Northern pike dominated the leaderboard during the virtual event.
Written By: Gabriel D. Lagarde
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5:46 pm, Feb. 2, 2021
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People fish on Hole-in-the-Day Bay Saturday, Jan. 30, while participating in the virtual version of the Brainerd Jaycees $150,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza. Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch
BRAINERD, MInn. -- A northern pike measuring 40.5 inches was the largest fish caught during the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza, a virtual event that resulted in organizers needing more than 53 hours to verify the weekend results.
In light of this year’s unprecedented format, the No. 1 ranked largest fish and the winner of the grand prize — a GMC or Ford truck — were separate entries, unlike prior competitions. Concerns that the virtual tournament would weaken oversight by organizers and encourage cheating, the Jaycees instead established the major prizes at random points on the leaderboard to discourage fraudulent entries. In turn, fish were judged in terms of length, instead of weight as in previous years.