Apple Valley Man Wins Extreme Ice House at Mystic Lake

PRIOR LAKE, Minn. – Roger Gilmore felt like something was drawing him to Mystic Lake on Jan. 29. He trusted his instincts and it turned out to be a wise decision.

Gilmore, 62, of Apple Valley, Minn., was drawn as the winner of what he calls the "Fish Mahal" during Mystic Lake's Extreme Ice House Giveaway.

"They drew the name, popped it on the screen and I about fell on the floor," Gilmore said. "It's the crème de crème of a fishing shack – so you can’t call it a shack. I have never seen anything like it in my life!"

The 2009 Ice Castle Fish Houses Stinger model features include a bathroom, furnace, stereo, wrap-around leather furniture, microwave, mini refrigerator, flat-screen television, DVD player, satellite dish, six fish holes, an oven, an air conditioner and much, much more. The fish house/camper also included ice fishing equipment and apparel. Not a bad take for a guy who happened upon the prize while walking with his wife, Karen, through the Mall of America, where it was on display during part of the promotion. Gilmore said the fresh pine smell "blew me away."

Gilmore earned drawing entries by signing up for the contest at Mall of America in early January and at Mystic Lake the day of the drawing.

"I figured my chances were one in a billion," Gilmore said. "It's like I won the lottery!"

Gilmore said he's excited to try out his big prize with his 37-year-old son Jason, his sons-in-law and his 12 grandchildren. As for his favorite feature on the ice house, Gilmore had a tough time choosing since he likened his past ice fishing experiences to the cartoon character shivering while sitting on a bucket in Mystic Lake's promotional commercial.

"That's basically how I fished," Gilmore said. "I’m looking at this, what do I like the best? That’s a hard nut to crack. It's everything."