamber of Commerce/Facebook
Brainerd Jaycees/Facebook
As many as 10,000 anglers have fished from more than 30,000 holes during the tournament.
Lorie Shaull/Flickr
Lorie Shaull/Wikimedia Commons
Whoever has caught the biggest fish by the end of the day wins. But, given the tournament’s convivial atmosphere and charitable nature, pretty much everybody wins.
Have you fished in or attended the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza? What other unique Minnesota events should we know about?
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Address: Gull Lake, Minnesota, USA
