1,000 anglers have descended on the tiny town of Mobridge for the Mid-West's largest ice fishing tournament.
The competition consists of 500 two-man teams and the fishermen could not be more excited.
"You're outdoors," Scott Heckaman said. "You get to be with family and do some fishing. It's great."
Family is key in the competition, as many fishermen treat this event as a reunion.
"I got a couple sons with me," Larry Blaha said. "My grandson is my partner, got a brother here."
While the competition does not start till Saturday, many are already out on the ice.
"You have got to find the right spot," Heckaman said. "We always come a few days early to see what is going on."
While fishermen take a couple days to prepare, the city takes a whole year to get ready.
"Soon as the competition ends, we start preparing for the next one." Jesse Konold with the Mobridge Chamber said. "It takes a lot of work."
Ronald said that hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and bait shops all see an increase of revenue during this weekend.
"We estimate about $175,000 dollars coming in to the town for the tournament."
