Toronto Blue Jays pitcher has a love affair with a totally random winter sport
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Louis Varland joined the team in Dunedin this week to kick off spring training, but when the 28-year-old isn't suited up for his beloved summer sport, you're most likely to find him posted up on a frozen lake, trying to catch fish through a hole drilled in ice.
Louis Varland may be known on–field for his four-seam fastball, but during the off-season, the Jays pitcher is out flexing his skills as a veteran ice fisher.
Varland recently took to Instagram to show off a recent ice fishing haul before he pivots from his beloved winter tradition to his high-pressure summer career.
The pitcher posed with a prize haul of crappies (which, you're just gonna have to take my word for, is a real type of fish) and showed off his ice fishing equipment.
While Varland didn't specify where he took his fishing trip, he has a long history of winter fishing expeditions in his home state of Minnesota.
Varland grew up ice fishing and carried his love of the sport into his big-league career. Back when he was a member of the Minnesota Twins, the team shared a video of Varland ice fishing with then-teammate Brooks Lee to help the California native acclimatize to life in the north.
In a Dec. 2025 interview on the Off The Roster podcast, reporter Lindsay Dunn asks Varland if he has gone ice fishing yet this winter. Varland explained he goes ice fishing "pretty much every day if not every other day."
Varland also made an appearance at an annual ice fishing event hosted by former Minnesota Twins star (and Canadian baseball legend) Justin Morneau.
In addition to coming off a hot ice fishing season, Varland returns to spring training following an impressive 2025 campaign with the Toronto Blue Jays, landing a 4-3 record with an ERA of 2.97 and 75 strikeouts.
