St. Cloud woman angles for victory

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St. Cloud woman angles for victory at Jaycees fishing fest
Brainerd Daily Dispatch - Brainerd,MN,USA

Call her a fair weather angler, if you will, but Sara Kitzmann knows how to be in the right place at the right time.

Kitzmann, 24, St. Cloud, won Saturday’s 15th annual Brainerd Jaycees $150,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza in just her second trip to Gull Lake. She fished the contest for the first time three years ago but hadn’t been back due to the weather, she said.

Good thing Kitzmann decided to tough it out this year. Her 3.71-pound walleye topped the 150 heaviest fish and gave her the keys to a 2005 Ford F-150 pickup.

“How did you catch this fish?” emcee Lon Schmidt asked Kitzmann when she took the stage at the contest’s end.

Sara Kitzmann of St. Cloud smiled after the judges confirmed that her 3.71 pound walleye won the first prize in the 15th Anniversary Brainerd Jaycees $150,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza Saturday on Hole-in-the-Day Bay on Gull Lake. Her first prize fish netted her a new Ford truck. The 24-year-old angler used a Rosie Red minnow to catch the winning fish in 64 feet of water. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls

“On a fishing pole,” Kitzmann replied, drawing laughter from the crowd.

Her presentation featured a red treble hook with a rosie red minnow set in 64 feet of water.

“I’m going Bajahan!” Kitzmann exclaimed when she was sure she had won the top prize.

Saturday’s blustery start was a factor only in the pre-contest hours. Strong northwest winds blew in on the heels of a 6-inch snowfall and whipped up dune-like drifts on Gull Lake, forcing organizers to re-plow the contest area. But it also insulated the holes, drilled on Friday. Chisels weren’t needed to re-open the holes Saturday morning.

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