To understand the Max Multi-Species Fishing Derby, you first have to understand Max’s love for the Northwest Angle. It was the backdrop of his happiest days — the place where he grew up, guided, laughed, and found a sense of purpose on Lake of the Woods.
Max spent his childhood exploring these waters with a freedom that suited him. “He loved it up there,” Izzy recalled. “When he was six or seven, he’d be running jet skis all over the lake. By ten, he was taking our boat to the Angle to pick up friends.” The lake offered him early independence, and he treated that independence with responsibility and joy. As he grew older, that joy evolved into a passion for guiding.
“The Angle embraced this derby from day one — it became something bigger than we ever imagined.”
Eventually, Max earned his guide license — a milestone that seemed less like an achievement and more like a natural next step. “Guiding was made for him,” Izzy said. “He had a warmth that drew people in — a big smile, a strong handshake. He loved meeting new people every day, taking them out, sharing the lake he loved.” Though Max guided for only one summer before his passing, he made a mark that continues to ripple through the Angle community today.
After losing Max, the family searched for ways to honor his spirit — something rooted in the place that held so many of their memories. It was Max’s sister, Lisa, who found the spark that would ignite a tradition. Each morning during her own guiding trips, she found herself thinking about her brother. “She wanted to honor Max’s memory with an annual fishing tournament,” Izzy explained.
From that desire came the now-iconic Max Multi-Species Fishing Derby — a tournament as distinctive as its namesake. Unlike typical events that focus on one species, this derby challenges anglers to pursue both muskies and walleyes in the same weekend — a test of strategy, skill, and a little luck.
The first year, Lisa hoped ten boats might join. Instead, the idea took off like wildfire. “The Angle wrapped its arms around it,” Izzy said. “Guides, resort workers, cabin owners — everyone embraced it immediately.” The vision of a small remembrance weekend grew into something much larger, fueled by community spirit and the shared love of the lake. The 2025 tournament marked the 3rd Annual Derby, and demand remains strong — all 40 team slots fill within hours, often with a waiting list.
What began as a gathering to honor Max’s memory has grown into something that fuels the Foundation’s mission.
“The Max Multi Species Fishing Derby has become the foundations biggest fundraiser, Izzy said. It truly funds everything we’re able to do — all of our mental-health projects, our youth programs, everything. The Derby gives the Foundation its strength.”
Support comes in all forms: major sponsors offering substantial gifts, local businesses contributing prizes, families donating what they can. “It all matters,” Izzy emphasized. “Every bit of support is appreciated, and every bit of it keeps our work going.”
As the Derby grows each year, Izzy and Kallie often think about its future. They picture their daughters, longtime anglers, and young fishermen and women carrying the tradition forward. They imagine the Angle community continuing to rally around the weekend — laughing, competing, sharing meals, and remembering Max in the place he loved most.
“It’s feasible this keeps going long after we’re gone,” Izzy said. “If it stays fun, stays local, and stays about honoring Max, people will keep it alive. That’s our hope — that the lake he loved will always echo his name.”
Support comes in all forms: major sponsors offering substantial gifts, local businesses contributing prizes, families donating what they can. “It all matters,” Izzy emphasized. “Every bit of support is appreciated, and every bit of it keeps our work going.”
As the Derby grows each year, Izzy and Kallie often think about its future. They picture their daughters, longtime anglers, and young fishermen and women carrying the tradition forward. They imagine the Angle community continuing to rally around the weekend — laughing, competing, sharing meals, and remembering Max in the place he loved most.
“It’s feasible this keeps going long after we’re gone,” Izzy said. “If it stays fun, stays local, and stays about honoring Max, people will keep it alive. That’s our hope — that the lake he loved will always echo his name.”
Another part of Max’s legacy lives quietly along the shoreline: the Max Picnic Tables. That idea began with Max himself. During his guiding summer, he often mentioned how run-down some of the guides’ shore lunch spots had become — aging cooking tables, not enough seating, worn-out platforms. One afternoon, Max and a few friends pulled lumber from the shed and began building picnic tables because he felt guides and customers deserved something better.
After Max passed away, the guides continued what he started. Some attended his funeral and promised to build a special spot in his honor. With their help — and later, with proceeds from the Derby — new tables were constructed and delivered by barge to remote islands across Lake of the Woods. Today, when guides and their customers pull up to a shore lunch site, many sit at sturdy picnic tables built in Max’s memory.
We went into this tourney feeling really good about our game plan. We stuck to it and fished clean. Day 1 we had a 45” muskie and a 29.5” walleye. Day 2 we got a 41” muskie and 26.5” walleye. Our two day total was 142” and was enough for the win!!
The Max Multi-Species Fishing Derby is a lot more than just a tournament. It’s a group of great anglers fishing for an awesome cause! It’s making an impact through communities near and far! This tourney is as good as they come and is run by awesome people!
~ Jon and Ashley Holmgren of Devoted Outdoors