Due to unconventionally warm weather and unreliable ice conditions in northern Minnesota, the organizers of this year’s Brainerd Jaycee Ice Fishing Extravaganza had to become very creative.

A few days ago, the management announced that the 2024 Extravaganza would become a hybrid tournament, spreading the event over several lakes in the wider Brainerd area.

Today, they have announced the approved lakes for the tournament. This is highly anticipated information because the Extravaganza is only one week away! 

Keep reading this article to learn more about the lakes approved for the Hybrid Ice Fishing Extravaganza and get more important details about this upcoming event.

This year’s ice fishing season has been challenging. To say the least!

Persistent high temperatures, winds, rain, and snow on newly built ice; things haven’t been easy for us ice anglers.

Now, imagine the pressure the event organizers must be under, trying to figure this out and, against all odds, still make the 34th annual Brained Jaycee Extravaganza a reality.

That, dear readers, is a complex task. Yet still, the team seems to have managed to pull it off!

Time was already running out when the team announced that they’d decided to go with a hybrid solution, avoiding that thousands of people would gather on Gull Lake alone.

Today, when they published the approved lakes for the contest, time was even more of the essence!

That shortage of time produces a lot of stress and requires a tremendous amount of focus, which is something the organizers mentioned themselves in today’s online announcement:

“OFFICIAL MAP: The Lakes within the blue lines are the lakes approved for the 2024 Brainerd Jaycees Hybrid Ice Fishing Extravaganza!

Thank you to our committee members who have been working with over 25 different officials to pull this together!

It takes time, dedication, and energy as a volunteer to work tirelessly around the clock to ensure every detail is sorted out!

Stay tuned for more details!“

Below, you can check out the map the team published together with the announcement.

If you want to take a look at a more detailed map, you can follow this link to Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/LUmfGn4c2ijMjYRW9

(Simply zoom in a little to see all the names of the lakes within the approved area) 

The post on the Extravaganza’s Facebook page got immediate attention and has already been commented on and shared several hundred times.

As all the fish caught will now have to be registered digitally via an app, the organizers also posted the following information: 

“While sipping your Saturday morning coffee, take the opportunity to download the FishDonkey app. Take a tour and explore the tutorials to enhance your experience.

Look for our contest under Brainerd Jaycees Extravaganza – familiarity guarantees a better experience!

We WILL have more videos throughout the week!”

Follow these links to download the app: 

FishDonkey for Smartphones
FishDonkey for iPhones

RELATED READING: Popular Brainerd Jaycee Ice Fishing Contest Transitions to Hybrid Model

Additionally, there is also a video update by the Extravaganza’s chairwoman, Katherine Thoennes, that was published yesterday, January 26:

And that is all the information I can currently provide! More updates by the event organizers will follow, and you can check the latest news and announcements directly at the Brainerd Jaycee Ice Fishing Extravaganza’s website or Facebook page.

There is one last thing I’d like to bring up!

In the comment sections on the Extravaganza’s Facebook page, many people voiced their concern regarding the unstable ice conditions and the mild weather that seems to persist into next week.

This is a valid concern, indeed, especially as so many contestants will now be fishing on different lakes in the Brainerd area.

However, I am sure the event organizers are doing everything they can to ensure a safe contest for everybody!

Should there be doubts about or problems with ice safety, I sincerely hope and believe that the organizers will do the right thing and cancel the event if need be! Even though it would hurt a lot.

Tight lines for next weekend, and stay safe out there!

RELATED READING: Is this Year’s Brainerd Jaycee Extravaganza Canceled or Not?

Featured image and all other related images courtesy of Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza

The post What Lakes Are Approved for the Brainerd Jaycees Extravaganza 2024? appeared first on Strike and Catch.