Minnesota winters are great for many outdoor activities. Snowmobiling, late season hunting, downhill skiing and most of all ice fishing. Brought into the lime light by the 1993 comedy, Grumpy Old Men, ice fishing is one of the most popular winter events, in Minnesota today.
From dark house spearing to angling, winter fishing has been a Minnesota tradition for hundreds of years. In the early season, when the ice reaches 3-4in thick, many begin to walk out onto the ice with their large stack of gear, including small canvas shelters, ice augers, different styles of rods and reels, jigs of every color, a sonar flasher and most of all a heater, all in hope of catching a trophy fish. From small perch to a record setting walleye, the thrill of pulling a fish up through the ice is second to none. Stern Rubber lies right in the heart of one of the largest ice fishing areas in the Midwest. With lakes such as Gull, the Whitefish Chain, and even the great Lake of the Woods, all within 250 miles our Staples location, the opportunity to get out on the ice is endless.
As the ice fishing season begins to progress in the area, small cities soon begin to form on the area lakes, as anglers head onto the ice in their pick-ups and bring out their large fish houses designed for comfort. Many of these shelters, contain beds, tables, stoves and ovens, and most of all a good heating system. At this point in the season, the fishing goes from the case of catching a record fish, to just getting out and enjoying time with friends and family.
Although ice fishing is a popular individual sport, many gather every year for large ice fishing events across the state, including the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza and the Fishing for Ducks event, that offer great prizes for trophy fish. These events bring out thousands of ice fishing enthusiasts at one time, to test their luck against one another.
Today, ice fishing has grown into a billion-dollar industry surrounding the thrill of catching a trophy fish. From small shanties to permanent shelters, and all the accessories needed to go with them, one would think the fish don’t even have a chance. So if you are ever in Stern Rubber’s back yard and feel the urge to fish, check out one of the area’s many lakes and try your luck ice fishing, you may just get hooked, or like some locals make the front page of the paper.
It is always a thrill to see someone you know in the local paper. In Thursday’s Brainerd Daily Dispatch, Taylor Richardson from Pillager, MN, was on the front page. Taylor’s Mom, Lynn Richardson works in the Trimming Dept. at Stern Rubber Company.
(Thanks for the picture of Taylor goes to Steve Kohls and the Brainerd Daily Dispatch.)