Brovarney Baits Response to the DNR proposals

This the email I sent to Patrick Schmalz Of the DNR. I urge everyone who cares about tournament fishing in WI to do the same.

Dear Pat and whom it may concern,
Personally I would love if none if this had come to pass but it has. I must ask the number one question on my mind being a young upstart company. Why would the DNR try to cut the legs out from every small tackle shop in the state? Why would the DNR put so many small businesses in the rear view mirror? The proposal you have set forth would put myself and many other small bait shops out of business. What kind of sense does that make? Are you guys trying to put all the tackle in Wisconsin in big corporations hands? At least 50% of my business comes from this wonderful state and about 95% comes from tournament anglers. I, unlike many other small companies have options, I have an e-commerce site which lets me gets sales from across the country. I also have the option to move my business and my tax dollars to Illinois, most do not. I am glad you all can sit back and say you are right and we are not going to budge. Well stubbornness has led to 2 world wars and many other countless battles across the globe including 2 we are stuck in now. Does the DNR want a war? Does the Lake Association want a war? If they do, it is not just tournament anglers they are picking a fight with. It is the Fireman down the street, your kids 8th grade school teacher, the guy selling you gas, the guy designing your theater, or the guy designing the hottest bait in the country. We are all people from many different walks of life and this how we enjoy the outdoors. Now if this wonderful state is willing to walk away from the millions of dollars that are generated by these tournaments, then politicians and the DNR are no where near as smart as we all thought they were. The decisions you are making will not only effect tournament anglers but the entire state economy. I hope everyone on your side has weighed all the positives and negatives. I also hope that these prejudicial laws become a little open to what the public wants instead of a few rich people and angry DNR employees wants. The one funny point of these laws, you are attacking the people that care about your fisheries the most and caving to the people who dive these huge boats that destroy everything in their wake. So basically I find it rather funny the DNR is siding with the groups that harm the environment the most. Doesn’t make much sense but I guess you just have to follow the money trail. I just wish the DNR would quit talking out of both sides of their mouths, and do what is right for this wonderful state instead of a select few rich people. Also the misinformation spread by DNR makes my stomach turn, I realize the truth is not what you want the public to know but it will set you free. I hope everybody over their wakes up before it is to late, and you shoot yourself in the foot.
In finishing I hope the DNR and state of Wisconsin wake up before they cut their nose off spite their face.
Yours Truly one extremely concerned tackle manufacture,
Casey Hewes
President
Brovarney Baits
A WISCONSIN BORN COMPANY!
By the way what ever happened to the economic study that was suppose to take place?

Just to make it clear these our my views, I am not asking you share my view, but please share your personal views and stance with the DNR.

Good for you and our stand against all rediculous rule changes

Casey, thanks for caring

Quess that apple didn’t fall to far from the tree……..

Good job kid.

well wrote

My response:

Dear Pat and whom it may concern,

As a young tournament angler and long time fisherman, I would like to express my concern regarding the outcome of the upcoming proposal NR 20.40 Fishing Tournament Regulation Development and I would like my testimony to be recorded as that. Because I was/am unable to attend a public hearing, I would like to highlight and comment on some issues that are stated in “key parts of proposed rule changes approved for public hearings this fall”.

Issue 1: “Crowding at boat ramps in certain times of the year.” It seems as if the tournament angler is being singled out as being the only source of overcrowding of boat ramps. How would other boaters react if the ban included every inboard motor or pontoon on those favored dates? Banning tournaments on these dates will not solve the problem of overcrowding. Everyone should have an equal opportunity to use the resource.

Issue 2: “Fish dying after being caught and released in tournaments.” As a tournament angler I have both seen and experienced first hand that we (tournament anglers) take very good care off our fish at all times from the initial hook set, to the fight, net, live well, all the way to the time that fish is released. In fact, we take strides to improve the quality of the fish while in our possession i.e.: shortened fight times to reduce stress, aerated live wells, additives, etc. The last thing I want to see is a dead fish, but not only because it is a tournament worthy fish (which is the general public perception), but mostly because it is personal let down. I respect the resource in every aspect and to see a dead fish hurts me at a personal level. I know that there are many other tournament anglers that feel the same way. You are exactly correct in the statement “no one likes to see the resource wasted,” especially me as a tournament angler. Incidental mortality is an unfortunate experience but I would like to point out that it does not only take place at the tournament level. For example, a bluegill that is deep hooked because it inhaled that red wiggler or a deflected arrow off a limb causing bad shot placement on a whitetail, us as outdoorsman hate to see incidental/accidental mortality but it does happen in all outdoor activities. We don’t have to eliminate live bait or archery hunting, we need to be aware of the consequences and take actions to combat it. Education and safe practice could/should be discussed and participants in the outdoors should be reminded of that often.

Issue 3: “lessen the pressure on fish and reduce conflicts with other anglers and boaters”. It seems to me that boater conflict is an issue that is ongoing, but I do not think limiting size and frequency of tournaments will solve the issue. If boaters are bothered by tournament participants couldn’t this be avoided by having other boats avoid that body of water during the tournament (I know that’s not a viable option, but eliminating tournaments is not either)…. The fact of the matter is simple, people need to respect each other, each others property, and the resource while exhibiting sportsmanship whether they are participating in a tournament event or out for an afternoon cruise with their family.

Issue 4: “immediate release of fish during July and August.” As I have previously stated, no sportsman in their right mind wants to create the intentional waste of a resource. I did not like the results of the recent studies of the tournaments and I am not trying to sugarcoat the numbers. The numbers were horrible to see even as a participant at the events. All that I can say is that the press surrounding was unfairly written to direct bad publicity to the tournament and its participants. Still to this day, I, as well as several other anglers/participants are still actively researching and trying to investigate the problem. Researching not to dispute the study, but to simply understand and correct the problems. Among the tournament fish kills, I think several factors contributed to the high mortality rates, factors that were not published. Certainly the extra handling, penning, water temp, hole punching obviously contributed to the extra stress and eventual mortality of the fish. Rather than pointing fingers, I would rather the research and money was used towards prevention rather than a reactionary measure.

Issue 5: additional tournament fees, additional permit fees, limiting numbers. I completely disagree with the items listed; stating that I think this is a ploy to get more money for government agencies not related to the WDNR. The additional fees will drive tournament organizations across the border to adjacent states.

Issue 6: “no economic impact to Wisconsin businesses.” I believe this statement is way off base. There are several bait shops, tackle stores, gas stations, hotels, etc. that depend on the economic boost brought by tournament angling to merely survive the remainder of the year. If there has not been any studies done to show that, I would highly suggest it rather demand it. I know for a fact that you will find it does in fact have a great economic impact to Wisconsin businesses.

In quoting a well known touring pro after fishing a Stren Series Event in Wisconsin, “this is one of the best fisheries I have ever been on…the people of LaCrosse are great”. I think as Wisconsinites we should work together to create and welcome those experiences and embrace that great resource rather than creating rules that work in the opposite direction. In closing, I Kyle P. Schauf would like to go on record with the above comments clearly stating that I do not support the proposed changes to NR20.40 in any regard.

ducky…..

you did email that to pat and ask him to included it as testimony………right?

Yes, that is what I emailed to pat.

Here is my statement:

To whom it may concern,

As a tournament angler and a person who loves to fish, I would like to voice my concern with the new DNR proposal 20.40. Since I am unable to attend any of the meetings, I would like this statement to be considered my testimony for this proposal.

First of all, I cannot believe that my rights to do what I love to do…fish is possibly being taken away from me because of some poorly run research projects. Being a La Crosse native, I know all about the delayed fish kills that were being publicized in the paper and on the news throughout the country. I have been fishing the Mississippi River my whole life, and I have never seen a delayed fish kill until the DNR ran the two research projects out of La Crosse. This is a whole issue in its self, but I will say this. This past summer the two Professional fisherman that finished first and second were catching released fish. How do I know that? Because I was fishing a community fishing spot near the release site for several hours, and these two pro’s were also targeting the same fish as I was because they were less than 100 yards from me. Fish have to eat, and will eat within hours of being caught. Thus, that is one of the main reasons why there was a major fish kill for the Everstart and Stren Series out of La Crosse. With that being said, I have a very close friend who was part of your research project on Balsam Lake. There was an almost 0 percent fish kill for this mock tournament. Why? Because the fish were released immediately and not held in pens to bake in the sun. My last point on this topic of delayed fish kill is why are other states not experiencing this? You would think that the southern states where the water is warmer and also hold more and bigger tournaments than Wisconsin would experience this, BUT THEY DO NOT. OBVIOUSLY THERE IS SOMETHING THAT WISCONSIN IS DOING WRONG.

Secondly, “there will be no economic impact on the economy.” That is absolutely incorrect. I do not consider myself an expert, but I do have an economics degree, teach economics, and I cannot see how there will be no economic impact to the community. I was born and raised in Onalaska, Wisconsin, and when there happened to be large tournaments such as the BFL, Everstart, and Stren Series tournaments out of La Crosse, the hotels, gas stations, restaurants, and tackle shops filled with anglers. Depending on the tournament, often times anglers will spend up to a month in the area prefishing. The La Crosse Tribune reported two years ago “that the Everstart Series will likely bring over a million dollars to the La Crosse area,” but yet there is no economic impact of losing all of that money. How can that be? My favorite local tackle store owner spoke at one of the hearings and was in tears because his dream of being an entrepreneur and running a tackle store would not be able to survive if this ridiculous proposal passes. I will guarantee that there will be other businesses that will go under. If this proposal passes, there will be people out of work and unemployed. This proposal is a direct violation of the American Free Enterprise System. The DNR is eliminating one of our rights as Americans to be an entrepreneur. Without entrepreneurs, our society would be strictly corporate and all of our small business owners of hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and tackle stores would not exist. This proposal also will be adding additional tournament fees, additional permit fees, limiting numbers. I completely disagree with the items listed above! The additional fees will drive tournament organizations across the border to adjacent states, and thus create positive economic impacts on our neighboring states.

It has been my dream since I was a little kid to become a successful tournament angler and be sponsored by Wisconsin tackle companies. In fact that I am so serious about this dream, that I became a teacher so that I would have summers off to be able to chase my dream. If this ridiculous proposal passes, my dream as well as many others will be thrown to the wayside. Please consider this statement as my testimony to reject this proposal. If you have any questions regarding this statement please feel free to email me at [email protected] or call me at (608)780-6822.

Sincerely,

Ben Otto
Business and Information Technology Teacher
Shawano Community High School

OTTO….You should get ahold of the Winnebago system econ impact study……fun stuff.

Ben,
Make sure you send a copy to Patrick Schmalz and a copy to Gerald O’Brien. Has to be sent by November 17th

Casey & Ben,
Have you recieved a response from Patrick at all? I have not, but I am hoping the delayed response is due to the fact that he is being flooded with emails/testimonys like yours!

I sent my testimony to Patrick, but have not received anything from him. Honestly, I do not see him sending replies back to us. I just hope that these emails will be taken seriously, and I hope they just don’t print them off and throw them in a stack with the rest of the emails, and totally disregard them. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD NO MATTER WHERE YOU STAND.

Good luck on the water and in the woods,

Ben

I received a response, but I am also friendly with him and they want me to be part of the small business testimonial. I know he is reading and filing all the letters and emails for the hearings. So keep sending them, only one more day to have your voice heard. Try to keep in mind that this mess is not Pat’s fault but that of others above him and “WAL”.

Great Job Casey.