This story contains photos from the 2023 tourney. This year’s event will be held on Feb. 1, 2025.
Although all of the nearly 9,000 participants of the 33rd Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza presumably signed up to catch fish on one day in late January, most will tell you it’s really an occasion to get together. (And for a good cause too: The annual tournament in Nisswa, Minnesota, raised more than $98,000 for local charities in 2022.)
“The fishing aspect ain’t all that great,” says Tucker Vetsch (above), who has attracted attention for his taxidermy buck hat. Although the 18-year-old placed second overall in 2022, he didn’t catch a single fish on Saturday. “I go for the experience and all that goes on, rather than the actual fishing.”
For most folks, that includes grilling out on the ice, sipping half-frozen beers with old buddies, fishing with the kids, snagging raffle prizes, and, occasionally, catching a walleye or perch.
“It started out with my grandfather, my dad, and me as just a yearly thing, but as we got older and the friendship between the guys who went out there got stronger, we all made it a staple every year,” says Ronald Enrooth of his high school buddies. The Enrooth crew has attended the tournament since 2006 and has slowly turned the weekend event into a full-blown vacation, sometimes heading there as early as the Wednesday before the tourney weekend. “We go up, we eat, we play cards, we snowmobile. We just enjoy the northern Minnesota atmosphere. And then we fish.”
So in the true spirit of the Jaycees Extravaganza, here’s a look at some of the food and drink that power the funnest ice-fishing tourney in the world.
Anglers spread out on the ice of Hole in the Day Bay on Gull Lake, which lies about 10 miles north of Brainerd. Jenn Ackerman and Tim GruberParticipants line up for $6 deep-fried Oreos, hand-dipped corn dogs, and cheese curds (regular or jalapeño, or available by the bucket). Jenn Ackerman and Tim GruberCody and Amy Hines kick off the tournament with a pair of Drunken Rudolphs, because spiked hot chocolate is “a nice way to warm up the insides.” The high on Saturday was 3°F. The couple has attended the tourney together for eight years (Amy once won an ice auger after catching a 1.18-pound walleye); Cody has attended for 17 years. Jenn Ackerman and Tim GruberA sled with all the necessities—including a 30-rack of Busch Light. Jenn Ackerman and Tim GruberJohn Wely, 8, helps sell $1 hot dogs to raise funds for the local wrestling team. Jenn Ackerman and Tim GruberAfter cold beer, hot dogs were top of the list for cheap and easy fare on the ice. Ackerman + GruberDave Moonen of Danger Moon Farm in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota, nurses a hot drink while grilling, as his sign on the trailer advertised, wieners made from “old school pigs.” Jenn Ackerman and Tim GruberMinnow shots (something something PETA has griped about in the past) are a staple at certain Minnesota bars, and the tourney’s drinks tent was no exception. Ackerman + GruberSydney Wold throws back a minnow. Ackerman + GruberGrace Lenhardt, 13, sits on a heated couch that her dad built on skis and focuses on fishing. Jenn Ackerman and Tim GruberThe Enrooth fishing crew takes a shot on their “shotski.” The group of six (seven, if you count their grandad who comes out when it’s not -5°F) started participating in 2006. Jenn Ackerman and Tim GruberThe Enrooth Fishing Crew cook up steak and potatoes. Jenn Ackerman and Tim GruberSheldon McCoy stays warm with a fur-lined hat and gloves, and a bottle peppermint schnapps. Jenn Ackerman and Tim GruberMark Welna (left) and Mike Ronayne put away a pair of hot dogs. The two have been friends since the first grade. Jenn Ackerman and Tim GruberA fake memorial erected to pour one out for a (very alive) buddy who missed this year’s Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza for the first time since 2004. Jenn Ackerman and Tim Gruber
