Forestville, WI: The third Saturday in February routinely marks the annual Tolna, ND Volunteer Fire Department Ice Fishing Tournament and Raffle. Over the years, this event has grown not only in youth participation but adults as well.
On February 16th, 2019, over 350 participants ventured onto Stump Lake to test their luck on catching the largest walleye, northern or pike. After the fishing tournament and prior to the raffle, Yamaha Outboards Professional Angler Spencer Deutz held a youth and family fishing clinic for the third year consecutive year. The clinic was open to all, with 38 kids and 13 adults attending.
Spencer’s message in 2019 is Clean, Drain and Dry. With the exponential growth of aquatic nuisance species (ANS) invading our waterways, it is imperative that the Clean, Drain and Dry message is embraced by everyone who plans to be on the water, especially our youth. If our youth want to have healthy waters in years to come, we need to involve them in preventing the spread of this potential disaster.
During the clinic, the kids came up with various ideas about how they can help their parents and grandparents stop the spread of ANS. They also learned fish identification, water safety, the best places to fish during the different seasons, selective harvest and much more.
Following the clinic, each participant was given a rod/reel combination, a future angler t-shirt and a water bottle courtesy of the National Professional Anglers Associations (NPAA) and the Future Angler Foundation (FAF).
Deutz, the NPAA and the FAF would like to thank the City of Tolna for granting the use of their facilities to host this event. Deutz’s goal is to educate over 600 kids in 2019. Since 2010, Deutz has hosted over 70 clinics and believes he can make a significant impact on the sport through education and outreach.
For more information on the event, contact Spencer Deutz @ 701-361-2521
Deutz’s Sponsors Include: Yamaha Outboards, Ranger Boats, Luther Family Buick GMC of Fargo-Moorhead, Blackfish Gear, Optima Batteries, VisionBANK, Moritz Sport and Marine, Off Shore Tackle Company, Northland Tackle, and Airwave Pedestal.
