History of the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza
The Brainerd Jaycees is a non-profit organization made up of members between the ages of 18 to 40. The mission of the organization is to provide development opportunities that empower young people to create positive change. The organization hosts many events throughout the year and all proceeds raised get donated back to local charities and organizations.
One of the primary events is the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza. The first contest was held in January of 1991. The founders never expected the event would become the world’s largest ice fishing contest and put Brainerd, MN on the map. The winter event generates over $1 million in revenue for area businesses and over $150,000 for area charities annually. Over $3 million has been donated since its inception.
Past Chairpersons
The Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza is organized from start to finish by volunteers of the Brainerd Jaycees and carried out with the support of several community members and local businesses. Each year, the event is led by a chairperson who is selected and voted on by the committee. Below is a list of fearless leaders from previous years.
1991
Chris Dalbec
1992
Kevin Dens
1993
Bob Slaybaugh
1994
Don Ryan
1995
Bill Rickmeyer
1996
Ron Imgrund
1997
Bart Harmer
1998
Ron Meyer
1999
Greg Neff
2000
Iain Olness
2001
Ed Vobejda
2002
Jim Davis
2003
Steve Jobe
2004
Brian Lindberg
2005
Shawn Ridler
2006
Mary Devine Johnson
2007
Taylor Fitterer
2008
Brian Sedlachek
2009
Jeff Hegg
2010
Brent Morris
2011
Roberta Jay
2012
Troy Imgrund
2013
Cori Wrobel
2014
Matt Castle
2015
Sarah Stenerson
2016
Angie Nelson
2017
Brandon Freihammer
2018
Shane Meyer
2019
Clint Meyer
2020
Jeff Baillif
2021 (Virtual)
Benji Thoennes
2022
Andrew Jay
2023
Tad Johnson
2024 (Hybrid)
Katherine Thoennes
Winners Hall of Fame
1991
Ken Geiszler
6.83 lb Walleye
1992
Don Ruppert
8.42 lb Eelpout
1993
Brent Rothgarn
5.24 lb Eelpout
1994
Lee Purdham
4.32 lb Eelpout
1995
Don Johnson
7.61 lb Eelpout
1996
Tim Winter
8.71 lb Eelpout
1997
Matthew Penner
13.34 lb Northern Pike
1998
Bob Nelson
9.07 lb Walleye
1999
Lindsey Raddatz
9.04 lb Walleye
2000
Julie Colman
9.17 lb Walleye
2001
Doug Meier
6.65 lb Walleye
2002
Tracy Smith
9.32 lb Northern Pike
2003
Ernie Kinney
6.63 lb Walleye
2004
Dean Olson
4.46 lb Walleye
2005
Sara Kitzman
3.71 lb Walleye
2006
Jake Scherer
2.22 lb Tullibee
2007
Tim Piehl
4.91 lb Northern Pike
2008
Terry Schwichtenberg
5.34 lb Walleye
2009
Zachary Bailey
5.98 lb Walleye
2010
Curtis Yess
6.26 lb Walleye
2011
Andrew Schultz
7.18 lb Northern Pike
2012
Luke Botzek
6.37 lb Walleye
2013
Bror Linnerooth
4.41 lb Northern Pike
2014
Art Karsky
4.73 lb Walleye
2015
Steven Baumgartner
6.73 lb Northern Pike
2016
Dan Volbert
5.33 lb Walleye
2017
Les Laidlaw
5.54 lb Northern Pike
2018
Stephen Lyogky
3.10 lb Northern Pike
2019
Gary Creger
5.20 lb Northern Pike
2020
Warren Arnold
8.29 lb Eel Pout
2021 (Virtual)
Chuck Betterman
40.50 in. Northern Pike
2022
Cody Sablatura
9.15 lb Northern Pike
2023
Zac Padrnos
9.45 lb Walleye