The Women Anglers of Minnesota recently hosted its fifth annual Women’s Ice Fishing Tournament on Star Lake with activities being hosted at Thumper Pond Resort in Otter Tail.  

Women Anglers of Minnesota is a nonprofit organization with over 1,000 members with a mission of supporting women and children in the sport of fishing.  They have an annual summer and winter tournament that they rotate through out the state on different lakes.

This was a team event with 68 women participating in the catch, photo, and release format using Fish Donkey (App used to measure, photo, and record their fish) with $2150 cash given for the top five teams along with $250 for the Ice Slam (longest Sunfish, Crappie and Perch combination).  There were also some amazing door prizes given away from some amazing local businesses.  Women came from as far away as Iowa and southeastern Minnesota by Albert Lea to participate in the tournament.  This tournament allows anglers to fish the whole lake but gives participants a community hole to allow anglers who do not have winter transportation an opportunity to participate in the tournament. 

The team of Terri Toms, Aitkin, Minn., and her partner Katie Halverson, who is from Frazee, were leading the tournament with minutes to go but were surpassed by the team of Reba Van Beusekom and Linda Condor to win the tournament.  In fourth place was the team of Sara Spiering, Garden City, MN, and Lara Soeth, Moorhead/Big Pine Lake.  Terri and Katie may not have won the tournament, but they did with the Ice Slam with Sara and Lara nipping at their heals in second place.

On June 4th Women Anglers of Minnesota is having their 44th Annual Open Water Tournament on the Le Homme Dieu Chain of Lakes with the headquarters being hosted at the Arrowwood Resort in Alexandria.  That tournament is a multispecies tournament allowing Sunfish, Crappies, Bass, Northern, and Walleye.  If interested in Women Anglers of Minnesota more information can be found at www.womenanglersmn.com or on their Facebook page.