2014 Eelpout Festival
January 2, 2014
Now that the holidays are over, it’s time to start thinking about this year’s Eelpout Festival! The annual event will be held February 20th-23rd this year.
Every February for over 30 years now, crowds that are more than ten times the size of the town of Walker, MN gather on Leech Lake to celebrate the Eelpout, one of the ugliest bottom dwelling fish in the area.
The frigid temperatures of February in the Leech Lake area don’t keep the crowds from participating in the various Eelpout Festival activities. Many attendees bring their ice houses and enjoy the excellent Leech Lake fishing over the 3 day festival. Eelpout Festival also offers a fish fry, Eelpout curling, Eelpout races, an Eelpout derby and live music! The festivities end on Sunday with the Fishing Contest Awards Ceremony to recognize those that have caught the biggest Eelpout.
Another main attraction of Eelpout Festival is the Polar Pout Plunge! Each year hundreds of people jump into the freezing waters of Leech Lake to help raise money for the Walker Area Community Center. Not only is this a great way to give back to the community of Walker, but participants can also win prizes, like Moondance tickets and t shirts, depending on the amount of money they raise.
If you are thinking about attending Eelpout Festival this year, make sure you visit their website to purchase your Eelpout Festival button. The buttons are $12 apiece with a shipping and handling fee of $2.00 no matter how many buttons you order.
If staying outdoors on the ice for three days is too much for you, consider booking at stay at one of the many Leech Lake area resorts only minutes from Walker. These resorts are the perfect place to cozy up and relax after a long day on the ice enjoying the Eelpout festivities. The town of Walker also offers a variety of restaurants and bars to warm up in during the cold days on the ice.
If you haven’t yet experienced Eelpout Festival for yourself, we definitely recommend attending this year’s event. We guarantee you will have a blast and wonder why you didn’t go sooner!