GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.— The West Michigan Sports Commission and USAngling are hosting the 2025 XXI World Ice Fishing Championship (WIFC) for the first time in Michigan from Feb. 11 to 16. The event will take place on Tamarack Lake in Lakeview, approximately 16 miles north of Greenville in West Michigan.
Since 2004, the World Ice Fishing Championship has held competitions annually in locations around the world. This year, it is returning to the U.S. for the first time since 2013 and is hosted by USAngling, the national governing body for competitive angling in the U.S. The event attracts the best anglers from 10 countries: Estonia, Finland, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and the U.S.
The WIFC includes three days of pre-fishing on Tamarack Lake (Feb. 12-14). This is followed by two days of tournament competition (Feb. 15-16) for gold, silver, and bronze medals. Each country’s team includes five anglers and a reserve, with one athlete from each country competing against all countries in one of five zones for the two competition days. The anglers will target two fish species, crappie and bluegill, and will be judged on weight of the catches. For the first time in its history, this event will be a catch-and-release fishing event—necessary criteria for the Olympic Committee to consider the sport for the Olympics again (it was last an Olympic sport in 1900).
“We are proud to have such a prestigious fishing organization such as USAngling select the Grand Rapids area—and Michigan—for the World Ice Fishing Championship,” says Mike Guswiler, president of the West Michigan Sports Commission (WMSC) who bid on and is co-hosting the event with USAngling. “They could have chosen many places in the United States, but they chose our destination, and we look forward to hosting our first international fishing tournament.”
Team USA’s six angler spots were determined earlier this month at the U.S. National Ice Fishing Championship qualifying event on Tamarack Lake, with representation from four states: Michigan (three anglers, representing Sand Lake, Eaton Rapids, and Hastings plus Coach Myron Gilbert from Brooklyn), Wisconsin (one angler plus one reserve and one captain) and Minnesota (one angler).
“As hosts, we are honored to welcome the world to our home waters,” says Mike McNett, freshwater fishing Director at USAngling. “Hosting the Ice Fishing World Championship is not just about competition; it’s about creating a sense of unity, showcasing our nation’s natural beauty, and fostering connections through the shared love of angling. And some of the best ice anglers in the world are from Michigan, so what better place to have a world championship.”
The full program schedule with competition dates and times is at usangling.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-XXI-World-Ice-Fishing-Championship-Program3.pdf.
