Chetek Chain – Sick of BASS tournaments

I read through this “fishing report” from the Chetek Chain. This was written by a local guide there. I just found out why fishing was so tough up there. It appears they take the fish off their man-made structure and put them in their tub? Does something seem wrong with this, or is it just me?

By they way…I do realize this article is from June.

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Bass tournaments are too often on the lakes in my opinion. I have talked to many property owners on the lakes who pay “big” taxes for the privilege to have lake front property and then on the weekends when they go to fish they are met by the onslaught of bass boats. Maybe we should petition the DNR to limit the tournaments to 1 a month. The lakes are used many times for tournaments by clubs who divide into “groups” so they do not have to get a permit to hold a tournament on the lake. I talked to one lady yesterday that said she had 8 bass in her bathtub over the weekend so the bass fishermen wouldn’t catch “her” fish from her tree and take them to the Northwoods to be weighed in.

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Read the BASS report portion of this article.

A lot of times homeowners think of natural cover as “theirs” when it is next to their property in the water. Though it’s a different story (and illegal) if they plopped the tree or brush in the water themselves.

But keeping eight bass in a tub for a weekend? Just so the bass guys couldn’t catch them??? Some people need to get some brains or at least a little common sense.

So the old bat is sick of tournaments is she. Well I’m sick to death of locals thinking they own the lake. I’ve been harrassed by water skiers, been threatened by locals because I’ve fished near or under their docks and had the Ramsey county sheriffs tell me the land owners own the lake out to the midpoint and to get off of the lake because of a complaint. In my opinion, the woman with over her limit of bass in the tub should be cited for it, plus the idiot probably used tap water and killed them anyway. I now own a video camera and the next time someone threatens me or harrasses me, I’m going to have them arrested. The lakes are public property, not the private playgrounds of the land owners. Cool, my first rant.

I went up there this year for a tournament and had the chance to fish with kizew once again…talk about a guy that knows his stuff! We weren’t harrassed by anyone while we prefished but did almost witness a boating accident. I also believe that she should get cited for that as well. I am going to invest in a camera for next year I think. Thats a good idea.

First of all…….I am friends with the person who wrote that report and has lived and fished the chain for 40 years. I am also aware of the person who said she put the bass in the tub to protect them from the tournament fishermen. First of all, since she and her husband both fish and have a lic. don’t think they would be over their limit. Good point as to how many of the fish survive after spending a day in a tub with soap residue etc.

As for me, I have fish the Chetek chain for about ten years now. I drive 240 miles to spend the weekend or a week of vacation only to be greeted by “Another Bass Tournament”. I have been fishing a shoreline only to have tournament fishermen come in head of me and start fishing the same shoreline just 50 yards ahead of me. When I said something, I was informed that they were in a tournament………Yeah…….ssssssoooooo. I also realize that not all bass fishermen are like that but it only takes a few bad apples to spoil the bunch. I also know of people who when they see you fishing a shoreline, they will run down to the dock and start fishing or have their kids start fishing. I works both ways.

While I am on the soap box, I won’t leave out the week long vacationers. This is what hurts the bass population. The tournaments might taken them to the Northwoods Inn to be weighted but they are turned back. In the campground where I have a trailer, I see allot of bass in the fish cleaning house. One vacationer had a bass that didn’t go 12 inches long. When I questioned him, he gave me a funny looked and asked if there was a size limit?? When I told him, his kid wanted to measure it on the tape on the table. I tried to contact the DNR but got no answer. They figure that they spend X amount of $$’s for vacation and they want to eat fish. With all the blue gills and crappies on the chain, don’t know why they would want to eat a bass?

With the size the the Chetek Chain, I question just how much presure the bass can take. When I first started fishing the Chetek Chain, I can remember catching 73 bass one weekend. You won’t do that now!!!

My wife and I enjoy the Chetek Chain and have made allot of friends. Guess I am lucky that for me bass fishing is just something to do between sping and fall walleye fishing.