BLC September Newsletter

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September 2026 BLC Newsletter

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

Wow, where has the time gone? Gil Hamm has come and gone, most of the planned fishing trips are over and school is firing back up. If you're anything like me, you're already thinking and planning on next summers fishing adventures. One of my favorite fishing adventures the last few years has been the Gil Hamm Chapter Challenge, this is a family fun fishing event. So, if you're looking for something a little different for next summer consider signing up for the Gil Hamm.

I'm not sure if you've heard about the Muskie debate happening in South Dakota right now. As of now SD is a catch and release state. But there are some people that are wanting to make it a 45" harvest. SD is a fairly new muskie fishery so many of the fish are just at the 45" mark. I had a good phone conversation and several emails with Jacob Cheeseman. He has spent his time and has done his due diligence on fighting this. He has reached out to multiple Muskies Inc chapters asking for support in keeping SD a C&R state. He feels like the table is leaning in his direction, but he's asking for us to sign a petition and write public comments. There will be a zoom meeting September 10 at 1 pm if you're able to log into that, he would be thankful for that support also. There is more information and links to three items directly below this note. If we could all step up and come together as Muskies Inc. This would be a step in the right direction for all muskies across the muskie range.

Fair Chase and Tight Lines

Levi Stifter

South Dakota Muskies Need Our Help

We've often asked anglers from outside Minnesota to help us when we've fought for things like stocking new waters and increasing minimum size limits. Now it's our turn to return the favor to our neighbors in South Dakota.

South Dakota currently requires catch and release for all muskies. However, the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission is considering a proposal that would allow anglers to harvest one muskie per day, with a 45-inch minimum length.

If you believe South Dakota's muskies should remain a catch-and-release fishery, please take a couple of minutes to make your voice heard:

Sign the online petition supporting continued catch and release.
Submit an official comment through the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks online form asking that the proposed change be rejected.
Link to the Zoom Meeting on September 10th at 1:00 pm

A few minutes of your time could help protect a trophy muskie fishery for years to come.

Jake Cheeseman, who created the petition, has sent out an informational email that we'd encourage you to read as well.

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!

September 8th

Monthly Meeting - Guest Speaker - Chase Gibson

September 12th

BLC Memorial Outing - Mantrap Lake - 7am to 3pm

Upcoming Outings

Sept 19th; Leech Lake • 7am-3pm
Oct 10; Gull Lake • 9am-3pm

October 3-4

Jeff Young Memorial Muskie Shootout

October 13th

Monthly Meeting - Guest Speaker - TBD

Jeff Young Memorial Muskie Shootout

October 3-4, 2026

This year's Shootout is only one month away! 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.

The online Shootout Merchandise Store is open! Find new colors and clothing options, all with the official Jeff Young Memorial Shootout logo!

Limited long-sleeve and hooded sweatshirt options are available at the tournament for purchase, as well.

All clothing options must be paid for at the time of order and can be picked up at the rules meeting with FREE shipping.

https://muskiesjeffyoungmemorial.itemorder.com/shop/home/

For more information on the Mantrap Lake Campground, please check out this website:

https://www.exploreminnesota.com/profile/mantrap-lake-campground-day-use-area/449

*This is NOT one of the regularly scheduled MHOTY events*

2026 Gil Hamm Chapter Challunge

The 2026 Gil Hamm Chapter Challunge was held on the Eagle River Chain in Eagle River, Wisconsin from August 26th to 28th.

The BLC sent two teams and finished in 2nd and 4th place, respectively. Our very own youth member, Nolan Stifter took home big fish honors from the event with a 46"er!

2026 BLC Muskie Hunter of the Year (MHOTY)/Outings Schedule

June

13th; Lake Alexander/Shamineau • 7am-3pm
27th; Bemidji Memorial tournament - Coincide with Bemidji tournament and all tournament lakes • 5am-4pm

July

7th; Virtual (any muskie lake) - Ladies & kids get double points for muskies caught • 4pm to 10pm
18th; Lake Miltona - potluck at Noon • 7am-10pm

August

1st; Lake Inguadona • 7am-3pm
15th; Virtual (any muskie lake) - Sponsorship outing - fish must be caught using a BLC sponsors lure • 7am-10pm

September

1st; Virtual (any muskie lake) - Topwater challenge • 4pm-9pm
19th; Leech Lake • 7am-3pm

October

10th; Gull Lake • 9am-3pm
24th; Lake Roosevelt • 9am-3pm

**Schedule subject to change**

** Potluck picnic to follow after most outings**

Find our entire outing schedule, results and MHOTY standings on the website.

BLC Memorial Outing

September 12

Mantrap Lake - 7am to 3pm

This is separate from the MHOTY schedule and is run a bit more like a tournament style with prizes for the winner as well as big fish pot and raffles afterwards.

2026 BLC Release Standings

Current Release Standings

If you would like to participate in our 2026 release contest or be eligible for a free replica, please make sure to check out the above link and scroll down for requirements. Also remember that it can pay to participate in our release contest. All fish registered the previous month will go into a monthly drawing at our monthly meetings for a $25 Musky Tackle Online gift card. Must be present to win!

Youth Night Recap

The Brainerd Lakes Muskies Inc. Chapter held their annual youth night on Tuesday August, 11th 2026 at the Nisswa Community Center.

What a great turnout - THANK YOU to all of the participants that joined us for a great night of learning and fun!

Area youth had the chance to build a couple of lures, learn knot tying, perfect their casting skills, get their eyes on some fish species that can be found in the Brainerd area as well as some invasive species, and make a couple casts into LUNDker Lake to catch some fish.

Another THANK YOU goes out to the following:

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources - Brainerd Area Fisheries and Water Resources

Tim Bray with LUNDker Lake

Tutt’s Bait and Tackle

Pure Fishing

Modifications Boutique

J3 Tackle, LLC

All of the volunteers!

With another successful year in the books, we are so excited be able to offer this for event for years to come!

Check out our slideshow of pictures from the new on the website.

BLC 50” Club and First Muskie Club

Catch a 50”+ muskie during the 2026 Muskie season, or catch your FIRST muskie and automatically get in for an annual, commemorative shirt!

Here’s how it works:

You must be a current member in good standing as of the time the fish was caught
Submit a release form, minimum, to the BLC

Send us your photos - we’d love to be able to post these to social media, use in the newsletter, submit to MUSKIE magazine, use at the end of the year, and more! These photos can be of any fish caught throughout the season, not just the biggest fish - all Muskies matter!

Release forms can be filled out online through the Muskies Inc Lunge Log or through the BLC site. Pictures can be sent to our release chairman Nathan Stifter at nathanstifter60@gmail.com throughout the season.

NOT the actual shirt. For attention only.

NOT the actual shirt that you will receive. Image for attention only!

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 $75 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, fill out the below bump board request form.

Bump Board Request Form

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.