Lake Osakis is scene of major ice fishing tournament

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The North American Ice Fishing Circuit (NAIFC) will hold a tournament Lake Osakis January 4.

Each year, the NAIFC conducts qualifying tournaments throughout the ice belt from North Dakota to Vermont, with the top 10 teams at each tournament qualifying for the NAIFC Championship Tournament.

Headquarters and launch site for the Osakis Qualifying Tournament will be at Head of the Lakes Resort. Head of the Lakes Resort, along with the Long Prairie Tourism Board and the General Store in Osakis were instrumental in bringing the NAIFC to the Lake Osakis area. The Osakis Qualifying Tournament is open to the first 150 NAIFC two-person teams that enter. The tournament’s fishing hours are from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will focus on bluegills and crappies.

New to the NAIFC this year is the ICE MEN Reality TV program that will be aired on the Sportsman Channel. Camera crews will be at Head of the Lakes Resort and on Lake Osakis prior to and during the tournament. Lakes Osakis, Head of the Lakes Resort and Long Prairie will get national exposure as the Sportsman Channel is shown in 49 states.

Along with the competitive aspect, the NAIFC focuses on education and will provide teaching/learning opportunities for kids and adults.

On Friday, January 2 Ice Camp for kids will be held in a classroom setting at the Long Prairie Legion Hall and the General Store in Osakis.

After the dry-land portion of Ice Camp, the kids, their parents and instructors will gather at Head of the Lakes Resort to go out on the ice to use the equipment and training first hand.

For adults, there is a Friday night seminar at Long Prairie VFW. After the seminar, those attending will split into groups led by NAIFC touring pro-staff to discuss fishing techniques in detail. Saturday morning the groups will meet at Head of the Lakes Resort where the NAIFC pro-staff will show the techniques on Lake Osakis.

For more information on the Lake Osakis NAIFC Tournament, contact Head of the Lakes Resort at (320) 859-4252. To enter the tournament, call Kathy at (320) 252-0428. To learn more about the NAIFC, go to www.naifc.com.

Tags: lake, osakis, fishing, tournament, north, american, ice, fishing, circuit