Saw on the FLW website earlier today that the new stren series schedule came out and that the midwest division has been abolished. 
Sometimes it just sucks living in Minnesota/Wisconsin because no big tournament trails seem to stay here for the long run. But they did add a texas division on top of already having the TTT events down there. Those guys get all the tournaments. It’s not fair! I’m moving back down south 
Marty,
You know it’s all bucks 
and we still lag behind the SE.
John
We have the cull issue going on and everytime a big Tournament Trail does come they get blasted for fish kill. I wouldnt come here either
We really have to get serious about these anti fisherman/tournament haters who are responsible for driving BASS and FLW out of this state.
At the Elite 50 in Chippewa Falls last year there were over 14,000 spectators at the weigh-ins. There was also over a 2,000,000.00 dollar impact to the local community.I can’t imagine what the economic impact of the Stren was in LaCrosse this year.
Public hearings are soon coming regarding tournament fishing. If you fish, you need to get out to these meetings. You can find the date and times on the DNR web site.
Let’s get this silly culling law changed, and kick these anti fisherman out of office.
Bait Caster,
what about the boat. you dont get the ranger if you win unless you own a ’04 or a better. that’s taking the business side a little bit farther.
I agree with all the replys made so far. As far as laws go I’m sure tournaments would feel more at ease coming to minnesota and wisconsin if they didn’t have to fight through so much red tape. In wisconsin you have the idiotic “no cull” law and in Minnesota it’s hard to get permits on most lakes for over 100 boats. The lake Vermillion Everstart tournament is a good example of why national tournament organizations won’t hold events in MN anymore. I was up on the lake a week after that event for a MN Pro/Am Tournament and stayed at a little resort on the lake. The owner told me that a bunch of the lake assoc. members were extremely angry about the tournament. I asked why wondering if there had been violations of no wake zones or any other infractions of the law made by tournament anglers. He said the only complaint they had was that the tournament guys drove too fast. This guy has owned a resort up there for about 18 years and told me the lake assoc. is a bunch of idiots who complain about anything and everything. And in my opinion they ruin a great angling opportunity for a lot of tournament fishermen too.
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….the lake assoc. is a bunch of idiots who complain about anything and everything. And in my opinion they ruin a great angling opportunity for a lot of tournament fishermen too.
It’s those same pinheads who buy land on the edge of a lake and don’t spend more than 8hrs on it a year.
I’ve always held the opinion, if you are going to own a house on a river or lake, you have to spend 150 hours out enjoying that body of water… 
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It’s those same pinheads who buy land on the edge of a lake and don’t spend more than 8hrs on it a year.
The people who own the place next to the girlfriends dad on pool 7 have not been there in 5 years, Totally overgrown. Most of the trees have Oak wilt and are killing his trees!
Why have a place on the water and never go 
If flw didnt get so much bad publicity from the whole fish-kill issue, they would be here every year and we might even see large professional tourneys. But why would they come here and have every complain about the tournament killing fish? Not much in it for them.
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Why have a place on the water and never go
Just for the sake of saying “I have a place on the river…”
Lately, houses on waterfront property been more of status symbol. You should see the “status symbol” they are building in front of my house. They’ll have 4 million stuck into it by the time it done.
Blue,
Is that the one by the landing they are building? In the last few years there has been some unreal houses built on pool 7. It is starting to remind me of the Minaqua Chain.
Good luck on the water, and wish I could be back fishing the river.
Ben
The BIG house is the one in front of Pete’s Bar. You’ll know it when you see it. The Gazebo has a friggin’ basement…. 
Hahaha….do you think they would rent out their Gazebo to me when I want to come back for a weekend of fishing the good ole’ mississippi. I have not been back home for almost two months now, and it is killing me not being out there are crushing the smallies out there. I can’t wait till teacher convention when I will have a four day weekend, and I will be able to do some serious fishing back around the LaX area.
good luck on the water and in the woods.
Ben
Ben, let me know when that teacher convention is…
grin…I feel your pain dude. I thought i had it bad not getting to go for 5 days straight until the weekend 
sorry guys it is a pisser knowing that this big tournament trail will not be back. On the other hand I fish pool 19 alot and used to fish the Illinois River alot. Pool 19 has had its butt caved in. This pool has fished very badly since the flood of 93 and was only made worse by the flood of 97. The past few years fishing has picked up but this year it got alot better. The problem is bass had a northern divisional here stren has been here the bfl is coming and the Illinois Bass Federation thinks its the greatest place in the world.
I am jelous because in October my club has had no competition for fishing locations. Our last tournament will have a BFL regional the week before and an open buddy tournament, Illinois Bass Fed classic and an ABA on the pool above the same weekend we have never had any pressure.
Why I bring this up is the Illinois river was flat out awesome until the SuperStars tournaments came around since those tournaments fishing has been poor. Not from fish kills but from pressure. Granted things like asain carp have made it worse but it was bad long before the carp showed up.
I fish a local members only lake we in the bassclub found out it was a hidden gem 50% of us joined and started having montly tournaments. the lake went from a bad day was 15 bass over 14 inches with 3 fish over 4 in the mix to a good day was 4 14 inch fish. Since then 90% of the people who fished the tournaments have not rejoined. Now a bad day on the lake is 10 fish over 14 inches. But it will only sustain 1 or 2 descent fisherman.
I guess what I am saying is this and im sure some of the old timers will agree. The more national attention your section of the river gets the more pressure it will recieve. With the increased pressure will come less fish caught on a weekly or even a daily bassis.
So be thankful they wrote our section of the river off it just means better fish catches for the rest of us.
I do however feel bad because one day I hope to be a pro and now I have to travel alot further to catch fish on someone elses lake.
I am not trying to down pro tournies just show a brighter side. If they would have waited 3 years pool 19 would rival if not be better then pool 9 and I allready see the pool 19 tournament impact on pool 18 it is fishing pretty tough. Not to mention for some reason the bass in Pool 19 all seem to be in about a 3 mile stretch of the river. In years past they were all over. Got to be release boat syndrome
off my soap box
Dustin Taylor
dusty-t- I fished both the BASS Northern Tour and Stren Series this summer down there and I’ll try to answer/ debate a few of your points based off the 1 year snap-shot I gathered this summer…
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Not to mention for some reason the bass in Pool 19 all seem to be in about a 3 mile stretch of the river. In years past they were all over. Got to be release boat syndrome
I want to comment on this one first. There is NO way all those fish stayed within a 3 mile area of WHERVER the release boats were releasing fish. I am willing to bet >98% of those fish are back in the areas where they were caught (or similar areas) which hold fish because of current, food, cover, etc… I really hope a lot of guys believe this and waste a bunch of time fishing the launch site for the tournament.
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Now a bad day on the lake is 10 fish over 14 inches. But it will only sustain 1 or 2 descent fisherman.
That members-only private lake is WAYYYYY different that the LONGEST pool on the Upper Mississippi.
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If they would have waited 3 years pool 19 would rival if not be better then pool 9
I really did enjoy fishing on pool 19 and do believe it has some quality fish. However, that pool lacks backwaters. There are some on the north end, but NOTHING like 9 and its surrounding pools. I doubt any pools that lack backwaters such as 19 will ever be as consistant as the upper pools (P7,8,9,10, etc…). Just look at the Ohio River and Illinois River which lack backwaters.
Speaking of the Illinois River…
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the Illinois river was flat out awesome until the SuperStars tournaments came around since those tournaments fishing has been poor.
If you look at the Bassmaster SuperStars Tournament history you’ll find that those tournaments only had 30 guys. And all the guys combined over 3 days there would only be like 5 LIMITS. Was the Illinois River EVER good? (Yes, I’ve bass fished it before around the Peoria area and told myself I never want to go back). Hopefully it changes and someone can change my mind.
Sorry for rambling. I just don’t see the tournaments affecting pool 19 as you make it sound.
BTW- According to the 2007 BFL Great Lakes Division schedule they will be hold their Regional at Ft. Madison once again.
I’m not hatin…so please don’t get mad… 
Well said D-Nort.
I fished the stren on pool 19 this year and it was a sweet place to fish. I had a blast and caught fish on different lures/patterns each of the three days I fished. My buddy also fished with the guy who won and it sounded like they fished some pretty cool spots and ran a bunch of different patterns. Overall I really think that is a sweet pool to fish, and it stinks that the strens aren’t coming back. Coming from fishing mostly northern lakes in MN/WI I learned a lot fishing the stren and going to a bunch of lakes I had limited to no experience on. Nothing bothers me more than people that fish the same bodies of water forever and never try something new.
All good replys. What I ment about the superstars tournaments is after the word on the street came out so did alot of other tournaments. Wich put alot of pressure on a non pressured fishery. It didnt help
I am saying that its not the pressure from the one tournament but a cumulative effect that will take its toal in the long run.
10 years ago you could win tournaments on pool 19 with 3 fish. Now 50 boats a day are catching limits its a remarkeable turn around. I am just worried pressure is taking its toal. Last I knew and heard the whole north end of the pool is the dead sea. All the habitat is still there and so is the bait. Just no bass.
In a perfect world the release boat would distribute fish all over the pool not just on the south end.
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