Popular Fishing Tournament on Island Lake Going Virtual

The 25th annual Kolar Toyota ALS Fishing Tournament is going to be handled in a different way this year due to COVID-19. It was announced on their website that the event will now be a virtual tournament that will take place on May 30th from 7am-3pm. Instead of participants gathering on Island Lake, they are asked to fish on a lake near their homes. The tournament wants to ensure that fundraising and support of ALS continues even in this difficult time.

The tournament also urges anglers to follow additional state guidelines such as practicing social distancing and giving people space at launches. Before the Minnesota fishing opener, Governor Tim Walz urged anglers to fish lakes close to home and avoid traveling long distances to other lakes in different parts of the state.

The tournament will have no designated launch locations or gatherings. Anglers are asked to use the FishDonkey app to record their catches and submit them. The format of the tournament will essentially be catch, photo, and release.

They will process the winners online and then hold a Facebook Live event on May 30th for awards and prize drawings. The auction will also take place online. Incentives for fundraising will remain the same.

There also is an option to raise money and participate without fishing if people are not comfortable doing so. They can raise money and still be eligible for some of the prizes.

Registration is still required for the virtual event, and you still have time to do that by visiting their website. All of the information and rules pertaining to the virtual tournament can be found in a special event info section as well.