BLC February Newsletter

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February 2026 BLC Newsletter

Meetings are the 2nd Tuesday of the month, 7pm @ the Nisswa American Legion

Hello Everyone,

It's hard to think about Muskie fishing when the temps are below zero. But the season is right around the corner, come on out to the Minnesota Muskie Expo February 27th-March 1. You can get all the newest gadgets and gear you'll need for the upcoming season. While you're there swing buy the BLC booth and sign up for the Shootout in October. Those who sign up at the expo will get entered into a drawing for some baits made by our chapter members. It's a great way to support the muskie industry.

Shortly after the Expo we have our annual Sportsman's Banquet, March 21. It will be held at the Cragun's Pine Ballroom again this year. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year. It helps do many of the things we do throughout the year. From all the youth events we're a part of, to muskie research and stocking.

It's that time of year where the high school fishing teams are looking to fill their teams. If you have a youth angler in your life, reach out to your local school and get them signed up. We can use more kids on the water.

Levi Stifter

February 10th Meeting • Hays Baldwin • 7:00 p.m.

Hays Baldwin will be joining us in February to talk ice fishing! Hays brings experience from all around the state, spending a lot of time in the Brainerd Lakes Area as well as extensive time in the metro and Lake Vermilion.

* Find Hays on his Instagram and Facebook

Meetings are open to the public and FREE to attend! Chance to win various prizes from lures or maybe a rod in our meeting raffles. Come to hear and share fish stories and more. One random door prize drawing for those in attendance. Bring your friends!

* 2nd Tuesday of the Month - Nisswa American Legion - 7 pm *

February 10th

Monthly Meeting - Guest Speaker - Hays Baldwin

March 10th

Monthly Meeting - Guest Speaker - Matt Seifert

March 21st

22nd Annual BLC Sportsman's Banquet

BLC 22nd Annual Sportsman's Banquet

March 21, 2026

The Brainerd Lakes Chapter is excited to be planning for the 22nd Annual Sportsman's Banquet. Tickets are now available on the BLC website and the event is just 6 weeks away!

Buy Tickets Here

We have sold this event out for 4 consecutive years since it was moved back to Cragun's. Buy your tickets early so you don't miss out before they're gone!

Photo Request

We're looking for pictures! If you have fish pictures from the 2025 season, we would love to see them. Muskies are great, but it can be any species. And bonus points for pictures of kids with fish! We are starting to collect these now for our slideshow that we have playing at the banquet in March.

Please send photos that you would like to have included to Levi at levistifter1@gmail.com

Jeff Young Memorial Muskie Shootout

October 3-4, 2026

Registration is now open! It's never too early to start planning for our annual tournament! The Jeff Young Memorial Muskie Shootout will once again be heading back to Agency Bay Lodge on Leech Lake. Agency Bay Lodge has been a great partner for us and they help us put on a great event. He hope you will be able to join us on October 3rd and 4th this year.

Find the BLC at the MN Muskie Expo

The Minnesota Muskie Expo is being held the last weekend of February, February 27 to March 1. While the State Fairgrounds are undergoing a remodel, the Expo has found a NEW temporary home for this year at Canterbury Park in Shakopee. Come check out all of the great vendors and a great schedule of speakers.

The BLC will have a booth as well. Come find us just to say hello, buy your banquet tickets, sign up for the 2026 Shootout, or just chat to see what we all have planned for 2026.

2026 Gil Hamm Chapter Challunge

The 2026 Gil Hamm Chapter Challunge will be held on the Eagle River Chain in Eagle River, Wisconsin from August 26th to 28th. The winning chapter each year has the honor of hosting the following year. And the Bemidji Cass Chapter will be the host this year. Chapters can put together as many teams as they would like to fish (up to 6 anglers per team) and this cost is paid for by the chapter. You'll be responsible for lodging and there should be announcements soon on some discounted rates at the host resort. Stay tuned for more details!

Bump Boards for Sale

As a board (no pun intended) we made the decision to invest in some new bump boards for the Jeff Young Memorial Muskie Shootout that we hold every fall on Leech Lake. We did this to add both the chapter and shootout logos to the boards. But we also wanted to support an operational bump board company in Muskie Bumper. The original bump boards for the Shootout were from T's Tackle and they have not been in business for a number of years now.

So that means we have a bunch of bump boards that we need to find new homes for! Are you in need of one for yourself or know someone that is? These are all in excellent condition, with the majority still looking essentially brand new. And we are selling these for just $70 each. A similar bump board purchased brand new will cost over $120. So this is a great deal and they will be first come, first served.

We will have a few available at each of our monthly meetings until they are gone. If you would like to reserve one to make sure we have one for you at our next meeting, just respond to this email to let us know.

Discounts for BLC Members

The BLC has worked hard to grow our list of sponsors. And we have partnered with several of them to bring you discounts through their companies. As a BLC member, you can get discounts through the following BLC sponsors.