 Everyone on Gull Lake over the weekend was trying to win a new truck at the Brainer JC's Ice Fishing Extravaganza. But on this week's Northwood's adventure, our Anthony Scott explains why catching fish is only a small part of the experience. It's the Super Bowl of Ice Fishing, I guess you could say. While the Super Bowl came a week early for ice fishing fans, as nearly 9,000 people were on Gull Lake competing in the Brainer JC's Ice Fishing Extravaganza. It started as a fundraiser for Confidence Learning Center and we've grown to have an awesome event for them. 29 years later, the Ice Fishing Extravaganza still benefits the Confidence Learning Center and the tournament has become a tradition for people across Minnesota. But it's a tradition, I got my sister up from Princeton and sent in a lot from Crystal and Champlain area and we always have fun. Fish of all types and sizes were being caught at the tournament but if you were not lucky enough to catch one, chances are you still had a great time. Some of them haven't caught any fish and they keep coming back every year just because of the fun atmosphere. It's a good way for all of us to keep together and we all moved a couple of us moved a little bit farther away than others but every year on this weekend we get together and come and hang out. With so much bait in the water and big prizes being awarded for 29th, 100th and 150th place, no one had any idea who would go home as a big winner. This is a lottery deal. You just come out here, drop the line in. We got tip ups. If it goes, it goes, if it don't, it don't. Some people had some luck. At the beginning it was one after another for us. We weren't even too heavy into the bush like quite at the time. But many struggled to reel one in. Only bites, nothing landed. Over 800 fish were weighed in during the three hour tournament but none were bigger than Gary Krieger's 5.2 pound northern pike. Before I set the hook, he felt pretty good taking the line out. Once I got him out, I thought it was going to be full to the top. The JCs have already started planning for the 30th annual extravaganza which will be held on January 25th, 2020. Reporting from Brainerd for this week's Northwoods Adventure, Anthony Scott, Lakeland News. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.