NAIFC

Best ice fishermen in the nation to be at Lake Osakis on January 4.
by Karin L. Nauber, Staff Writer, Independent News Herald

Carrin Baker, age 9, taking the hook out of a blue gill's mouth during the NAIFC qualifying event held last year on Chisago Lake. This tournament is open to everyone.

If you are a fisherman or woman, you probably have a story to tell about the one that got away and maybe about the one that didn’t, too. It’s the one that doesn’t get away that is going to be important to local and from around the nation fishermen and women on January 4 on Lake Osakis at the Head of the Lakes Resort. On January 4, the NAIFC (North American Ice Fishing Circuit) will hold its first tournament for 2009 on Lake Osakis. This is quite a big deal for ice fishermen and there is a lot of money at stake, too.

Kevin Winkler of Browerville, along with others, helped get the tournament to come to the area. He said that it was important for local fishermen to realize that this tournament is open to everyone. “It’s not just open to people who have fished past tournaments. It is open to anyone–everyone. There are a lot of good fishermen here in these local communities. Some of them are fishing icons in the community and it is open to them. It is open to children, to adults, to everyone,” he said. Winkler is excited about the tournament and the fact that it is so close to home.

There is also the potential for winning part of the pot which is expected to have a $21,000 payout. First place will payout up to $7500. The payout is based on 150 teams.

Part of what is exciting for Winkler with the NAIFC tournament is the kids camps. He loves seeing kids learn about a sport that he enjoys. There will be two of these kids camp classes. One will be at the VFW in Long Prairie and the other will be at the General Store in Osakis. “They will learn about proper gear for ice fishing including proper safety gear,” said Winkler. He said they will show the kids the modern fishing equipment and how to use it. “After the class part, they will meet up at Head of the Lakes Resort and pro-staffers will be there to help get the kids set up with trying out the things they learned in the classroom,” he said.

For the adults, there is a seminar Friday night at the Long Prairie VFW featuring Dave Genz as the speaker. After Genz’s seminar, those attending will split into groups lead by NAIFC Touring Pro-Staff to discuss fishing techniques in detail. On Saturday morning those same groups will meet at the Head of the Lakes Resort where the NAIFC Pro-Staff will show those same techniques out on Lake Osakis.

Kevin Winkler of Browerville with a nice sized blue gill. Blue gills and crappies are what will be fished for during the tournament.

This tournament came at a cost–$5000 to be exact–but the people who helped sponsor it felt it was more than worth the investment. Winkler said that Shawn Hennings of Osakis was instrumental in getting the tournament here. “He was going to put up his own money to keep the tournament in the area,” said Winkler. In the past, a tournament had been held in Alexandria, but Alexandria did not want to continue with it. “Shawn set the ball in motion in the Osakis area to keep this tournament local,” said Winkler. Hennings was able to get money and sponsors to keep the tournament in the area.
Head of Lakes Resort owners, Rick and Connie Spanswick, put up $2000 to help bring the contest to the area. The Long Prairie Tourism Commission put up an additional $2500 and the General Store put in $500. “If this tournament comes here year after year, people from out of the area will begin to plan their family vacations in the area. They will come to the lake to do pre-fishing for the tournament. The long-term dollar effect will be that it will keep bringing money into the area as long as it is held here,” said Winkler.

The tournament in Osakis will be the first in this year’s circuit. “Local teams can win this. There are so many good anglers around here,” said Winkler. “Local fishermen have the ‘home field’ advantage if you’ve done your homework.”

The following is from a press release from the NAIFC.

Each year the NAIFC conducts qualifying tournaments throughout the ice belt from North Dakota to Vermont with the top 10 teams at each tournament qualifying for the NAIFC Championship.

The Osakis Qualifying Tournament is open to the first 150 two- person teams that enter. Teams must find their own fish and drill their own holes.

Walking, ATVs and snowmobiles are the mode of transportation and portable fish shelters are allowed. The tournament’s fishing hours are from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will focus on blue gills and crappies.

New to the NAIFC this year is the ICE MEN Reality TV program that will be aired on the Sportsman Channel. Camera crews will be present prior to and during the tournament. Progress of teams during the tournament will be followed and aired on the ICE MEN program.

It is always interesting to see how the “locals” with their inside information stack up against the teams that travel the NAIFC. Many current teams of the NAIFC started at the local qualifying level and have worked their way up to be contenders at the national level.

For more information on the Lake Osakis NAIFC Tournament, contact Head of the Lakes Resort at 320-859-4252. To enter the tournament call Kathy at 320-252-0428. To learn more about the NAIFC go to www.naifc.com