Eelpout displayed during the International Eelpout Festival, ca. 2016. Photo by Josh Stokes.

Eelpout curling competition at the International Eelpout Festival, 2015. Photo by Josh Stokes.

Go-cart racers compete for prizes at the International Eelpout Festival, ca. 2010s. Photo by Josh Stokes.

Hardy souls participating in the annual polar plunge event, International Eelpout Festival, ca. 2010s. Photo by Josh Stokes.

International Eelpout Festival-goers riding in style, ca. 2010s. Photo by Josh Stokes.

International Eelpouters get a lift, ca. 2010s. Photo by Josh Stokes.

Deep-fried eelpout at the International Eelpout Festival, ca. 2010s. Photo by Josh Stokes

Kissing an eelpout for luck at the International Eelpout Festival, Walker, 2013. Photo by Josh Stokes.

Thousands of visitors gather on Leech Lake in Walker, Minnesota for the International Eelpout Festival, ca. 2010s. Photo by Josh Stokes.

Ken Bresley (holding the eelpout) and Don Overcash, the founders of the International Eelpout Festival, promoting the first festival, 1980. Photo by Don Smith, Walker Pilot-Independent. Used with permission.