Another Derby in the Books

Under sometimes brutal conditions, over 650 participants braved the cold to compete in the 12th Annual Poles N Holes Fishing Derby.  To complicate things further, the last-minute cancellation by some of our vendors made food and shelter scarce. 

But despite that, nearly 150 total fish (somewhat smaller this year) were registered and an interesting battle took place to see who would earn the 30 prizes.  In the end, Ben Steidl of Miltona, MN earned the top prize (a 2022 Polaris Sportsman 4-wheeler) with a Northern weighing 1.8 lbs.  Full results can be found here.

In our raffle, Chad Stevenson of Moorhead (who was competing in his first ever Poles n Holes derby) was drawn for the grand prize—a John Deere X350 Riding Lawn Mower with Snowblower attachment.  Full raffle results are here.

The Breakfast Rotary Club was again able to raise a goodly amount of money for our charitable efforts in the region and we are so grateful for the support we get from our volunteers, sponsors and you the fishing public.  Together we have now raised over $225,000 over the 12 years of the tournament.  That’s what it’s all about!

As we approach our 13th derby (I can’t imagine we could have any more bad luck after the events of the last two years!) we continue to strive to improve our derby.  We will be looking at different ticket pricing options, distribution of the tickets, on-ice offerings—lots of things with the goal of making the experience for our participants even better. 

Watch this blog, join our newsletter list , and our Facebook Page for updates.  We may be including some surveys for derby participants to get your feedback as well.

Thanks again for all you do to make the Poles n Holes Fishing Derby and important Winter event in our region.