I have question for all you guys that hate tournaments or think they should be illegal. Do you truly hate what it does to the fish and the fishery or do you dislike the guys that are fishing them? I think everyone should remember If It wasn’t for the tournament anglers catch and release wouldn’t even exist. I suppose we could all go out fishing keep our best five, weigh them, see who had the biggest catch of the day, then have a big ol fish fry!!!!! 
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I think everyone should remember If It wasn’t for the tournament anglers catch and release wouldn’t even exist.
Not that it really matters but the ideals of catch and release do not owe their origin to tournament fishermen. In fact tournament anglers, despite all the other good things they’ve done for the sport, were about 150 years late to to make that claim. In fact nearly all early tournament were strict catch and kill events even as late as the 1970’s. In some areas catch and kill tournaments are still quite common.
The origins for catch & release started on the trout and salmon streams of Europe, namely the high profile Atlantic Salmon streams of the United Kingdom and Scotland.
Here in the states the first real movement towards a catch and release mentality started out in New York and was championed by Lee Wolfe.
OK OK OK Tournament anglers maybe didn’t invent the idea, I guarantee B.A.S.S. anglers were in the forefront in promoting idea. I still think the general public feels that if you catch a fish, you eat it right?
I’ve never run across a scientific study addressing voluntary catch and release participation amongst fresh water anglers. I’ve seen unscientific polls done that target specific groups that show rather high participation rates but I’ll be the first to admit if you take a poll of fishermen from a website like this one, which attracts a more knowledgable and experienced angler, the numbers would swing towards those practicing C&R all or most of the time.
For example…
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A 2002 survey conducted by the popular angling community portal FishingOnly.com (www.FishingOnly.com) reveals interesting insight into how many of the site’s visitors actually practice “catch and release” when they fish.
According to the FishingOnly.com survey, which polled 3,700 users, only five percent said they “never practice catch and release,” 53 percent said they practice catch and release “some of the time,” and 42 percent said they practice catch and release “all of the time.” The results indicate that a vast majority of anglers are conservation-minded at least some of the time, and a surprisingly large percentage (42 percent) are totally committed to releasing all the fish they land.
I would dare say that voluntary Catch and Release is very popular… and growing in popularity. I would not agree with the statement that the average angler intends to eat every fish caught. And this doesn’t take into account “involuntary” catch and release mandated by special regulations set for specific lakes. Few anglers will expect to keep any walleyes they catch on mille lacs lake for the rest of the season but I can guarantee that there will be a lake full of boaters out fishing come October.
I would agree that a tournament bass angler would be less likely to eat a bass caught than an angler that does not fish bass tournaments.
If anyone does know of a scientific study that assess voluntary participation in catch & release I’d greatly appreciate a link. I think it would be interesting information to say the least.
I think some are a bit out of touch with the general fishing public in Minnesota. I fish nearly every corner of the state, and there are a tremendous amount of meat hunters out there. Not that I am against eating a few fish every now and then, but a lot of people aren’t satisfied unless they bring home a cooler full of fish each weekend. I grew up fishing in Northern Minnesota, and a catch and eat whatever you can keep mentality still prevails to the point where we won’t even take some of my friends’ relatives fishing any longer. These people still get downright irate when we release a large fish. Those 26-28″ fish taste the best don’t ya know, and don’t forget that those 40″ northerns are perfect to pickle. I know a lot of these guys who think nothing of catching one limit in the morning and another in the evening each day who hate tournament anglers because they feel they’re destroying the lakes. It’s so hypocritical that it’s almost funny.
The concept of catch and release fishing has certainly been aided by the tournament fishing scene, as well as a new generation of fishermen who see that a scorched earth approach to fishing is detrimental to the health of the lakes and rivers they like to fish.
There are some bad apples fishing tournaments, but I can name dozens of instances of unethical or downrigh illegal boating and fishing activities that I have personally observed that did not involve tournament anglers. I’ve also seen some pretty bad things done by tournament anglers, and I’m not shy about telling them what I think of their behavior. I chewed out a regular poster on this site for running part of the no-wake zone down by Wabasha last year during the league event. I would expect the same if someone sees me doing something stupid so I don’t make the same mistake twice.
As far as the new fees go, why is anyone surprised? Have you forgotten what state we live in? Our legislators need something to keep them fat and happy while they’re not getting any productive work accomplished.
I always thought muskie fishermen were given most of the credit for promoting catch-and-release ethics in the upper midwest, after populations declined. I’m sure many have seen or remember the old “Muskie Rampage” photos from the 50’s. I think the biggest contribution by far from tourney anglers is coming up with new techniques.
Tourney guys will always be cast in a darker light than average anglers when exhibiting bad behavior. Peoples perceptions of rude acts from tourney fishermen will be because there is MONEY on the line vs. “Joe Boater” who is just being plain stupid. Both are being idiots but people will always be more cynical of someone with a monetary interest no matter how small or large. I suppose this applies to guides too, although I can’t see how a guide who is a jerk on the water could stay in business very long.
Chris
I enjoy fishing tournaments and do it quite often actually. I also understand that every minute I am on the water, whether in a tournament or not, I am responsible for my conduct. As a tournament angler I am an easy mark for anyone that wants to complain about me, as I know I am lumped into a group of anglers that over time has been looked negatively upon by some. Like any sport, there will be bad apples but we try very hard to police ourselves. No matter what, it comes down taking personal responsibility. Whether you are a tournament angler or a weekend angler you have a chance to do right or wrong thing at any given time. Just because a person has a “nice boat” or a “fast boat” does not mean they are in a tournament so if we ALL take some personal responsibility for our conduct on the water will not have these issues.
Oh, and I do think the fee for tournaments is now a little excessive.
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The origins for catch & release started on the trout and salmon streams of Europe, namely the high profile Atlantic Salmon streams of the United Kingdom and Scotland.
An interesting sidenote to that is that if any of us “common blokes” back then had decided to fish on these streams owned by the nobility, we would have been executed!
So things aren’t so bad now by comparison. 
dd
It is quite apparent that you look but do not see and hear but, do not listen.
O.K YOU SAID……..
its amazing to see how far out this thread goes and how it has turned to a discussion about tournaments. Whereas it is about fees on tournaments. Not the whether tournaments are just or warranted. But, the fact another increase of a FEE. We can complain but, will it do any good probaly not. I do wonder how much the DNR is raising the pollution permit fee that 3M pays. I have heard it was 400 bucks- if that is true fees should be based upon impact to the water. Rather than because we can charge. I support NO fees period on any recreational sport. As we all have paid dues to get there. I would support more fees on pollution. Then we’ll be back to economics- 3M and others like them will move to China if the FEES warrant it. Then we will all be fishing!
I read it 
you don’t like fee’s 
O.K. I got it.
Other posters have opinions about tournements read that too O.K. I got it.
Next? 
From Mr. Paul Bailey…Paul Bailey Aitkin County
3rd District County Commissioner
From Mr. Paul Bailey…
“Tournaments on Mille Lacs kill a lot of fish, maybe they need to go as well, so now the resorts can get angry with me too! Some of the old timers say the introduction of the muskie to Mille Lacs was a big strike in demise of walleye fishing. Now the guides can be angry, but I believe a large muskie or northern is like a hog, they will eat anything that moves in front of them including the walleye.”
This show’s that the state has an agenda to terminate Tournaments.
This is coming from a guy that likes to sit on the sidelines and watch tourneys…I could care less if there were tourneys personally, but do care because there’s a lot of people that get enjoyment out it them.
My question to the DNR (who like all government agencies do a very good job 99% of the time) would be…
We (tax payers, hunters, fisherman ect) are paying for a days work from them. Don’t really matter what they do in that day (so to speak), so why do they need to recoop the costs?
If they are adding extra man power to issue permits, police them or whatever…I might see a justification…If not…WE are paying for them already.
Sorry, I’m a bottom feeding cat guy…just don’t understand this logic.
Brian the answer is really quite simple, the vast majority of the labor expense of the DNR is located in the headquarters. It is overstaffed with a lack of field staff. Send a bunch of the “office” boys out to write citations and do enforcement and you won’t need to have tournement fee’s. As with most government agency’s the DNR is top heavy.
They could double the fishing liscense fee and it would be O.K. with me as long as they doubled the field staff.
The tourny fee is just another way to add to the coffers while sitting at their desks. 
IMHO
Ahhh, my lungs have just been cooled with fresh air. You are absolutely correct Brian. The issue here is the precedence this will set for all user groups. That’s whay I said earlier this discussion is out of of control.
I can see it now. Because of the added fishing pressure on the river during the walleye spawn, you will now have to purchase a permit to help the DNR recoup the added costs of selling fishing licences to out of state anglers fishing out of Evert’s Resort. Go ahead and laugh, but this is the road we are embarking on now. 
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you will now have to purchase a permit to help the DNR recoup the added costs of selling fishing licences to out of state anglers fishing out of Evert’s Resort.
I knew it was all Dean’s fault somehow 
I like your thinking!
There are poeple higher up in the DNR who don’t like tournaments. We ALL saw that when we attented the meetings they held along the river towns about tournaments and wanting to make alot of the backwater areas basicly for canoes etc where no gas motors are allowed. Seemed to want a back to nature only scene on alot of the rivers and the hec with regular anglers and tournament fishermen. They forget about all the monies that towns get from us gas motored boat fishermen and tournament anglers too. They forget that even their own fishing boats and fishing equipment are so much better today because of the tournament fishermen who test, demand, and help influence how the products are much better built today than yesterday. Our boats are fantastic in features because of tournaments. But then again, we aren’t the canoe guys and the bird watching guys who they seem to want to please now a days. Its just another of many probably yet to come ways to end tournaments. The dams are what have hurt the habitat in the backwaters not us boat fishermen. Why don’t they complain about them? Oh, thats right, thats another government agency. They want to take away ”rights” that we fishermen have. I’d like to know where there think they have the right to take away other peoples rights.
Thanks, Bill
Wow, the sky is falling! Oh no, that was chicken little who claimed that….
I’ll take a little different perspecitve here. I grew up on Lake of the Woods and can clearly recall all the cleaning house buckets FULL of every size of filleted walleye at Ballards, Sportsmans and Arnesons resorts. Then I moved south and recall buckets full of cleaned walleyes at Everts and watching lots of fish cleaned at Roschen at Lake City. Now this past summer I fished the FLW Tour and I don’t recall seeing one single walleye being cleaned. Whats a matter with this picture? I clearly realize that a few of the competitors take a few home to eat but the general public has their head in the sand if they think think THEIR valuable resource if being squandered away by tournament anglers. In fact it is quite the opposite! Most of us grew up being competitive at some other sport and have transformed that love of competing to angling. I have yet to meet a tournament angler that clearly wants to harm the fisheries by unwanton waste or poor public perception. Have I bumped into a competitor that might make me question their scruples? Well of course but don’t we have that in every walk of life?
I find some OPINIONS to be very interesting and at the same time very scary…. But overall I’m still glad I live in the good ol’ USA.
Can someone get the net……. This ones an eater…..
Good grief…….
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but the general public has their head in the sand if they think think THEIR valuable resource if being squandered away by tournament anglers.
I never thought that.
What about the fee’s Kurt?
BK – thanks for bringing me back on track. I lost my head there after hours of reading some very good (and bad) opinions…..
I think there is room to find the money for the proposed fees. Like always I just hope the money is used in an appropriate manner and not misused or unaccounted for like so many of our funds here in the land of 10,000 taxes…..
Kurt
Theres a lot of talk about public perception in this post. I have not talked to regional fishery’s managers this year about tournament complaints last year, but from the year before the MN D.N.R fishery’s managers did not receive one compliant for a permitted tournament. So it is always strange for me to read on fishing websites about “public perception”?
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MN D.N.R fishery’s managers did not receive one compliant for a permitted tournament. So it is always strange for me to read on fishing websites about “public perception”?
Ever been cut off at an intersection? See someone blow through a red light? Did you report it to the proper authorities?
But then again I’m sure you’re right and tournaments have nothing to worry about. Keep on keepin’ on.
I understand everyones views.
Going to the meetings about the changes for the river/slow zones, etc. last year really opened my eyes to the public perception of tournament anglers, pleasure boaters, jet skiers/tubers, air boats, etc. It seemed as though there is a large portion of the public that just has a problem with all of the above. Many are one that hate the other. You hate this group and I hate that group. A good friend of mine stood up to debate a comment from a man that stated his views on tournament anglers. His response was short and sweet, “Be careful what you wish for.” If one item is removed, there will be another and so on.
I dislike the large pleasure boaters wakes and the jet skiers buzz. I hate the boats pulling tubers around in circles by me. But instead of complaining and whining I realize we all have the right to do what we do. Its my choice to fish the body of waters I do. I am aware of what to expect at what time of day. I do not wish to end jet skiing or pleasure boating. I chose to keep doing what I love and accept what comes along with it.
As far as the increased fees go, whatever. Like someone else said, basically you have to pay to play. Take it or leave it. Just like fuel, urine and moan all you want. If you don’t like it don’t buy it.
What a bunch of communist crap…Nw how long before it hits WI? Think I may move south….I do like Beaver Lake..
Just a quick thought on tourney. All of us that do fish some kind of tourneys know how much we all spend every year on baits, gas, yada yada, the whole nine yards…Alot right!?? Not to mention money spent at local business.
Ok, now do away with tourneys. How much will that effect on eveything. And I do not mean in just one year. How many business will be affected. I know I will not need 30 differnt jigs and numerous different kinds of plastic. Why would I? So blow that out, and me not buying boat gas or food….get my drift… I, alone will not spend over 5000 bucks a year on fishng tourneys. Thats is everything counted together. Not that much, right. No big deal. Now how many tounrey guys will that affect? How many licenses will NOT be bought. I will probably quit and sell my boat…..
So where will the DNR get money do fund there stuff???? From the weekend fisherman???? Yeah, right!!!!!!!
So why is the Northern DNR so diff from the South????????/
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So where will the DNR get money do fund there stuff???? From the weekend fisherman???? Yeah, right!!!!!!!
There is a few more of us than you think………..
And this is why I am anti tourney. PERIOD.
I don’t want to sound like I’m taking away from any of the good that tournaments do for local or regional economies. For some businesses the loss of tournament dollars would be devastating but I disagree that the DNR wouldn’t have funding if anglers stopped fishing tournaments (this doesn’t even address the fact that the DNR’s budget is not tied to angler user fees((licenses, etc.)) as their budget is appropriated from the general fund.)
As a whole the amount of money spent by tournament anglers doesn’t amount to a hill of beans in comparison to what is spent by the hundreds of thousands of non-tournament anglers.
From the US Census Bureau – 2003. Minnesota ranks #2 in the nation in of dollars generated by anglers at $1.7 billion. That’s with a “b.”
Doing away with tournaments is only going to spread the fishing pressure over a greater area. Those people who would be fishing a tournament will still be fishing, but maybe just on other lakes, and those lakes may or may not be able to handle increased fishing pressure.
I for one wouldn’t have any problem with the number of tourneys on Mille Lacs being cut down a bit. As it is, there are only a couple weekends a summer where there isn’t a tourney on it.
As of today, there have been only 2 weekends where there HAS NOT been a tournament on Mille Lacs (one of those was Memorial weekend when there were a million people out there anyway), and some of those tournament weekends there were 2 tourneys going at the same time. 
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MN D.N.R fishery’s managers did not receive one compliant for a permitted tournament. So it is always strange for me to read on fishing websites about “public perception”?
Ever been cut off at an intersection? See someone blow through a red light? Did you report it to the proper authorities?
But then again I’m sure you’re right and tournaments have nothing to worry about. Keep on keepin’ on.
James, is your perception of tournament anglers? Cutting people off and breaking the law? I don’t feel it is, but your last post sure does look like it makes that point.
Side note, the MN. D.N.R. did use to receive tournament complaints in the past, and about every thing under the sun has been addressed thru the permitting. After the last tweaks where made over two years ago, the following year there where no complaints. Also directors in MN. took a hard look at the pressure put on many popular tournament lakes and started working together to take some of the pressure off of these lakes. Also talking and dealing with Lake [censored].
with there concerns about tournaments on the body’s of water they represent. Has it solved all of public perception? Probably not. Is there any thing that will make every water user no. So fees will be paid and tournaments in MN. will continue to be the most regulated in all of the U.S.A. and in the state that has more lakes than any other we will continue to take the jabs of any one that wants to throw them. What many recreational anglers will never understand is the feeling of going to anther state for a big tournament and banners welcoming you and every local business, asking you if you are in “the tournament” and thanking you for stopping by.
Something is not right with this state and its attitude towards tournaments.
Something is not right with this state and its attitude towards tournaments.
There is alot of things not right about this states government not just in regards to tounaments.
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