Fishing the ice fishing fisheries for fun and charities.

Most people are not professional fisherman but like to go fishing and also do their part for charities.  Every year more and more people of all skill levels and experience are attending ice fishing contests for charities. Most people don’t realize that the smaller, local fishing contests are not sponsored by a professional fishing organization but are charity events. These events are becoming quite popular. There are an increasing number of people who attend for the fishing contest but many others just for the door prizes and people watching. Almost all of the prizes are donated from individuals, local groups and businesses. Most prizes are more valuable than you would expect and it’s not all about winning only fishing equipment or cash.

The door prizes are like opening a box of chocolates, wide and varied. There is everything from hiking equipment to quality art pieces and even teeth cleaning. Many fisheries now allow you to put your tickets on specific prizes. I think organizers discovered that donations increased when they allowed people to enter for what they really want and not a random prize that they didn’t have a use for. I don’t think anybody won the teeth cleaning. I’ve won a bunch of stuff like gift certificates, an ice auger and bottles of booze. Entering for door prizes is easy and cheap. There are the big prizes that can cost around $25.00 for two or three tickets and there are the smaller prizes for about a buck a ticket. Some events even hand out “mystery bags” full of fishing stuff and discount coupons just for showing up.

Entering the fishing contest is easy and cheap too. The entry fees I’ve seen have been around $20.00. There isn’t any prequalifying requirements for the contest, just show up and fish. The contest is for the biggest fish in a category. The categories and rules vary for each event so check with the registration desk on your way in. Some events require live release now. I haven’t ever won but always enter because you never know when you might “catch the big one” and the money goes to a charity anyway. The prizes for winning a biggest fish category are usually cash and sometimes a significant amount. I’ve seen 1^st place for up to $1,000.00 and 2^nd $500.00.  

 

People watchers bring your cameras. You can’t see people dressed like this while doing this type of activity anywhere else. The dress code is, I’m going ice fishing, I’m dressing for the cold and I’m going to get fish stink on me. I don’t mean the North Face type outfits, I mean the outdoor working stiff kind for people who live in the cold. You have to see it to believe it. Go see the movie Grumpy Old Men, the clothing is kinda like that. You’ll see a lot of homemade clothing like hats, gloves and scarves. Some of it is really quality, interesting work and some is more like a yard sale. There are also people who dress for their favorite football teams, there are pirates and there is always the blaze orange hunter look. It’s more about function with a touch of personal flare than it is fashion. A word of caution though, some people who attend these events are a little introverted, so not everybody likes to have their picture taken, be polite and ask first.

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