(Note: Shot prior to the pandemic.)

A few years ago, Tom decided he was going to travel to shoot personal work once a month—ambitious but doable. One January, he  decided to go to the world’s largest Ice Fishing Tournament — The ICE FISHING EXTRAVAGANZA at Hole in the Day Bay, on Gull Lake, just north of Brainerd, Minnesota. 

He hired a local assistant, also an ice fisherman, who was a great help since he was driving a two-ton pickup truck out on to a completely frozen lake with 20,000 holes drilled into the ice. Think Swiss cheese—a nerve-racking experience.  Once he  reached the “City on Ice” he was amazed at the over 18,000 fishermen on the ice, ready for the minus 10-degree weather—a warmer year he was told. “Photographing the fishermen and the ice-fishing lifestyle made me truly appreciate the sport and the camaraderie of the participants,” he says. The ICE FISHING EXTRAVAGANZA is a charitable event awarding over $150,000.00 in prizes to the contestants while raising over $1 million to the area and local charities. Next tournament is January 22, 2022. See more of Tom’s Ice Fishing Imagery here and find more updates @tomhusseyphotography.