No Vehicle Restrictions For This Year's Eelpout Festival

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – There'll be no vehicle restrictions at this year's Eelpout Festival.

Organizers of the 39th-annual ice fishing extravaganza announced Tuesday that festival-goers will be able drive their trucks and RVs on Walker Bay.

However, they noted that icehouses and campers must be parked at least 15 feet from each other.

In recent years, there's been vehicle restrictions during the festival weakened due to thin ice amid unseasonably warm weather.

The 2018 Eelpout Festival is slated for Feb. 22-25.

Each year, the massive ice fishing party brings about 10,000 people to Leech Lake in Walker, a town with a population of just over 1,000 people.

All Eelpout Festival participants must register for the event and receive a festival button. Buttons can be purchased online or at Walker-area businesses.