BRAINERD – If as advertised 20,000 holes had been drilled in Gull Lake on Friday, at least half were occupied Saturday when the 26th Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza began at noon.
Equal parts party and lottery-on-ice, the extravaganza each winter attracts anglers both serious and silly, many in outfits, and with intonations, that suggest the event is more a product of the Coen brothers' imaginations than a fundraiser.
But the event is a charity benefit, and at stake are prizes worth $150,000, including a new Chevrolet or Ford pickup, winner's choice.
"Chevy," said Dan Volbert of Chaska, when asked which he preferred to take home.
Volbert landed on top of the leaderboard at contest's end, having caught a 5.33 pound walleye on a Rapala Rippin' Rap.
The walleye was pulled through the ice in just 5.8 feet of water at about 1:45 Saturday, and was the biggest of 150 fish that earned prizes, including an ATV, a fish house and other winter valuables.
Contest organizers were surprised by the record number of relatively large fish that were caught, particularly walleyes.
In previous contests, fish weighing about a half-pound — perch mostly — wound up among prize winners. Not this year. Apparently for the first time, the 150th largest fish, a walleye, weighed more than 1 pound — 1.12 pounds, to be exact.