Avid ice fishers who attended this year’s Fishing for a Cure in early February didn’t catch a single fish, but they can still be proud of their efforts.

This year’s contest, which drew a smaller crowd, raised $3,100 for cancer research at the Hormel Institute — $1,000 more than last year’s total and almost $2,000 more than 2009’s total.

The contest, which is in its ninth year, started with a few men from Hormel’s dry sausage department. It grew every year, until the group decided to make it a fundraiser a few years ago. Cash prizes are given for the biggest three catches, vendors are on hand and nearly everyone wins something at the event held on the Cedar River near the Old Mill Restaurant.

But because nobody caught a fish, the last two years the cash prizes have gone straight to Hormel. That’s something nobody has a gripe about, according to Jim Nelson, one of the men who helped organize the event.

Event organizers presented the Hormel Institute with the check Tuesday. Fishing for a Cure has now tallied $6,600 for cancer research since it began fundraising.