NISSWA — For the first time in its more than 30-year history, the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza will be held on several Brainerd area lakes.
We’re fishing in the Brainerd lakes area — still bringing people into our community — but we’re spreading them out.
Katherine Thoennes, tournament chair
The usual three-hour contest will go for the original date of Saturday, Feb. 3, but with longer hours of 8 am to 2 pm and beyond Gull Lake.
The contest will use fish length and a point system instead of fish weight. Participants will place fish in the FishDonkey app instead of in an on-ice weigh-in tent.
All because a recent cold snap during a warm winter didn’t produce enough quality ice on Gull Lake’s Hole-in-the-Day Bay for the traditional format of the 34th annual extravaganza.
“We’re fishing the Brainerd lakes area — still bringing people into our community — but we’re spreading them out,” said Katherine Thoennes, chair of the 2024 Ice Fishing Extravaganza.
The Brainerd Jaycees have shared a map online that outlines the boundaries of eligible lakes: Highway 210 to the south; Riverside Drive in Brainerd to County State Aid Highway 3 to Great River Road east; CSAH 11 to 17 in the north; and County Road 1 to the east.
It’s still a skill-based tournament. … This allows you to fish for any of your species.
Katherine Thoennes, extravaganza chair
The Jaycees cited an “unwavering commitment to the safety and well-being of all participants” in making their decision.
“While we understand this may not be the ideal scenario for some participants, we consider it important to prioritize safety and flexibility in light of the unprecedented ice conditions,” the Jaycees said in a statement. “We urge all participants to be careful of any ice. Our firm commitment to delivering an unforgettable and thrilling event remains a priority.”
The reason not to postpone the event to the February 17 backup date lies in the whole reason the extravaganza is being held.
The Extravaganza’s goals are to bring business to the lake area at a typically slower time; donate proceeds to charity; and to get people out, Thoennes said.
Postponing the contest will defeat the initial purpose of bringing business to the area. Additionally, a large number of required volunteers will be ready to work on Feb. 3 and may have other plans in Feb. 17.
The postponement also means out-of-town participants may struggle to rebook lodging as rooms for youth sports tournaments may be taken.
And there is a reason why the tournament cannot be held in its normal format on Feb. 3 — ice conditions are not good enough to put that many people, equipment and vehicles into Hole-in-the-Day Bay.
“This particular year — with ice short by a few inches and with weather forecast in the upper 40s — we’re not positive we’re going to make ice on that backup date,” Thoennes said.
Contestants should bring warm clothing, ice cleats, a fishing pole, an auger to drill holes and a bump board to measure fish to the Feb. 3 contest.
They must download the FishDonkey app and upload a photo of their extravaganza ticket.
They will need to upload a trophy shot photo of the fish they catch, and the Jaycees would also like to see a live release video.
“Our tournament is live release. We care about the fisheries of our lakes,” said Thoennes.
The Jaycees plan to station support people at several lake accesses to help participants who are unfamiliar with the FishDonkey app or have questions.
An information booth and will-call station will be located at Brainerd International Raceway where people can purchase extravaganza tickets, raffle tickets and catch of the day tickets, as well as pick up will-call tickets.
The Jaycees want to maintain the integrity of the extravaganza, so the top 150 prizes are randomized. The angler who catches the top fish won’t win the top prize in the pickup truck — which will be in 24th place this year (for the year 2024).
Eligible fish will be northern, walleye, crappie, sunfish and perch, and they will be measured on a point-based system based on Department of Natural Resources numbers.
“It’s a skill-based tournament.
If one lands on a monster sunfish, when converting length to points sunfish may score higher than a northern pike.
This method has been used in the virtual America’s Ice Fishing Tournament for the past two years and it has worked well, Thoennes said.
The Jaycees will hold a raffle live on Facebook Live at 3 p.m
The leaderboard is in the FishDonkey app.
The extravaganza kickoff party featuring Charlie Berens will still be held on February 2 at the Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts in Brainerd.
And Thoennes said the Jaycees still plan to hand out buckets of fishing gear to kids at some lake accesses.
While the virtual extravaganzas have been held for the past three years, they have included any frozen bodies of water across the United States.
The first virtual tournament was held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both the on-ice extravaganza at Gull Lake and the virtual America’s Ice Fishing Contest have been held for the past two years.
In its 34 years, the extravaganza has been postponed three times and moved to another lake (Round Lake) only once.
The Jaycees learned to have a contingency plan, and even asked the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office this year about a foot-traffic only tournament at Hole-in-the-Day Bay.
Mother Nature did not cooperate with a long enough cold season to produce quality ice.
Tickets are still available at Fleet Farm stores and participating outlets.
The Jaycees encourage people to find updated information and lake maps by going online to icefishing.org , following official social media channels, and joining their mailing list.
The extravaganza generates more than $1 million in revenue for area businesses and more than $150,000 for area charities annually.
More than $3 million has been donated since the extravaganza began in January 1991.
