NISSWA — Thousands of anglers took to Hole In The Day Bay for the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza on Saturday, Jan. 28, but in the end, the winner of the brand new Ford truck can’t even drive it for a few years.
Zac Padrnos, 13, of Hutchinson reeled in a 9.45-walleye – nearly four pounds larger than any fish other caught on Saturday – to become one of the youngest winners in Extravaganza history.
“I had a wax worm on with two-pound test line,” Padrnos said. “I just started jigging in front of it and as soon as I set the hook, it just started pulling the drag so I knew it was pretty big.”
It was Padrnos’ second time participating in the tournament, and his walleye was one of 151 fish caught, including walleye, perch and tullibee.
The winner has the choice between a Chevy or Ford pickup truck as the prize. With a big smile on his face, Padrnos said we would choose a Ford.
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What happens with that truck until he has a driver’s license, however, is a bit of a mystery.
“I have no clue,” the young angler said. “... We’ll have to figure that out later.”
The temperature hovered right around zero degrees throughout the afternoon, but that did not stop an estimated 12,000 anglers from participating for the chance to win a number of prizes – ranging from a space heater to an Ice Castle – and help raise money for local charities.
The next Ice Fishing Extravaganza will take place on Feb. 3, 2024. Event officials have decided to move the event back one week in the future in an effort to allow more ice to form. In previous years, officials avoided that weekend because of the Super Bowl, but the NFL expanding to a 18-week season moved the big game to the second weekend in February.
For a list of 2023 tournament winners, visit icefishing.org/leaderboard/.
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