HOLE-IN-THE-DAY BAY-"It's just amazing to me," Jill Katz said as she looked out over the expanse of anglers at the 27th annual Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza. She was one of the many spectators that add to the estimated 11,000 anglers that took to the ice Saturday.
In a contest considered the world's largest gathering of anglers, a lesser-known fact is that there is a regular crowd of spectators from near and far that also come to see the event unfold in wild fashion. Some years, it's been estimated over 2,000 of the ice goers are spectators.
"It's like a fair on ice," Katz said.
The spectators don't have to pay to be there, though most patronize the vendors serving up cheese curds, hot dogs and the many hot and cold beverages designed to keep participants warm. Katz, who works at Grand View Lodge in Nisswa as manager of the Cru Restaurant and Wine Bar, was among the many in the heated Grand View VIP tent on ice. It was a gathering place of those looking for a warm front-row seat to the action.
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27th Annual Brainerd Jaycees $150,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza
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Katz was most impressed with rows of flags that welcomed the anglers.
"The thing I loved was coming into all those American flags," Katz said. "That was a great feeling. It was. In lieu of all the crap that everybody is complaining about in our country right now, I thought that was a nice touch. I love seeing all those flags. ... It made me feel all patriotic."
Katz was sporting a silver badger hat to stay warm. It was not uncommon to spot fur covered anglers out at the event. Many of the spectators are there to see just what kind of hats and outfits come out to the event. It's not uncommon for anglers to dress in costume to draw attention. In some cases it can help them earn prizes.
One pair of sisters show off their furs annually as spectators.
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Claudia Allene and Maria Mason, who were celebrating the fact that their family has owned a cabin on the shores of Hole-in-the-Day Bay for 60 years, were also celebrating nearly 20 years of watching the Extravaganza.
Shortly after the cannon sounded, signaling the start of the event at noon, the sisters dashed over to the weigh-in, anticipating the first catch. In under three minutes they were rewarded with a young man holding a perch in a bag.
"They'll start running in, and there will be a line a mile long," Mason said, wearing her mother's sheared beaver jacket.
She quickly sent out a text notifying another angler of the news.
She recalls the changes in fishing, the first time she saw a fishing house on wheels and the man with the fur hats.
"I just got back from traveling around the world for a few years and this is my favorite winter event," Allene said. "It's awesome. It's something you don't see every day."
It's also cold, and if you stay through to the awards, you'll spend almost four hours on ice.
Another couple spectators at the event were Samantha Friend and her mother Pearl. While many of the spectators on scene were women, these two were observing the sheer number of women anglers. In fact, that was Samantha's assignment as a photographer/writer for Vice Media out of New York.
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"It's spectacular," was Pearl's take on the event. It was her first time to the contest and she was impressed with the spirit she saw in those coming together.
"It's folks outside, it's cold, it's folks interacting with extreme temps," Pearl said.
Samantha said what she was witnessing among the women anglers was that many of them were better anglers than their husbands.
The mother and daughter just came from an assignment in Iceland and considered Iceland to be balmy compared to the 22-degree temperature Saturday afternoon. Organizers of the fishing contest informed them that this was a balmy day in comparison to other contests like those in the 20-below zero range.
The temperature was expected to reach 28 degrees Saturday, but overcast skies and a stiff 12-mph wind held temperatures in the lower 20s throughout the day.
Contestants came from as far away as Western Europe, and also from across the country, including Hawaii, New York, California and Texas to name a few, according to the fishing contest marketing coordinator Angie Nelson.
