The North East Ice Tour exists for the purpose of promoting, educating and providing entertainment as it relates to sport of ice fishing, through a series of ice fishing competitions referred to as the North East Ice Tour (NEIT) Tournament Trail. The tournament trail will consist of seven regional tournaments located in North East USA, with each tournament limited to no more than 150 participants.The regular season tournaments will be followed by a Championship tournament where the best anglers of the season compete for the championship title.
The fishermen competing in the tournaments will benefit not only by having the chance to win significant cash and prizes, but also by sharing experiences and learning from other contestants. Non tournament participants and members of the local ice fishing community will also benefit from the free seminars and product displays provided at the rules meeting, which the public is invited to. The rules meeting is held at an indoor facility, such as a community center, civic center or other public location the day prior to the tournament, and will give interested parties the chance to mingle with top fishermen, listen to informative seminars and learn about some of the top products that are used in modern day ice fishing. This will also be accomplished at the tournament weigh-in, where the tournament director will briefly interview each participant on a PA system, asking what techniques and equipment they used to catch their fish.
Local communities where the tournaments are held will also benefit financially from anglers and families traveling into the area in order to compete in the event. Business such as gas stations, motels, tackle shops, restaurants and others will see an influx of new customers.
As an organization, we have a clear understanding that the average ice fisherman has a desire to compete in professional level competition, however the entry fee and other expenses must remain low enough to make it possible for them to enter these events. At the same time, the prize structure must be significant enough to justify the expense of participating in such events. Most importantly, ice fishing tournaments need to be fun, not only for the participants but also for the family members, friends, fans and spectators who will attend the rules meeting and weigh-in.
