Gull ice is nice
For Crow Wing County Sheriff Todd Dahl, it wasn't a sigh of relief - that typically comes after the annual Brainerd Jaycees $150,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza.
So what's the next best thing? Likely the optimism that was evident as Dahl all but announced Wednesday that the permit had been renewed for the Extravaganza, which - "unless anything drastic happens" - will celebrate its 20th anniversary in eight days.
The ice was nearly 20 inches thick in one spot Thursday on Gull Lake's Hole-in-the-Day Bay, site of the annual Brainerd Jaycees $150,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza scheduled Jan. 23. Brainerd Dispatch/Brian S. Peterson » Purchase reprints of this photo.
At 10 a.m. Tuesday, the Crow Wing County Sheriff's Department checked the ice on Hole-in-the-Day Bay on Gull Lake - site of the Extravaganza - and found 18 inches of ice in one spot and a little less in another, Dahl said.
The sheriff's department requires at least 16 inches of ice, and Dahl said he prefers more, before it will renew the permit for the event, scheduled Jan. 23.
"We're certainly very optimistic and it's looking like it's going to be a go," Dahl said Tuesday.
The next morning, an excerpt on a Brainerd Jaycees Facebook page read "Green light and full speed ahead. The sheriff and contest officials were on the ice yesterday and we have received the 'official' permit for the competition - the ice is ready to go."
While that wasn't entirely correct, Dahl reiterated Wednesday that while the sheriff's department will make one more check on the ice Tuesday morning before giving the official go-ahead, he doesn't envision any setbacks.
"What we've been telling people is that we feel very confident it will go forward," Dahl said. "It's a matter of making one more check and making sure everything (is OK)."
A check of the ice by the Dispatch on Thursday morning found about 16 inches in one location - on the fringe of what will be the contest area, a couple hundred yards from the public access at Hole-in-the-Day Bay - and nearly 20 inches at another location closer to the heart of the site. There was about six inches of hard-packed, crusty snow on top of the ice.
"It was actually pretty decent," Dahl said of the quality of the ice the sheriff's department tested Tuesday. "We didn't see a whole lot of slush. That's going to change in the next few days (with warmer weather in the forecast). But the Jaycees always have a plan. With slush, they'll take care of the issues there. And if the ice is low at one point or in the corner, we can move the boundaries. But it was a good quality of ice."
Dahl said ice conditions have been good throughout the county, with thin ice and channels marked clearly for those venturing onto the lakes. And while warmer weather is forecast through next week, Dahl said he didn't believe it would have much effect on ice depths, although there could be slush on top.
In general, Dahl stressed that people should approach frozen lakes as if they're not safe.
"It can be 6 inches in one spot and be 15 inches in another," Dahl said of ice thickness. "Water is constantly moving under ice so we encourage people to be careful, be safe."
According to The Weather Channel Web site, highs in the low 30s are expected through Sunday, and temperatures aren't expected to cool off much next week, with highs in the low 30s to upper 20s throughout the week, including a high of 28 - and a low of 13 - and a 60 percent chance of snow showers projected for the day of the event.
"Unless anything drastic happens, we'll be issuing the permit (Tuesday)," Dahl said. "But I don't breathe a real sigh of relief until the conclusion of the tournament and everyone's safe. But they (the Jaycees) have it down to a science."
The Extravaganza, which typically draws more than 10,000 anglers and is regarded as the biggest ice-fishing tournament in the world, is scheduled from noon to 3 p.m. Jan. 23. According to Mary Devine, Extravaganza marketing coordinator, more than 8,000 tickets had been sold as of Wednesday. Tickets are $45.
"The $20 for 20 (years) promotion (through November) really helped," Devine said.
For tickets or more information, go to www.icefishing.org.
BRIAN S. PETERSON may be reached at brian.peterson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5864.