Highway 371 winds through numerous northern Minnesota cities and towns before eventually running into U.S. Highway 2 in Cass Lake. On its course, the heavily traveled thoroughfare wraps around Gull Lake’s Hole in the Day Bay, the site of the Brainerd Jaycees 8^th Annual $100,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza.

My first peek of the bay came via broken frames through leafless trees. The sight line between cabins and shoreline obstructions revealed hordes of dark figures against a blinding white background. By the time I reached the checkpoint where volunteers were directing media personal and buses of anxious contestants, the sheer massiveness of this event became evident. I have never seen so many people on the ice at one time; in fact, sporting events, rock concerts, and masses at Mecca are possibly the only other venues where more people simultaneously engage in a single activity.

After parking, a courteous volunteer shuttled me to the on-ice contest headquarters via a six-wheeler. The trek out gave me the feeling of being an officer looking over his troops before heading back to the command control center. Thousands of anglers stood, sat, and knelt over acres of holes. Contest organizers claim that somewhere between 16,000 and 18,000 holes were drilled for the event.

Every conceivable combination of walks of life and types of gear covered Gull Lake for three action packed hours. Corporate groups, families, good friends, loners, locals, out-of-state visitors, foreigners, fun seekers, hard core anglers, and even a sampling of harmless weirdoes comprised the faithful. From an equipment standpoint, I witnessed everything from high tech electronics and custom jigging poles to dust covered "dead sticks" and hand line spools. In short, for one afternoon, whether you were a professional guide, or simply a fortune hunter looking for a quick fix, the playing field was equalized.

Just minutes past the noon hour a steady stream of successful anglers made their way to the weigh-in station. Similar to how "the wave" functions at a football game, cheers and raised arms accompanied contestants as they enthusiastically jogged to register fish. Each time hoots and hollers erupted across the bay you knew that someone had hooked a "keeper". Speaking of fish, contest organizers claim that over 580 fish were weighed and registered. I saw jumbo perch, tiny perch, "eater" walleyes, trophy walleyes, hammer-handle pike, tullibee, scrappy rock bass, and even the mysterious eelpout. And because of how contest rules are formulated, just about everything that swims in Gull Lake has the potential to be a winner.

Weather plays a factor in the number of prepaid contestants that show up, as well as the all-important walk-up business on event day. El Nino didn’t attend this year. Balmy 20-degree range temperatures were escorted by light winds and steady bouts of sunshine. Interestingly though, it was when a cloudbank shrouded January’s sun that the leader board changed hands. An eight-pound plus walleye registered during the contest’s final hour drew much attention and media hoopla, but the focus shifted rapidly when Bob Nelson of Starbuck, MN brought his even larger walleye to the scales. Bob’s 9.07-pound walleye earned him the right to drive away in a brand new Ford pickup truck. On the opposite end of the continuum, Leroy Kolstad of Eleva, WI netted $12,500 with his 100^th place .61 ounce perch.

In the opening paragraph I alluded to "inspiration". What makes this event truly special is not the wads of money involved, tremendous prizes, or even the estimated 7,500 anglers who participated in this year’s contest. What makes this competition so inspiring are the people behind it and the cause that motivates them. The Brainerd Jaycees, along with Jaycees from around Minnesota and other local volunteers, dedicate countless hours to pull this thing off. And their chief benefactor is Confidence Learning Center; an amazing outdoor-oriented facility for people with developmental disabilities. The 1998 ice fishing contest, after subtracting all expenses, is expected to generate over $100,000 for Confidence Learning Center. Rest assured, if you fished the contest, but didn’t win any cash or prizes, your greatest reward is knowing your investment goes to assist deserving and appreciative individuals.