BLC October Newsletter

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October 2026 BLC Newsletter

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

Nice work to everyone that was able to help out our friends in South Dakota. They were able to keep South Dakota a catch and release state for muskies. They have now started the first chapter of Muskies Inc in South Dakota - Chapter 79.

I would like to thank all of you that showed up over the weekend to fish and/or help make the 15th annual Jeff Young Memorial tournament a great success. We had multiple chapter members/teams in the top 5 this year. Agency Bay Lodge has agreed to host again next year October 2-3, 2027, so make sure to mark your calendars and tell your buddies. There's always room for more boats.

Please come out and join us this Saturday on Gull Lake. We are hosting our Memorial Outing along with our MOTHY outing, you can find more information below.

During the summer we had to shut down fishing and keep muskies healthy at the top of the list. Now that water and air temps are cooling let's remember our personal safety. Keep life jackets close by and have a plan should you end up in the water.

Fair Chase and Tight Lines

Levi Stifter

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!

October 13th

Monthly Meeting - Guest Speaker - Jace Loge

Upcoming Outings

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

November 10th

Monthly Meeting - Guest Speaker - Gregg Thomas

Jeff Young Memorial Muskie Shootout

Recap

The 2026 Jeff Young Memorial Muskie Shootout is a wrap! As is commonplace with Leech Lake, winds played a factor and the bite proved challenging. Still, a few teams were able to put some fish on the board!

We want to extend a huge thank you to our amazing hosts for this event at Agency Bay Lodge, all of the manufacturers that contributed products for our raffles, those that assisted with organizing and putting on this tournament, and of course, all of the participants that joined us this year.

Congratulations to the 2026 winners, Jace Loge and Darian Rubner! They were the only team to double, which also included a dandy 51"er for big fish of the event.

The dates for next year's event are set for October 2-3, 2027, back at Agency Bay Lodge. Registration for next year's Shootout will open on February 1st.

Check the website for more pictures, including the leaderboard.

Cash Prizes for Top 3

$10 entry to Big Fish Pot

BLC members only tournament. No entry fee

Non members can sign up at check in

Check in from 8:30am - 9am

Full details here

2027 BLC Board Nominations

It’s that time of year when we start thinking about our 2027 BLC board nominations. Chapter elections will take place at our December monthly meeting, and this year we’re accepting nominations electronically.

If you know someone you’d like to nominate—or if you’re interested in serving on the board yourself—please take a moment to complete the nomination form below.

2027 BLC Board Nomination Form

If you have questions about what being a board member involves, we’d be happy to answer them. And if you’re a BLC member, you already meet the requirements to serve.

It’s always great to have new voices on the board. New members bring fresh ideas, different perspectives, and new energy to the things we do as a chapter. We encourage you to consider getting involved!

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

October 10

Gull Lake - 7am to 3pm

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!

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, respond to this email or reach out to any board member.

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.