Beanies 13th Annual River Rat Tournament

River Rat Tourny is the 23rd of September!

This is Beanies 13th annual contest — a great way to spend the last Saturday in September. All proceeds benefit youth in our community. The 2005 contest raised over $3,000 for the St. Croix Valley Youth Service Bureau, an organization committed to improving the lives of young people by developing healthy families and communities through education, prevention and early intervention.

Tasty burgers and brats are served along with chips and soda. Drawings are held for sponsor-donated prizes after the contest. No one who remains for the drawing walks away empty handed! Cash prizes are awarded for fish in three categories: largest walleye, heaviest stringer, and ugliest fish.

Last year our own Eric Hasland aka Has took home the uglies fish prize with…..drum roll please….A CRAPPIE! (two flatheads in the 30’s were disqualifed because of the “one prize per person rule”.

It’s a fun tourney for a great cause and a nice get together afterwards to yak with some of the St Croix’s finist anglers.

Let the smack talk begin!!!

As a side note, I stopped into Jimmy Bait just south of Stillwater on Friday in hopes of finding some decent size suckers for a cat trip Friday night.

The crew at Jimmy’s have been stocking large (at least 10 inch) suckers for some time now for all of you Musky guys and catfisherman.

I bought 18 of them, thinking that would be dieing thoughout the night catten. To my surpize they were very healthy and JUMPING lively all night!

The price was amazing for the size of the suckers.

Brian, aka Crappie Hunter, gave me some great tips on where and how to target the walleyes. Unfortunaly I wasn’t listening too closely as I was stareing at the line up of Limit Creek rods…wondering to myself if they were going to add a catten rod to the line up at some point.

Not likely, I ‘spose as there’s not too many of us out there…althought the trolling rod would make a good channel cat rod.

If you haven’t tried out one of these sensitive rods…stop in to Jimmy’s and check them out…and look at what Jimmy’s calls a “Large” sucker while your there!

Any of you Hamm room hammerheads going to be in this one? I know it’s not the second week in May but this tourney gets the juices flowing!

BK will go for the ugly fish and win by default.

I’m going to kick BK’s butt

Sounds like fun- what is the entry fee?

In light of some other recent “contests” that have occurred on our rivers this summer in which flatheads were killed & mishandled, what are the requirements at this contest for registering your “trophy ugly fish”?

There is also another flathead contest this weekend on the MN river out of Carver. Bummer…

I have to check on the entry fee…I recall it’s very reasonable…and it proceeds go to a great cause.

Hanson, it’s up to the angler.

I missed last year because I was out of town…or something…but two years ago a 30 something flat took first…the fish was weighed and then immediatly release to the river. The scale is less than 100 yards from the waters edge.

Last years “ugly” fish was a crappie…I’m GUESSING HAS had it for lunch.

The entry fee is $20.00 per person.

Turk? The comment you made about me winning by default???

That’s because I’ve only shown you my bad side……

I hope these guys pictured above are still snapping…’cause I’ll be giving you a run for your money C15! 14 lbs of solid channel cat fight!

Brian-

After reviewing the rules (should have done that in the 1st place, eh?), I noticed contest hours from 7am-3pm. Sounds like a shotgun type start, with the weigh-in right there. I would imagine you could weigh your fish early if you wanted to get it back into the river quickly.

Looks properly run to me and I give the thumbs up.

Lumping all contests/tournaments into the same category is not fair. Obviously some are done right and quite a few aren’t in which the result is dead trophy flatheads.

thanks Brian I wasn’t worried about how much it was, just wanted to know how much to set aside. I’ll gladly give 20 to the kids

You guys won’t mind if I win, right

Tony…I would pay you to take another win away from Dtro and L. Flatcaster!

…all of .25 cents.

Hanson, the flat two years ago was back in the water by 7:30 am.

After seeing that video of that cat tourny…it’s good to ask questions!

Well i’m said to say a Crappie won’t win again this year. I have to go to a wedding that day. I really think I need to get my priorities in order.

Good luck. I’ve been sticking some nice walleyes lately.

Would an eel qualify for this contest?

Its a legitament question considering we have caught one on the last 3 outings..

If so.. can I just leave it at the weigh in?

It’s the biggest ugly fish… I’ll check with Beanies…but if there’s a 1 lbs crappie and a two pound eel, I’m guessing the eel would win out.

Although a flat or even a good channel would wipe an eel off the board.
I’m thinking if you waited until a few minutes before three, then brought the eel in with everyone there… you wouldn’t have any trouble getting to the scale…and might even get away with putting your thumb on the scale!

Has anyone been to Jimmy’s? Just wondering if he has anymore of those $8. a doz jumbo suckers left.

Never made it to Jimmy’s. The cold front really hurt the stugeon for us today.. Just 2 fish with on that was a bit over 46″. Tough day, and cold…

Eric, that is too bad for fishing daytime with the wind ect.

I’m heading to Jimmy’s in a bit…do you want me to pick up some extra suckers?

I fiqured I’d express again that there is a ugly fish leg to this tournament and sturgeon sure fit the bill! Plus walleye stringer amd biggest walleye! River rats start your engines!!!
Hammer’MMM

Turk

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I fiqured I’d express again that there is a ugly fish leg to this tournament and sturgeon sure fit the bill!

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I thought I should add a couple of points of caution to Turk’s quote above about a sturgeon being eligible for the Beanies River Rat Tournament Ugly Fish Category.

Point #1: Reference Page 10 -11, “Possessing Fish”, General Regulations, 2006 Minnesota Fishing Regulations. The Minnesota fishing regulations specifically state “While on or fishing waters with size restrictions it is illegal to possess any fish outside legal length limits.” If you are a MN angler it would be illegal for you to possess any sturgeon under 50 inches in length, so be careful – if you show up to weigh in a sturgeon and it is under 50 inches you could find yourself in hot water. One other point along these lines – If you do have a legal 50 inch sturgeon you must also possess a sturgeon tag which costs an additional $5 at any MN licensing station.

Point #2: I appeal to anyone’s sportsman’s ethic considering fishing for sturgeon to win the Ugly Fish Category. Is killing a 50 plus inch sturgeon worth winning the Ugly Fish Category? You Musky fisherman know what I am talking about. How would you feel if someone dragged a 50″ musky 5 or 10 miles while it is out of the water and then weighing it in for a River Rat contest. If you plan on fishing sturgeon I hope you would think about returning that fish to the water alive. How are you going to transport a 50″ fish any distance and still keep it alive enough to weigh it in and release it alive? Yes, it is legal to catch a 50″ sturgeon and to weigh it in to win the contest. You may win the contest but you won’t win the respect of any River Rat. By the way – the same thought goes to anyone catching a big, beautiful flathead catfish. Please don’t kill it!!

I’m on a rain delay this morning so, I’ll respond to C15’s post about weighing UGLY fish.

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How are you going to transport a 50″ fish any distance and still keep it alive enough to weigh it in and release it alive?

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A big livewell. No don’t stringer drag one! Treat these nice fish with respect, I release my big ones healthy.

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You may win the contest but you won’t win the respect of any River Rat.

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I disagree there are many old time river rats that I know, that fish sturgeon to harvest sturgeon!

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By the way – the same thought goes to anyone catching a big, beautiful flathead catfish. Please don’t kill it!!

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I agree, I personally release big fish.

Good luck!!!
Keep Catchin’
Turk

Turk – I just reread my earlier post and I did come across a bit over zealous. Sometimes I need to walk away from the computer and go lay down by my dish. It was not my intention to demean the integrity of an angler that was legally harvesting a sturgeon for his table. I believe in selective harvest and the right of an angler to take fish for the table.

Keep catching!!

C15,

Get a big one tomorrow!

Turk

Whats up Turk…. you have great words of wisdom obee one. Good luck to everyone tomorrow and keep teaching all anglers to respect our fish.

Good luck and have FUN !!!