THE BRAINERD JAYCEES ANNOUNCES A NEW, SEPARATE, VIRTUAL EVENT: AMERICA’S ICE FISHING TOURNAMENT

BRAINERD, MINN — The Brainerd Jaycees are excited to present America’s Ice Fishing Tournament, scheduled for January 22, 2022, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Last year, the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza shifted their on-ice tournament to a virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event had 4,700 registered participants across the state of Minnesota and raised $125,357.17 for local charities and non-profit organizations. With the success of last year’s tournament, the committee decided to organize a completely separate, new virtual ice fishing tournament.

This year, the event is open country-wide to all ice fishing anglers and will be hosted through the FishDonkey app. Eligible species for the tournament are walleye, northern pike, crappie, perch, and sunfish. The entry fee for the contest is $50.

Contestants are eligible to win one of 500 prizes including a new F-150 truck or $25,000 cash! The 500 prizes, with a total value of over $67,000, will be scattered throughout the top 2,000 places based on point-awarded fish values.

Fish length will be entered into the app to the closest one-fourth-inch increment. The tournament officials will convert that length to the corresponding point value for that species. Participants are subject to all applicable licensing requirements, as well as local, state, and federal laws. For more information on tournament rules and a complete breakdown of the length-to-points conversion scale, visit www.virtualicefishing.org.

Tickets for the event are on sale now through the FishDonkey app. Visit www.vitualicefishing.org for more information and follow the event’s updates on Facebook.

About the Brainerd Jaycees
The Brainerd Jaycees is a non-profit organization made up of members between the ages of 18 to 40. The mission of the organization is to provide development opportunities that empower young people to create positive change. The organization hosts many events throughout the year and all proceeds raised get donated back to local charities and organizations. One of the primary events is the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza. The first contest was held in January of 1991. The founders never expected the event would become the world’s largest ice fishing contest and put Brainerd, MN on the map. The winter event generates over $1 million in revenue for area business and over $150,000 for area charities annually. Over $3 million has been donated since its inception.

• All photos must be taken through the FishDonkey app and measurements must be on a valid measuring board.
• Fish should be recorded immediately and measurements noted by length.
• All submissions must include at least two photographs: 1) A pic of you holding the fish 2) A pic of the fish on the measuring board.

Close the fish’s mouth. The nose should touch the bump of the measuring board (the belly is facing you). The measurement photo needs to include the entire fish on the board. If the fish tail is touching the graduation line on the board then that is the exact measurement. If the tail crosses a graduation line, round up ¼”.

• All participants must have their fish submitted before the end of the tournament.