At the largest charitable ice fishing tourney in the world aka the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza on Gull Lake, MN!

They had nearly 12,000 people fishing (for roughly $275K in prizes) and it was 13-yr-old Zac Padrnos who took home the top honors with a huuuuge 9.45-lb walleye!!! 🙌

This awesome In-Fisherman write-up has all of the details. Few excerpts below:

He reeled in the winning walleye on just 2- or 3-lb line 😳 using a pink/white tungsten jig dressed with a waxworm. Nicely played, dude!

> "We were fishing in 55' when the walleye appeared on my electronics [suspended] at 30'. I cranked up my bait to face level with the fish, and he ate it. The fish was temporarily tangled up and my uncle reached into the water to work it free and pull it through the hole. People all around us were cheering and clapping, and it was an exciting moment for sure!"

Now here's Zac's father, Eric Padrnos, talking:

There's a bunch more photos and info in the full In-Fisherman write-up here. And in case you didn't know:

> The event drew anglers from all over the globe, from as far away as Australia and France, and raised tens of thousands for local causes. In fact, the Brainerd Jaycees say over the Extravaganza's 33-yr history, more than $4.3 mil has been raised and donated to more than 75 different charities.

The 34th-annual Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza is set for Feb 3, 2024.

Apparently this Myles Rounds video shows what happens when "harsh WY wind blows across the ice and causes it to roll like waves."

Never have I ever seen anything like it. 🙅‍♂️ #HardPass #NoThanks #CheckMeDrawers

I'll take "Things you'll never catch me doing" for $1 million, Alex. 😳

Had an absolute blast spending a couple days up at Lake of the Woods! We were targeting walleye and sauger out in the muddy basin, but of course we're always hoping for that bonus burbot bite because it could happen anywhere, anytime....

We actually ended up catching 4 burbot (2 at night out of a Border View Lodge sleeper house, and 2 in the middle of the day from a Sportsman's Lodge day house) including probably the biggest one I have ever seen in my life. Can't wait to get back up there!

Btw all of the gear I used (specific sizes, weights, rod, reel, you name it) is linked in the video's description. Hope you dig it and thx SO much for watching!

More on-ice videos coming soon-ish....

Jason "you already know the name" Mitchell (my words, not his lol) says the amount of snow and slush on some lakes has made the basin patterns even more powerful as it has caused a lot of weeds to die-off in shallow water.

Here's Jason and Tony Mariotti going over some key basin features they're looking for as we move into early-Feb:

Aside from color, these jigs might look extremely similar at first glance...

...but there's a few tiny details that can make a big difference when it comes to icing hardwater panfish, and the type of meat – or, uh, vegetarian option – you have on the business end of the presentation.

The VMC Tungsten Tubby Jig shines w/ live bait (euro larva, waxworms, etc).

The VMC Tungsten Mongo Jig excels w/ plastics.

These are the same jigs as pictured above, only shot from a different angle. The 1/16-oz Tungsten Mongo Jig (top) and a 1/16-oz Tungsten Tubby (bottom). Now it's probably a little easier to play the "spot the differences game," eh?

The Tungsten Tubby already has a VMC Power Gap hook – aka wider round gap compared to other micro jigs in equal sizes = increases your hookup percentage. Though it still has the shorter shank which is ideal for having a compact, inhale-able option when fishing "meat."

But if you prefer fishing plastics, I 10/10 recommend checking out the VMC Tungsten Mongo Jigs with X-long Power Gap hooks. They bumped-up the hook size on each compared to the Tungsten Tubby (1/16-oz: #8 hook, instead of #10...1/32-oz: #10 hook, instead of #12). Makes 'em fit plastics beautifully and less chance of fish just nipping at the tails 'n not getting a hook to their snoot.

Did you notice the slight difference in head shape? The Mongo's head has a flat bottom so that plastics sit flush.

Why is that such a big deal? 'Cuz if your plastic isn't perfectly straight, it's going to cause the bait to spin in a circle when you jig it. If you don't believe me, try it in your ice hole just a couple inches under the water before you drop down. That "spin of death" can stop fish right in their tracks and send 'em in the opposite direction.

Want another example that's often overlooked? Too bad I'm giving it to you anyway.

Both of these jigs have a 90-degree hook eye which helps to keep your jig in the perfect horizontal position. Of course it all depends on the day, the fish's mood, personal preference...but I tend to get more bites with tungsten that sits perfectly horizontal vs offset at a 45-degree angle.

Just one more minor detail to pay attention to when buying panfish tungsten based on your own personal preference. And little snippets that can go unnoticed on the ice, but may be the reason buddy is 5 fish up on you in the next hole over.

Of course you can make all this fishing schtuff as complicated or simple as you want...but paying attention to minor details can and will get you more bites when it matters.

I'm not trying to make you go out and spend a ton of money on more panfish jigs. Just spewing a few of the differences you might already have going on in that big box of tungsten you've already accumulated over the years. And if you are hitting the aisles to stock up, I'll apologize in advance for the "sticker shock" at check-out lol:

When you realize how much $$$ you've spent on fishing tackle:

...didn't return home as expected. 😥 Ugh. Sounds like his ATV went thru. Prayers to the family.

For now he received a $50 gas card and was entered into the contest...but the tagged fish could be worth $100K and a new Lund boat from Spicer's Boat City in Houghton Lake – the grand prize in Houghton Lake Area Tourism Bureau's (HLATB) "Catch Us If You Can" year-round fishing contest.

There's a $25 fee to enter the tournament – register here.

Presented by the Brainerd Jaycees – who also host the world's largest in-person ice fishing derby. This 3rd-annual virtual event will be open to anyone in the U.S. who has fishable ice and will be hosted thru the FishDonkey app from 8am to 3pm on Sat, Feb 4.

Bunch more info here.

The spring spawning migrations starts a bit early down yonder!

The 24th annual derby is on Fish Hook Lake. More than $125K in prizes up for grabs.

...is happening Feb 11.

Ciscos and lake whitefish.

A brushless motor is supposed to be quieter, more powerful and use less power. Tho it's hard to imagine the Minn Kota Ultrex being even better than it already is 😳💪 thing is an absolute workhorse.

Easy...the University of IL researchers must not have forward-facing sonar yet. 🤷‍♂️😂

Quick rundown of inline ice-fishing reels from Matt Johnson – guy knows his stuff. It's not all about reducing line twist...it's also about sloooowinnnng dowwwwnnnn:

This one goes out to our Canadian friends up there in America's hat:

If Matt Johnson (Mr. Inline Reel from up above) is getting excited about a panfish, you know it's a good one. This freakshow hybrid (cross between a pumpkinseed and a bluegill) scarfed his Clam Pinhead Pro Spoon worked halfway in the water column. GREAT shot!

National Professional Anglers Assoc.