About 1,000 anglers young and old gathered at Lake Minnetonka Saturday, each attempting to catch the biggest crappie of the day while also benefiting two charities.
Headquartered at Lord Fletcher's, the Minnesota Bound Crappie Contest is the latest version of an early-season crappie fishing tournament that began on Minnetonka more than 40 years ago.
The biggest crappie of the competition weighed nearly 2 pounds -- 1.93, to be exact.
Perhaps luckiest among all anglers was Brent Peterjus of Mound, whose name was drawn from all who fished in the contest. Peterjus went home with a new boat, motor and trailer.
Most crappies caught were in shallow water, often 5 feet deep or less.
Proceeds from the contest will be awarded to Minnesota Teen Challenge, which helps teens and adults with drug and other issues, and Fishing for Life, which uses fishing to reach out to metro-area youth.
