 While with the Brainer JC's annual ice fishing extravaganza less than a week away, crews were out on the ice today to check the thickness and give the okay for the tournament next weekend. The Crowland County Sheriff's Office measured the ice and issued the permit for the JC's to host their annual fishing tournament on Hole in the Day Bay on Gull Lake. Measurements were taken at multiple locations in the bay, with 16 inches being the highest recorded. The ice is expected to get even thicker before the tournament, of course. That's because of the cold weather forecast for this weekend. Center ice and moving in, we've got 16 or more inches all the way in, so we're comfortable with the forecast of continued below zero temps. In the night, we know we're going to be making ice, so we're confident in saying hopefully we'll have a great fishing contest this week. We're ready to go. The JC's $150,000 ice fishing extravaganza will take place next Saturday, January 26th, and it's considered the largest charitable ice fishing contest in the world. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.