State wide fishing exchange proposal

I’ve seen an idea years ago and I am currently interested in reintroducing it so to speak. The idea is a Statewide fishing exchange. Of course this is in the developmental stages and needs some backers. Anyway, what it simply would entail is people getting together to share personal fishing knowledge and fish with other people from across the state or locally.

For example, I would gladly trade a day of Root River smallmouth fishing for a day of Mississippi Catfishing etc. etc. etc.!! And/or we could incorporate taking children or others who don’t have the opportunity like most of us to get out fishing. Doesn’t have to be just rivers or open water season for that matter. I guess I love fishing sooo much, constantly wanting to learn more!!! That is the reason for my proposal. I believe FTR would be a great home to such a program.

Tell me what you think!!!! Keep the rods bendin’!!! Jim W

JimW,

I really like the sounds of this. I’m very interested in hearing more details. I, like you, can never learn enough about fishing. Matter a fact, some other users and I met down on Pool 3 the other night just to meet and it was a great excuse to get out and fish. I look forward to more info as this takes off.

Seems to me that there would be enough interest state wide to support such a program. I think it’d be great! Along the same lines as this is to create a local “Fishing League”. Not about competition, but for hitting different places with different people one evening a week. Coordinating that effort would take a lot of work, but if a method could be devised, I think it’d be good thing. Men, women, children……………it’d be as versatile as bowling!

I play in a Pool (no not Pool 2,3,4 but a billiards league)-the format would work great for fishing. You have a home base(bar for pool,lake,river,pit,pond for fishing) and other teams in your area are from other bars. 1/2 the time you are at home, 1/2 the time you are on the road. Everyone could pick their own “home” and provide the boat for yourself and a partner/opponent. Good size is 8 teams. That makes a 14 week “season” beening at home 14 times and on the road 14 times. You could easily make it competative-ie most legal inches of 6 walleye etc. If you catch more than the guy in your boat, then you win. The pool league is $5/week/person (not a lot). That would collect $540 for the season for payouts (not a lot, but enough to make things interesting).

For example: weeks 1,3,5,7,9,11,13 fish at my home of Pool 2 June 1st to Sept 15. Week 2 for me on the road on the Croix, week 4 pool 3, week 6 pool 8. There can be more than 1 team form a single place. So week 8 on Pool 2 in someone elses boat(road game), week 10 St Croix, week 12&14 pool 4.

Opponents would be responsible for arranging a time to fish within a 1 week period for 4 hour block of league time (guys could still fish, but there would have to be a beginning and end for scoring).

If there is enough interest, I would be happy to arrange something. We would need enough people within an hour of eachother’s “home” bases so that it isnt a pain in the butt for anyone. If there is too much interest, there could be 4 divisions-North, City, South and West and have a playoff at the end. Bait shops could be meeting places/sponsors on some level. If there is a web master we could get an easy site together for “smack” talking, schedules, photos, weekly results, etc.

Anyone in? I know that there are fishing leagues around the state, if anyone has ideas, please throw them out there.

Thanks!!!!

I would be in favor of that I am a pool 4 fisherman and love doing it I’m fairly new to it but I am catching onto it fast and would love to share what I know about the river and mabe learn from others what they know. Also Dave thats a wonderful idea that should be looked into.

14 week season, home 7, away 7 would be more appealing to me. Everybody fishes the same week , then takes one off. I’d like to fish at least once a week but I still have to get that family time and time on water with my ol’ buddies too. This way, it wouldn’t get in the way so bad and it should keep guys on their toes from trip to trip with ever changing conditions over the course of 28 weeks.

This sounds great Dave and I’d love to help you organize something for next year. I’m too busied up to do it still this year. If anything does start up, let me know! I’d like to get invovled in it’s following season.

After reading the original post it seems that the exchange would be more like what the North American Fishing club is doing. These trips are more 1 on 1. The idea of a weekly fishing outing has some good possibilities also.

I would be interested in taking someone out on Pool 1 of the Rum in exchange for some river smallmouth.

Dino,

That is where I got the idea, thanks! Yes it is geared for more of a one on one. Groups could go as well. Keep it coming !

*wow*… talk about a home field advantage!!! ask Killersquid about how my boat control gives me the “edge”….. LOL

The only advice I would give is to BE CAREFUL with this. I think that this board is a great place for information exchange, and would hate to see it deteriorate into a swap-board for fishing exchange. Since most of the members (save Rivereyes and StillaKid) seem to get along, I would just say that this could be handled in private messages.

It’s not hard to figure out from someone where their home water is, and, if the rest of the people are like me, it wouldn’t be hard to talk them into just going out fishing on their favorite water sometime.

Jim W,

This sounds like good idea there is nothing better than being able to share ideas with fellow fishermen (person).

Hey Jim,

We could go together. When it’s my turn to take you, I’d prabably take you to YOUR spot. And you may take me to MY spot. We may have fished side by side at some point in the last 20 years. Parsleys and up used to be one of my favorite haunts. Sounds good though. Keep that Root action coming. JLK

Hey, this sounds like a great idea, but what about us out of state folks. May not be able to participate regularly, but it sure sounds like something I would be interested in maybe a couple times a year!

I do agree with Gianni’s concerns about deteriorating the board. Maybe if it takes off we could convince the administrators to add another Forum specifically for this. What do ya think?

I don’t mean to be a part pooper, just thinking of other boards, where I’ll post something like: “Going to Leech in a couple of weeks, anybody got any info on where the fish are?”

And getting a response like: “Will trade Leech info for catfishing trip on Coralville.”

Don’t get me wrong, I would love have people come down for some serious catfishing at the res, but I don’t want to sign my life away to get a hot tip on a lake I’ll only fish once or twice a year at most.

Gianni,

You get some cheek wiper treating you like that just take his name and you’ll know not to deal with that person anymore. Dude, I don’t know who’s stepped on your toes but I haven’t met anyone here like that and I certainly would never let myself stoop to such greed and disrespect! Info for a price? I think everybody with half a conscience would write that user off as bad news! The only thing I would ever have in mind is, “Hey, what you’re doing down there interests me, is there a trade trip possible? If not, would you mind helping a fella out?” What websites are you finding these “children” on so I can be sure to never visit them? Geez, I’d have to tell a person like that to examine their self worth! Unreal! Lemme at ’em Gianni! GRRRRRR!!!!! :O)

I like the ideas you guys have, in fact, when my father and I wanted to start guiding I took my own route and started trading trips with guys I ran into. From the experiences I have had it has been worth so much more to me then trying to put a paying client on fish and risking their( or yours) money. I guess I just felt bad when I couldn’t give every client a trip of a lifetime. Anyways, so far I have learned a ton of information on many popular lakes and rivers such as Lake Michigan at Sturgeon Bay, Winnebago and Sheboygan, Millacs, and Big Stone. Its like taking a vacation and having a free guide every where you go. The guys that I associate with call me when the fishing is hot and I do the same for them. Not to advertise, cause this site is by far the best, but I met a guy on Lake-Link and we traded a fishing trip. He was going to be in the area and was looking for a guide. Fishing for me was terrible at the time and was afraid to promise him fish, so we agreed to trade a trip. It turns out when he came to Red Wing we stumbled on to a half a dozen fish over 24″ all the way to 29″ and six nice eaters for him to take home. But, my point is this, I met him out in Sturgeon Bay and he showed me his hotspots and when to fish them. We fished for two and a half days, caught 22 walleyes, smallest was 24″ and 85% were 28″ or bigger, with three just tipping the scale at 10 lbs. We didn’t catch a ton of fish but was still my best fishing trip of all time, all because I traded a weekends worth of fishing. Besides that, I made a new friend!

JJW

The thought of charging for info, how terrible!!! Darn guides should all do it for free, especially me. LOL………There is already a Wednesday night fun tourney in La Crosse, call Ace Hardware if you want info. But all ribbing aside , I trade trips as much as I guide, and it is actually just as rewarding. Just a note of caution though, several times that I have traded it was a one way street and I’m still waiting. Most notable was 11lber trip on nine. I fish with several different partners in tourneys through the year and that is also a great way to share info. Regarding weekly or biweekly fun tourneys, Walleye searchers covers a lot of that(I hope to finally get to one)they change partners or draw partners, and there is a League? in( Winona-Cochrane- Fountain City), and now La Crosse. Lawrence

Whoa! Down boy! Didn’t mean to set your fur to bristling. I was just relating a bad experience that I had once.

Overall, I don’t think it would be a bad thing at all if there was a place here for people to swap trips… just so that people aren’t polluting the message board with lots of non-informational posts. Think how it would be to be reading a thread where every 3rd post is a “Sure would like to swap a trip” message.

Like I said, I haven’t tried it yet, but I would be willing to almost bet that when someone makes a post like, “We were out pounding the northerns on pool 10 today” I could shoot them a message in private and work out a trip/trade/whatever.

You missed the LOL(laughing out loud)- Wish I had a few more bristles on my head bristling- Ha Ha Lawrence