The 22nd Annual Mobridge Ice Fishing Tournament

The 22nd Annual Mobridge Ice Fishing Tournament will be on January 14, 2023. The Ice Expo will be on January 12 and 13, 2023.

Guaranteed team registration for the 2023 tournament will open at the end of July and close in mid-August of 2022. Once guaranteed team registration closes, we will open our lottery.

In January of 2001, the Mobridge Tourism Committee hosted the first ever Mobridge Ice Fishing Tournament. With a budget of $800, the committee was committed to making the event a success. In the beginning, the tournament had a cap of 50 individuals and the grand prize was a Mr. Heater. The following year the tournament double in size and grew to 50 two-person teams competing for the grand prize of an ice auguer. From there the tournament continued to grow every year as the committee allowed more teams to particpate.

Now, more than 20 years later the tournament has grown to be the largest Ice Fishing Tournament in South Dakota at 525 teams of two anglers who compete for more than $225,000 in cash and prizes. The Annual Mobridge Ice Fishing Tournament attracts fisherman from all over South Dakota and the entire Midwest each and every year!

How to Fish in the Tournament
To reward the teams of anglers who have fished with us from the beginning the commitee allows these teams a guaranteed spot in the tournament. Guarenteed team registration opens every year in mid July and ends in early August.

There are a handful of opportunities to gain a guaranteed spot each year. Firstly, three guaranteed spots are drawn each year for the anglers who participate in our summer fishing tournament the Annual Denny Palmer Memorial Walleye Classic. Additionally, three guaranteed spots are auctioned off on Ebay each year. Ebay auctioned teams open in late September. Lastly, we do an annual raffle for a guaranteed spot each year. Tickets for this raffle open in early October, cost $20 per entry, and the team is drawn in December.

Lottery Drawing

Once guaranteed team registration closes in August all remaining team spots are drawn for. The spots drawn for are non-guarenteed and allow entry into that years tournament only.

Mobridge Ice Fishing Tournament Frequently Asked Questions
22nd Annual Mobridge Chamber Ice Fishing Tournament FAQs
How do I get into the 2023 tournament?

If you did not fish the 20th or 21st annual tournaments, please mark your calendars and watch for the 2024 lottery registration to open in 2023. Once the registration opens, an entry form will be available on this website and on Facebook for you to submit a FREE entry. The lottery drawing will be in September 2023. Teams chosen in the lottery are a NON-GUARANTEED spot.

If you fished the previous year’s annual tournament with a guaranteed spot, registration for these teams occurs approximately 4 months prior to the upcoming year’s tournament. Guaranteed spot holders receive an email with registration info in August. If you are a guaranteed spot holder and need to change your email address on file, contact the Mobridge Area Chamber at 605-845-2500 or email chamber@mobridge.org. We do not make calls to guaranteed spot-holders, so if you have not been receiving our group emails, make sure to update your info before August.

I need to change my partner, how do I do that?

Partner changes will be open from December 13 – 31. Click Here to submit your partner change.

What is my team number/did I get drawn in the lottery?

Team numbers and lottery picks get drawn on September 20, 2022. The Mobridge Chamber will reach out to lottery winners, who will then have 3 days to register their team for the 2024 Tournament.

Once team numbers are drawn they will be posted online and on our Facebook Page.

What happens if there is inclement weather or a lack of ice?

If inclement weather, there will be no refunds on entry fees. The fishing tournament will be held on that
Sunday. If we are not able to fish on Sunday, there will be drawings to select prize winners at Scherr-Howe Events Center.

If there is UNSAFE ice, the committee will make the safety call the week of the tournament on whether we will launch teams. Regardless of ice, the event and raffles will go on, and the “no-show” rule is still in effect. In the event of a team “no-show” or not checking in at the rules meeting, that team hereby forfeits the guaranteed spot and any potential prizes indefinitely.

Will there be an indoor fish cleaning station available?

Yes, we will have an all-seasons station open at Indian Creek State Park.

When can we check in for the tournament?

ALL teams MUST be checked in prior to the opening of the Bud Light Rules Meeting. This can be done at the Expo on Thursday or Friday Afternoon before the start of the Bud Light Rules Meeting.

When is the expo open?

The 2023 Expo is on January 11th (3-7 pm) and January 12th (9 am-3 pm).

When will the doors open for Bud Light Rules Meeting?

Doors will open at 5:30 pm SHARP Friday night. We will not be allowing any participants in prior to that.

What are the boundaries?

Here is the map: Mobridge Ice Fishing Tournament Boundaries. The south point of Swan Creek and the South Point of Moreau River to the North Point of Shaw Creek. The entire Moreau and Grand Rivers are in bounds. Anything outside of this is out of bounds.

Where are the weigh-ins?

ALL anglers must be check-in/weighed in by 7 pm. We will have two check-in spots. For teams NOT weighing fish -we will have a vehicle parked with yellow lights flashing in front of the Coke plant (1701 W Grand Xing). For teams with fish, we will have scales set up at Beadle Chevrolet (2200 US HWY 12). After anglers have finished weighing their fish, we will give away prizes and awards at the Scherr-Howe Events Center.

I cannot find the rules for the tournament, where are they?

Here are the 2023 rules https://mobridge.org/tournamentrules