WINTER weather brings its own diverse sporting events across the Midwest, and for some sportsmen and women it means icehouses and favorite fishing spots. During the months of January and February, many northern Midwesterners make their way to frozen lakes and create unique winter villages and communities.
On the Saturday following the Super Bowl, many of these ice fishing fans take up semi-permanent residence on Lac qui Parle Lake in southwest Minnesota, near Watson, for the Ice Castle Classic. “We believe what sets us apart from other tournaments is that we offer the best prize value per the amount of contestants we normally have,” expressed Chad Hiepler, Tournament Coordinator. “We pride ourselves in being one of the top two or three ice tournaments in the state.” This ice fishing tournament is a large-scale, high-payout event offering 50 prizes at a total value of over $85,000 — this includes three different ice houses.
Lac qui Parle Lake offers an array of fish species including walleye, northern, crappie, perch, sunfish, bullhead, and many more. “Any legal fish species counts at our tournament, and it isn’t broken down into any specific category,” explained Hiepler. This makes the event easier and open to any type of fishing individual; young, old, new, seasoned, and anyone in need of ADA accessibility.
The 6th annual event, held on February 9, 2019, had a few challenges, especially in regard to the weather. “The amount of snow on the lake, along with the bitter cold temps had an affect on participation this year,” said Hiepler. With Watson, MN being a small community, gathering volunteers can also be a struggle. Luckily, the great volunteers toughed out the conditions and things went quite smoothly for the crew, aside from some long days. “The group of people that do help are very committed, which makes all the difference,” Hiepler raved. “Without the help of these exceptional volunteers, we couldn’t pull off such a great event.”
Planning for the 7th annual tournament is already underway. “[Planning] starts the day of the current tournament,” Hiepler explained. By making the effort to keep contacts and relationships with the businesses and organizations which help out with the tournament and repeating what has worked, the planning process continues throughout the year. “The CVB has been a big part of this event since the beginning,” added Hiepler. “Each year we partner with them in advertising, and the CVB helps offset some of the cost with this. In return, we offer free vouchers to participate in the tournament at each of the hotels in the area who are associated with the CVB. They pass this along to their customers who stay at the hotel, so it’s a win-win situation.”
On the Saturday following the Super Bowl, many of these ice fishing fans take up semi-permanent residence on Lac qui Parle Lake in southwest Minnesota, near Watson, for the Ice Castle Classic. “We believe what sets us apart from other tournaments is that we offer the best prize value per the amount of contestants we normally have,” expressed Chad Hiepler, Tournament Coordinator. “We pride ourselves in being one of the top two or three ice tournaments in the state.” This ice fishing tournament is a large-scale, high-payout event offering 50 prizes at a total value of over $85,000 — this includes three different ice houses.
Lac qui Parle Lake offers an array of fish species including walleye, northern, crappie, perch, sunfish, bullhead, and many more. “Any legal fish species counts at our tournament, and it isn’t broken down into any specific category,” explained Hiepler. This makes the event easier and open to any type of fishing individual; young, old, new, seasoned, and anyone in need of ADA accessibility.
The 6th annual event, held on February 9, 2019, had a few challenges, especially in regard to the weather. “The amount of snow on the lake, along with the bitter cold temps had an affect on participation this year,” said Hiepler. With Watson, MN being a small community, gathering volunteers can also be a struggle. Luckily, the great volunteers toughed out the conditions and things went quite smoothly for the crew, aside from some long days. “The group of people that do help are very committed, which makes all the difference,” Hiepler raved. “Without the help of these exceptional volunteers, we couldn’t pull off such a great event.”
Planning for the 7th annual tournament is already underway. “[Planning] starts the day of the current tournament,” Hiepler explained. By making the effort to keep contacts and relationships with the businesses and organizations which help out with the tournament and repeating what has worked, the planning process continues throughout the year. “The CVB has been a big part of this event since the beginning,” added Hiepler. “Each year we partner with them in advertising, and the CVB helps offset some of the cost with this. In return, we offer free vouchers to participate in the tournament at each of the hotels in the area who are associated with the CVB. They pass this along to their customers who stay at the hotel, so it’s a win-win situation.”
