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May 2023 BLC Newsletter
Meetings are the 2nd Tuesday of the month, 7pm @ American Legion Nisswa
Greetings BLC Members,

Oh what a difference a month can make. It is amazing to watch the transformation of lakes that spring offers when you get a little warm weather and some wind. With most area lakes, ice free, or nearly ice free, it's time to get out on the water!  Or at least get your boat ready (I may still have a little work to do there). I hope you are able to find some time this spring to enjoy a little crappie fishing before the walleye opener next weekend..

This time of year starts some of our youth opportunities and I encourage you to volunteer and take part in one of the most important missions we have. I have never heard anyone who has regretted giving time to these activities so don't miss out. First up, is our participation in the Brainerd Parks and Rec. Kids Fishing Clinic which takes place May 20th at Lum Park. This is an event that we have assisted with for a number of years and a great way to get involved with youth in our community. Please talk with myself or any board member if you are interested in volunteering for the day.  

Our next main youth event will be our HS Regional Muskie Tournament which will be held June 9th on Lake Alexander. This event allows area youth to compete for a chance to move on and participate in the State HS Muskie Tournament on Lake Vermillion in June. We are looking for a few judge boats to assist so please reach out to me directly if you are able and interested in volunteering. This is a unique event that we host each year and a great way to involve youth directly in the sport.  

This month's meeting will be our Annual Membership Drive and will also feature Eric Altena, Little Falls Area Fisheries Supervisor, who will be discussing the most recent muskie data on Lake Alexander. It's a great time to renew your membership at a reduced rate and to hear about the health of one of our most popular local fisheries. I hope to see you there.


Jim Kath
May 9th Meeting - Little Falls DNR - 7pm
Eric from the Little Falls DNR will be joining us this month to discuss the current health of the Lake Alexander fishery. These are always interesting meetings to hear first hand what they are seeing in their assessments. It's a great opportunity to get all of your burning questions answered as well!

Meetings are open to the public and FREE to attend! Chance to win various prizes from lures or maybe a rod in our meeting raffles. Come to hear and share fish stories and more. One random door prize drawing for those in attendance. Bring your friends!
Membership Drive - May Meeting
In addition to our DNR presentation, our May meeting is our annual membership drive. Become a new member or renew at our meeting and you will have the chance to draw a card for $5 or $10 off of your membership or draw the lucky card and get your membership or renewal for FREE!

Chance to win a FREE resort stay as well! National Muskies Inc invites you to become a member (or renew) with a chance to win a resort stay on Leech Lake or the Chippewa Flowage. See the image for more details.

Why become a member? The Brainerd Lakes Chapter has been contributing to conservation efforts in the Brainerd lakes area for the past several decades. Our family friendly organization holds numerous events and fundraisers to help support our local lakes and rivers to ensure a strong future for years to come. Muskies Inc. emphasizes the importance of youth programming and education to help instill the knowledge necessary to all members to help keep the sport of fishing strong in our community. We are only as strong as our membership. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Click the image to enlarge and see more details of the membership/resort stay giveaway.
May 9
Monthly Meeting - Little Falls DNR/Lake Alexander/Shamineau Updates - Membership Drive

May 20
Brainerd Parks and Rec Youth Fishing Clinic

June 3
Muskie Opener

June 9
Regional High School Muskie Tournament - Lake Alexander

June 13
Monthly Meeting - Lake Breakdown (Outing Schedule)

August 22-25
Gil Hamm Chapter Challunge

October 7-8
Jeff Young Memorial Muskie Shootout
Lake Clean Up Challenge
Do you want a chance at a $50 gift card to Mills Fleet Farm?  Ice fishing is wrapping up and as we gear up for open water, unfortunately we have people that leave trash on our local lakes.  Here is all you need to do; while you are out doing a little SAFE late season ice fishing and you see someone's garbage on the lake, simply take a picture of you cleaning up the trash and send the picture to us Via email or Facebook message. brainerdmuskies@gmail.com With safe ice always a question at this time, cleaning up along the shoreline or at a public access is great too.

So that we can share with our community where we have been, we ask that pictures include a lake access sign or other visible landmark at a public landing.

The winner will be chosen at our May 9th monthly meeting. Need not to be present to win but your attendance is encouraged:) Our goal is to help improve our local lakes and help promote great stewardship.
Spring has sprung and so has new merchandise!
Shop our online store before it closes on May 14th - pick up your purchases at the June monthly meeting for FREE shipping.

Reminder: every purchase you make helps us with our main missions of Youth - Fisheries - Research.
BLC 2023 Outing Schedule - MHOTY
June 18 (Sunday) Lobster Lake (Alternate lake option: Cedar) - 7 am to 3 pm

June 20 (Tuesday) Lake Shamineau - 5 pm to 9:30 pm

July 15 (Saturday) Virtual Outing - Any Minnesota muskie water; Sponsor's Outing - Fish must be caught on a sponsor's lure to count in this one! - 7 am to 3 pm

August 1 (Tuesday) Lake Alexander - Top Water Challunge - Fish must be caught on a topwater to count! - 5 pm to 9 pm
August 13 (Sunday) Woman Lake - 7 am to 3 pm

September 16 (Saturday) Leech Lake - 8 am to 3 pm

October 14 (Saturday) Lake Alexander - 8 am to 3 pm

October 28 (Saturday) Roosevelt Lake - 8 am to 3 pm
Muskies Inc Annual Board Meeting - All Invited
The Board of Directors for Muskies, Inc. will hold the
Annual Board Meeting via a GO TO MEETING(GTM)
On Tuesday, June 6th beginning at 6:30PM(CDT),
7:30PM(EDT). This will be a joint meeting of the Board and
Executive Committee. All Muskies, Inc. members are cordially
invited to attend on their computer using the GTM access code
(894-570-661) or dial in on their telephone using the telephone
number (872-240-3311), then access code,894-570-661).
2023 Gil Hamm
Chapter Challunge

As winners of the 2022 Gil Hamm, the BLC is responsible for selecting the destination and hosting the event for 2023 and we will be heading to Lake Vermilion out of Vermilion Dam Lodge. About a decade ago, the BLC helped the Star of the North Chapter host the Gil Hamm at this same location. And people are still talking about that as the best Gil Hamm event they have ever attended. So the bar has been set high and we are ready for that challenge!

August 22 to 25, 2023
Lake Vermilion
Vermilion Dam Lodge

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are thinking about fishing the Hamm, call or text Jody at 218-821-3727 to let her know. Even if you don't know if you can make it work for your schedule, just knowing that you are considering it will be very helpful. We know it's early. But the sooner we know these things, the more helpful it will be.
2023 Jeff Young Memorial Muskie Shootout
We will be heading back to Agency Bay Lodge for the 2023 Jeff Young Memorial Muskie Shootout. Save the date and start making plans to join us on October 7-8 on beautiful Leech Lake!

Registration opened up in January and many teams have already signed up to secure their starting position. Sign yourself up on the BLC website today!
One of our Shootout contestants from last year (Aaron Kriens) shot some very cool drone footage from the event and was kind enough to share those with us. Check them out here. Thanks for sharing, Aaron!
New Sponsor Spotlight - Bomb Squad Baits
The BLC is happy to welcome Bomb Squad Baits to our fantastic list of chapter sponsors. Bomb Squad Baits offers an assortment of unique, high quality top water lures and is best known for their MK-65 Flap Tail.

Check out the Bomb Squad lineup on their website. And don't forget to check out and support all of the BLC's valuable sponsors that are listed at the end of every newsletter and can also be found on the sponsor's page of our website.
2023 Release Contest
With the 2023 season almost upon us, it's a good time to remind everyone of our annual release contest as well as our replica eligibility.

  • Any BLC member that enters a fish into our release standings in a given month goes into a random drawing for a Musky Tackle Online gift card at the following month's meeting. MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN.
  • ​You can enter your fish online through the Lunge Log or submit in person at any meeting to our Release Chairman, Nathan French. Submitting your fish electronically will save our release chairman a considerable amount of time.
  • If you would like to have your fish entered in the chapter contest but not be submitted to the national Lunge Log, you can download and print out a release form to be submitted to Nathan. Be sure that you check the appropriate box on the upper left hand corner.

2023 BLC Replica Eligibility and Rules

1. Must be a current member in good standing at the time of catch
 
2. Attend at least four (4) monthly meetings per calendar year

3. Attend at least one (1) Muskie Hunter of the Year outing

4. **REVISED** Must submit a clear photo of the muskie's length on a bump board
Receipt of the photo is your entry into replica eligibility
Submit your photo to Release Chairman Nathan French at french.nathan22@gmail.com

5. Fill out and turn in a MI Release form to the Release Chairman within thirty (30) days of catch
 
Rules and Info:
1. The replica will be awarded to the winner with the largest (by length) release as per Replica Eligibility.
2. In case of a tie - the muskie that was caught first (by date and time) will be awarded the winner.
3. Winner of the replica will be ineligible for future BLC awarded replicas.
Save 10% at Musky Tackle Online
Orders placed with Musky Tackle Online that are delivered at monthly meetings are eligible for a 10% discount (and no shipping charge, of course). You need not be a member. You simply need to show up at the meeting to receive your order. It's that simple!
 
How does it work?
1) Register an account at Musky Tackle Online.
2) Email Aaron at MTO to let him know that you would like to have your order delivered at the next meeting.
3) He will set your account up to receive the appropriate discount.
4) He will let you know when you can proceed with putting in your order. Discount will apply automatically in your cart.
 
The BLC will get paid too! For every order that is placed this way, MTO will match the discount amount in the form of a donation to the chapter in the same amount. So not only will you get a great deal on some gear, but you will be contributing financially to the BLC!
Please support our great sponsors that support us. We wouldn't be able to do the things that we do without their help!
Stifter Mowing & Landscaping