Ice Fishing Contest

Rocky Mountain Man · **Posted:** Wed Feb 15, 2006 4:20 pm

Skevys: Ever thought of doing a season long biggest fish contest? Simple way to do it is have guys register, for a fee, at start of ice fishing season. Biggest fish gets brought in and weighed by you guys (on an official scale), and the name, address, other contact info is recorded. The contest stays open all ice fishing season. At the end of the year, the guy that wins gets the prize(s) ... whatever that is. Money from registration could go towards the prizes. Seems like a few anglers would take part, and there's very little overhead or expenses. Plus, it gets guys into your store.

Just some thoughts from a marketing guy.

hawg boy · **Posted:** Wed Feb 15, 2006 6:53 pm

hey rockey all season contest sounds good but over the course of the season that would mean killing alot of big spawners.that should always tried to be released.good idea though.

Rocky Mountain Man · **Posted:** Thu Feb 16, 2006 11:29 am

Maybe so ... but when I visited the Bay in January for a week, I saw lots of decent sized fish being hauled off the ice. Fish that really should have been tossed back. I would think the serious anglers who knew about the contest could see what was the latest "large" one register and only bring in what they had that was bigger.

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of fishing contests. My brother was on the Ice Team Circuit for a number of years, winning a couple of qualifying tournaments and placing w/in top 50 in the National Championship two years ago. There's cheating that goes on (so much for the true sportsmen), and the pressure on the fish is incredible. Thankfully, the Ice Team contests are for primarily panfish, but you can't convince me that it doesn't affect the fishing.

Finally, I was the promoter/marketing director for the former Wisconsin River Walleye Rally, a national walleye fishing tournament on the Wisconsin River. Had a tremendous time running this 30-day tournament that put more emphasis on fishing, rather than catching (it was a catch-and-release tournament), but we did have the occasional cheater and those who didn't treat the sport of fishing w/ a lot of respect.

Just some thoughts.

Grizzly · **Posted:** Fri Feb 17, 2006 6:16 am

. I have to agree to a point with mountinman. if you know that 9 pound fish is leading the board people will not be bringing in 8 pounders to enter as such would be the case on a one, or a 3 day tournement if you think could be 100 men entered, and 100 big fish killed and brought in for weigh in with only one winner ............

martycoo · **Joined:** Tue Jan 03, 2006 9:50 am **Posts:** 1793

Ya but why not just take a picutre with a scale beside it and say longest fish and through it back!! Usually the longer the heavier! Much more conservation minded!

hook em dead · **Joined:** Sat Feb 11, 2006 12:45 pm **Posts:** 29

i agree with martycoo.

steve-hamilton · **Joined:** Fri Apr 25, 2003 7:40 am **Posts:** 1776

marty, the biggest walleye we caught in 2005 was only 28.5"

...

it was 21.5" in girth though.

trapperdirk · **Posted:** Thu Feb 23, 2006 12:32 pm

Rocky Mountain Man wrote:

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of fishing contests. My brother was on the Ice Team Circuit for a number of years, winning a couple of qualifying tournaments and placing w/in top 50 in the National Championship two years ago. There's cheating that goes on (so much for the true sportsmen), and the pressure on the fish is incredible. Thankfully, the Ice Team contests are for primarily panfish, but you can't convince me that it doesn't affect the fishing.

Finally, I was the promoter/marketing director for the former Wisconsin River Walleye Rally, a national walleye fishing tournament on the Wisconsin River. Had a tremendous time running this 30-day tournament that put more emphasis on fishing, rather than catching (it was a catch-and-release tournament), but we did have the occasional cheater and those who didn't treat the sport of fishing w/ a lot of respect.

Just some thoughts.

Well Rocky Mountain Man I don't want to get into a p!ssing match but I've been a member of the ICETEAM site and for you to say there is alot of cheating going on is just not so from what I know of the individuals involved in organizing these events and the competitors . For the first time ever a Trap Attack is going to be held in Canada and I hope it goes over well . Please don't black eye these events with such rash statements as that because it gives all tourney anglers a bad name and if anything they usually carry a very high standard of moral ethics based on their integrity of competitive spirit . We have our own Powersticks such as Big Jim MaClaughlin and Rocky Madsen etc . that promote the ICETEAM way and I hate to see these men who have done so much in promoting our sport be tarnished by statements such as yours just by affiliation .

Can a cheat happen .? Of course anything is possible but the measures put in place like in any tourney are there to keep good men honest and will catch the crooks in the filter nets . Usually when I see mention of cheating it's done by those who have alot of sour grapes to spread around because they consistently are outfished by the real deals .

Please don't give competitive fishing whether on the ice or off such a bad reflection because it's just not true .

TD

Rocky Mountain Man · **Posted:** Fri Feb 24, 2006 11:31 am

Oh, contrair my fishing friend. Last year's Ice Trap tournament on Lake Redstone in Reedsburg, WI revealed several anglers who had placed fairly high in previous Ice Trap regional tourneys had cheated. They had caught fish prior to the event and placed in a net under the ice. On tournament day, they were discovered ... so don't say it doesn't happen.

BTW, I don't have a dog in this fight as I don't fish the Ice Trap Series, so you can't say I have sour grapes. And, my brother has done very well in the Series over the past few years.

By and large, there are very good anglers who are ethical and true sportsmen, but it only takes one or two to give a bad name to an event, be it a tournament or profession. There are lots of rumors circulating about the Ice Trap Series, and frankly I don't believe three-fourths of the rumors, but putting one's head in the ice (or is it sand?) and discounting the fact that cheating takes place is foolish.

One final note ... I used to be the pr/marketing guy for one of the largest walleye fishing tournaments on the Wisconsin River each spring. As a promotion, one of the nationally-known TV guys wanted to film a segment of walleye fishing on the river for his show and to promote the tournament. He asked us to catch and keep several large walleyes until he got there w/ the film crew. He wanted to be able to put them on his hook and film the set and landing of the fish. We declined to be a part of this lie.

Grizzly · **Posted:** Fri Feb 24, 2006 3:39 pm

....... sad to think people need to cheet but after the fact i gues its in gods hands *S* . im reminded of the time i won biggest brown trout in a small local rotery club fishing derby on a local lake near my house............ after the weigh in i had to go take a lie detector test ......... wow i thought i was gonna fail the test i was so nervice ........... i know i won fair and square but just the thought of that machine saying i was lying made me so nervice i figured id fail for sure......... well i passed but how it made me feel was so un nerving to me........... i also know personally of a guy in the lake ontario ESLO tournament who weighed in a nice steelhead. well it was just out of the winnings so he tells the guy he wants the fish to mount it ...back in the boat he goes, races down the lake shoving sinkers down the fishes throte and weighs it in anoter check point and wallah his cheeting got him 1000 worth of prizes.............. i also know a person who cought a big coho salmon and told people it was on 10 pound stren line when in fact it was 20 pound rope just like most guys use snatching salmon in the rivers here in NY ...... so he now gets all the free line he needs from stren.............. how about the well noted deer hunter with 5 bucks in the record books who got cought buying and killing a deer. and taking it to enter in another state to win the big buck contest........... the name excapes me right now but its a well noted event................ what can you do? ........... as afr as the guys i know who cheated it was only made known to me years later by loose lips in a bar . but knowing the guys it didnt suprize me one bit! . if there is a will to cheat...... people will find the way. ad money into the game and watch out........... good luck to the non cheeters, and keep the faith that what comes around goes around for them that do cheat ........ but god bless us all. and sure as shootin he will sort it all out later *Laugh*

hawg boy · **Posted:** Sat Feb 25, 2006 11:56 am

myself i havent been in the tourney game that long.I have to give praise to the honest anglers who go out and give it there best.Cheaters will only give a bad name to the rest of anglers that put thier skills to the test and try to promote this amazing sport. P.S. If you have to cheat to win stay home and let the honest folks have some fun.

trapperdirk · **Posted:** Sun Feb 26, 2006 5:14 pm

Rocky Mountain Man wrote:

Oh, contrair my fishing friend. Last year's Ice Trap tournament on Lake Redstone in Reedsburg, WI revealed several anglers who had placed fairly high in previous Ice Trap regional tourneys had cheated. They had caught fish prior to the event and placed in a net under the ice. On tournament day, they were discovered ... so don't say it doesn't happen.
.

Well by your own statement here you say they got caught . That in itself tells you the integrity of the organizers and also lie detectors can be done as has been mentioned . The problem I have with your initial statement is that it leads people to believe that winners are cheaters and this is just not true . Anything can happen but I'm a firm believer that its very,very rare at best . You said it was ALOT, and ALOT makes it sound like the norm and would turn folks off these events because no one wants to compete with cheaters and that is my issue with your post .

TD

martycoo · **Joined:** Tue Jan 03, 2006 9:50 am **Posts:** 1793

Kinda Wrecked this thread with too many opinions being fired around! Geesh! Be Civil!

Rocky Mountain Man · **Posted:** Mon Feb 27, 2006 2:16 pm

No attempt to mislead was intended. Intent was to point out that tournaments, by their nature, invite some cheating. And, as with any profession or event, a few bad apples give us honest folks a bad rap. My point was to say that we need to do our best to police tournaments to get rid of the cheaters or those using unethical means to gain an advantage. Once they are caught, ban 'em for life! Spread the word around to other tournaments, etc. But to say it doesn't happen or brush the likelihood that it COULD happen isn't the most positive approach either.

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