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Cover Story Winter fishing in the frozen North Spectacle omlce Alan Wroolie, 14, sits on an upturned plastic bucket in the middle of frozen Gull Lake near Brainerd, Minn. (pep. 13,718), and drops his baited hook into a coffee can sized hole in the 2-foot thick ice. “Just a hook and a hole," Wroolie says. "It’s about all you need to ice fish.” Every minute or so Wroolie lifts die tip of his pole up, then allows it to drop down a foot or two, hoping die movement of the bait—a large shiner minnow'—attracts a fish in the deep dark water 30 feet below. Mostly, though, lie just sits and waits, watch ( ing the thousands of other contestants in the world’s largest ice fishing tournament. Last January, Wroolie and nearly 10,(XX) anglers paid $45 each to take part in the 15th annual Brainerd Jaycees Ice | Fishing Extravaganza, a three-hour tournament in which iL participants endured subffeezing temperatures and Kgt bone-chilling winds for a chance to win SISO,(XX) in Kj: cash and prizes. “This tournament gives people who’ve never tried ice fishing a chance see how easy it is." says Bob Slayhaugh, president ot the Brainerd ; J, 1 Jaycees, who host the event and fund local clwriries with proceeds West had i vear-olds catch fish here Danny Ball, 10, patiently waits for a bite on frozen Gull Lake. Sarah Dano, of Brainerd, Minn., displays her catch. Diehard anglers tolerate the bitter weather because fishing is a way of life in die frozen North, and hefty prizes provide an incentive to get off of the couch and wet a line at hundreds of ice fishing tournaments across the country each winter. At the Brainerd tournament, anglers who catch the 150 heaviest fish win prizes ranging from fishing gear to a new pickup truck. Some contestants travel long distances to attend the festive event where people grill brarwursts, toss footballs and stand in line at one of the 40 food tents before a cannon fires a firework shell into the air signaling the start of the spectacular fishing contest. “We live in Oklahoma, so we don't do much ice fishing,” says Wroolie, wearing winter boots borrowed from a cousin. “My family and I drove all the way from Konawa—it’s 908 miles —to visit rela tives here and go ice fishing.” “It gives us a reason to get up North and get outdoors," says Alan’s dad, Dennis. “We’ve come here for eight years. It’s about the Page 6 Nationally, 2.6 million anglers spend time ice fishing each year, according to the American Recre ation Coalition. by STEVE LANGE Photos by Ken Klotzbach Wintertime sport Ice fishing is a popular winter pasdme from Alaska to Maine, and in every state in between where freezing temperatures turn water into ice thick enough to support die weight of an angler, his gear, a shelter and maybe even his pickup truck. Depending on the location and the weather, the spar can commence as early as October and continue as late as April. “People ice fish for the same rea sons people climb die Grand Tetons or hike through the desert," Slay baugh says. “It’s communing with nature, and nature, up North in win ter, is cdd.” •American Profile