The Midwest Open Ice Fishing Tournament, shown here on Clark Lake in 2011, will take place Sunday at Devils Lake. Citizen Patriot file photo
BROOKLYN, MI – Because of a last-minute change in location, the nation’s highest-paying ice fishing tournament is coming to Devils Lake.
Dangerous ice conditions forced Tom Knutson of Knutson’s Recreational Sale to move the 2013 Midwest Open Ice Fishing Tournament from its initial location of Wamplers lakes to Devils Lake.
“As of Friday, Wamplers Lake looked like it had the better ice and the conditions where we didn’t have boundary issues, but that changed,” Knutson said. “Devils Lake is one of the few areas in this area that has good ice at this moment.”
Last year’s tournament was canceled because of warm temperatures, but that won’t be a consideration this year thanks to the frigid, cold air that moved in this week.
One hundred fifty two-man teams from around the country will compete for a first-place prize of $16,000. Second placed will receive $3,500 while third place will receive $2,000.
The one-day tournament will take place Sunday, Jan. 27. Each team will head out on the ice at 8 a.m. and fish for a total of eight bluegill and eight crappie. Their buckets must be sealed at 1 p.m., and the weigh-in will begin at 2 p.m. at Brooklyn Columbia Central High School.
Addison residents Chad and Denny Tison are no strangers to Devils Lake and the Midwest Open Ice Fishing Tournament.
The two brothers have fished Devils Lake together ever since Denny got a boat about 10 years ago. They have also participated in the last three Midwest Open Ice Fishing Tournaments. The duo finished in the top 30 in their first open in 2009, with their best finish of sixth place in 2011 at Clark Lake.
“We definitely would like to be in the top 20, but we’d like to win it, that’s for sure,” Chad Tison said.
Having fished Devils Lake for the past 10 years, Chad feels the two have an advantage heading into Sunday’s tournament.
“We both know what size fish to expect or what to look for. We can split up in pre-fishing and hit up multiple areas in a short amount of time and come in and talk to each other,” Chad said. “We can kind of feel each other out and kind of know what to expect when we get there.”
For Knutson, and other business owners and sponsors, the tournament isn’t about making money. It’s about growing the tournament, getting their business names out there and bringing in new faces from around the country.
“No. 1, we enjoy doing it. We do use it as a promotional tool for our businesses, but the tournament itself, we don’t make any money off of it,” Knutson said. “It is the largest tournament of its kind in the country, and we just love bringing in all the people into the community from all over the country to fish it.”
Friday 25 January 2013
Midwest Open Ice Fishing Tournament, highest-paying in nation, coming to Devils Lake
via mlive.com
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