Why would a tournament fisherman make this statement when in fact its not entirely true?
There won’t be an FLW Tour event on Mille Lacs next year. The DNR would not gaurantee the tour that there would not be a 14-16″ slot next year so they pulled Mille Lacs out of the mix.
Just as well too. Too many tournaments is one of the reasons the slot got tightend down as much as it is.
Have a Nice Day!
Jack Dunn
I hope my ship comes in before the dock rots away!
Where are you quoting Jack from and what is not entirely true?
-J.
The quote is from Walleye Central. Tournement fishing didn’t have much if any bearing on the slot limit as compaired to night fishing, the awesome bite, and better anglers. In my opinion those comments will only add fuel to the people who oppose tourneys on the lake to begin with. If someone who fishes them states that it must be true.
I read that. Took it a different way. I think all Jack is saying is there is a perception that there are too many tournamets and it’s an issue that will be discussed at the Input Group meeting in OCT.
It’s an absolute fact that the FLW did dump Mille Lacs as a location because the DNR could not guarantee the slot would change.
-J.
I doubt that tournaments had much to do with it.It was a phenominal year on the pond and everyone and his brother took advantage of it.Maybe there are too many guides on the lake to 
I also know that not to long ago the FLW was talking to Bill Herrick that runs the Wave Wacker and wanted those dates for a tournament.I doubt that will happen and I hope it never does.
I did say there are too many tournaments….unfortunately, I didn’t go into great detail explaining my point.
My issue with the proposed FLW event was the dates they wanted to have it… early June, I believe the 11th. We have many established tournament dates as it is during the early season. As it was this year, with the PWT included we had something like 15 or 16 tournaments on the lake between opener and the 3rd week of July. July 16th – July 22nd was the first week there were no tournaments on the lake this year. From July 23rd till the end of the open water season there are 3 walleye tournaments scheduled, Macs Twin Bay Couples was on the 28th of July, the MTT last weekend, and Phil’s Myr Mar Tournament (Sept. 8-9??) Now if you figure that the season opens in mid May, and tournaments could run, realisticly thru mid September, we have 15-16 tournaments during the first 2 months, and 3 during the last 2 months. I’m sure everyone can see the embalance here! 
It is not a matter so much of too many tournaments as much as the spreading out of the added pressure that tournaments bring to the lake. It isn’t the amount of fish that “tournaments” catch as much as it is the amount of pounds the DNR adds to the hooking mortality numbers as a result of the added number of boats on the lake each day while they pre-fish. It is the timing of those numbers being added to the “harvest totals” that have the greatest bearing on if and when special regulations are imposed such as a 14″-16″ slot. The DNR contacted the Input Group in late June to tell us that there was reason to worry about our harvest numbers. They have to monitor the harvest and on the 1st and 15th of the month in June, July and Aug. they compare those numbers to the “threshold” numbers they established prior to the open water season. If we exceed those “threshold” numbers enough, special regulations are automatically put into place so as to prevent the need to close the lake to all sport angler fishing for any and all species thru the first of December. Of course, hooking mortality and the manner in which the DNR comes up with those numbers is a whole different can of worms!!
Very good and valued points JJ and Jack! 
Thats hard to disagree with Jack.
I read in outdoor news there was an estimated 41,000 lbs of kill from tourneys. Thats a lot of fish.
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