NAIFC

Ice Anglers Line Up for NAIFC

Some of the most respected names in ice angling will compete head to head on determined lakes across the Midwest in an epic battle of sorts. Like the Ice Team Trap Attacks of years past, this epic battle is the NAIFC where many of the top ice anglers in the country will test their skills and luck. The NAIFC (North American Ice Fishing Circuit) has quickly earned a reputation as a breeding ground for many of the cutting edge tactics revolutionizing winter angling.

According to tournament director, Mike McNett, this tournament circuit attracts many of the best ice anglers because the tournaments are challenging and educational. “Many of the top teams learn from each other, this is a melting pot of ideas, strategy and tactics that reaches the whole ice fishing belt from east to west. Top competitors have emerged from the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and New York.” Two person teams compete and fish against other teams for lucrative cash purses and other sponsor donations. What do these competitors love about the NAIFC? This is real fishing. The teams drill their own holes, discuss and implement strategy, move and relocate within the tournament boundaries and attempt to target specific species needed to win. So far, the NAIFC has focused on pan-fish; sunfish, perch and crappie. Unlike many ice tournaments, this isn’t bingo on ice where contestants have to fish in a small crowded area using pre-drilled holes. “These anglers approach these tournaments just like a bass angler would approach a B.A.S.S. or F.L.W. Tournament, often pre-fishing before the actual tournament,” explains McNett. Strategy, presentation and location are all-important factors to fine tune for contestants to crack the top of the field.

The beauty of competitive ice angling however is the price tag. On many professional bass or walleye circuits, anglers might need a boat and motor package that retails over fifty thousand dollars. Several rods, trays of tackle and other accessories might cost anglers several thousands of additional dollars. Many professional bass and walleye anglers don’t have the sponsor support so expenses come out of pocket. Ice fishing however is a working man’s passion. According to McNett, many anglers have done well with a minimum of equipment. The basics include ice rods, sonar and auger. Many of the teams also use some sort of GPS, portable fish house like the popular Fish Trap and ATV or snowmobile.

On the ice, anglers without the latest and greatest of equipment can still compete as there is much skill to ice angling. While many bass and walleye tournament anglers complain about teams networking and the cost of competing against anglers with unlimited budgets who can burn over three hundred dollars in gas running forty or more miles one way over water to reach big fish, the contestants fishing the NAIFC reveal a different tone. McNett explains that the boundaries are reasonable to keep everyone on a level playing field. “We don’t want these tournaments to be intimidating for beginning competitors. We are also very watchful of any potential cheating. We don’t play favorites and try to give each contestant a level playing field so that they can rely on their skills and knowledge to win.”

Going into the 2009 Season, all eyes are on Myron Gilbert and Joe Pikulski from central Michigan. This team won Team of the Year honors last year on the NAIFC but this pair of anglers are also past Team of the Year winners on the Ice Team Trap Attack Series. This team will be tough to reckon with in 2009 as well. The competition is stiff enough where just about any team can potentially win on any body of water but other teams to keep an eye on include Jim and Glen Martin from Michigan and Jim Kusuda and Terry Rodgers from Wisconsin.

While the competition may be fierce, the tone is relaxed. Anglers enjoy the sportsmanship displayed by their fellow competitors and ice fishing in general seems to spew plenty of good will. Many local anglers volunteer as observers just to learn more about modern ice angling tactics. Seasoned veterans are known to help and mentor new and beginning competitors. Seminars, kids fishing clinics and other events accompany each tournament. To find out more about the NAIFC, go to their web site for complete listing of tournament rules, sponsors and schedule at www.naifc.com, great organization with a great passion for ice fishing.

This article appears in Midwest Outdoors magazine.