walleye tournaments

[meathunter]

This may tick some people off but walleye tournaments

are rediculous. {note from Admin, read forum policy} What went wrong in the

last15 years. Cant you people fish without competeing?

I wonder how many of you would have the drive i do for

walleye fishing if tournaments were outlawed? I was going

to go to big stone this weekend only to find out there is

a big mtt tourney out there all weekend. I dont like crowds

. Maybe its time to give traverse a

shot.

[Wadinator]

I enjoy fishing a tournament or two every year, and I don't appreciate your generalization of everyone.

If you don't like the tournament crowds, stay away from them. In the land of 10,000 lakes, there will be at least 9,950 other lakes that weekend that are not hosting a tournament on which you can happily fish.

[Angry Irishman]

I fish two tournaments a year, one on Big Stone and one on Minnewaska. I don't have a fancy boat and I don't do it for money, it is fun to compete from time to time and enjoy time on the lake with a fishing buddy. Big Stone is big enough that pressure should not be a problem, fish were caught on the south end of the lake, clear to the North end. I fished the tournament on Big Stone last weekend and we had more people fishing around us that weren't even in the tournament, didn't bother me a bit............they caught more fish than I did. If you have the drive you say you do, then you should have no problem finding the fish in areas that people may not be fishing in. I wouldn't come on here and stereotype everyone who fishes in a tournament as "cocky" to me that shows what kind of character you have.

[crothmeier]

ditto. It pushes you to become a better fisherman. Makes you study areas and techniques. I fish a couple tournaments a year and its a adrenaline-filled rush at blastoff time. It also allows you to meet alot of nice people.

[Rost]

Have you ever entered one? If you did, you'd find that most tourney fisherman are very respectful of others (non Tourney fisherman) on the water.

Tourney fisherman lack drive you say? I beg to differ (atleast not in my case) Typically I am on the water 4-5 times per week regardless of whether I have a tourney or not.

To each his own I guess.

BTW: You may want to reconsider Traverse for this weekend. The local Walleye Masters Tourney is slated for May 2 (100 teams).

[MNman]

There is more to tournaments than you think. For example the Shetek walleye tourny raise money for the lake. It pays and fixes the aerators, it just payed for a Sanitary Fish Cleaning Station, the marker buoys throughout the lake, previous monies raised were donated to the Cleanwater Partnership for upland treatment, and the future project is to install more docks and some L-shape docks to improve loading/unloading speed. Not all tournys are this way but most are for a lot of SW MN lakes. Without these tourny's and clubs these lakes probably wouldn't be the fishing lakes the are today.

[johnksully]

The MTT on Big Stone has a 50 boat maximum limit and there's 23 miles of lake. There's plenty of room out there.

[balsa]

There is a tournament on traverse this weekend also.

[LOTWSvirgin]

On a side note does anyone want to have a bragging rights tourny for the opener here in southwest MN Do it like the bass guys do "secret word"

[John Mickish]

Anyone what to know when the first fishing tournement was held? 10 minutes after the second rod was completed.

Seriously, tournements are a great way to learn and see where to stack up against other people. Tournaments like the AIM series are CPR so there is no more harm done to the fish than other fisher out there.

Tournements are what drive the sport, it brings new tackle and gear to the stores.

I don't see any problem with them.

[Team Otter]

Tournaments are a great opportunity for networking, learning new locations and techniques, catching fish and just flat out having a good time.

[bcifish]

If it wasn't for tournaments our electronics tackel outboard moters and boats would be years behind what they are today.

[walleyehunter80]

Anyone what to know when the first fishing tournement was held? 10 minutes after the second rod was completed.

Cant argue with that, competition has been in our culture since the begining of time for anything and everything!

[ortonville]

there is a 50 boat max for the mtt on big stone.as of wednesday there was only 14 boats signed up.so as far as bigstone being crowded it wont be.there are 100 boats signed up for traverse.so yes it maybe a little crowded there.the minnesota dnr puts limits as to how many tournaments a lake can have a year there is only 1 more on bigstone this yaer that i know of and that is on father's day weekend.so if you cant put up with a few extra boat for 3 weekends out of the year stay away.they bring a lot of money into the area.and god knows the area needs it.the guys that fish these tournaments are common people just like you.the border walleye that was last weekend cost $100 to get in if you are coming this way what is an extra $100 throw it in you never know 1st place is $2500.00 you just might win money or if nothing else you will learn alot

[para1911]

I've never had 1 issue with tournaments. Weather I'm competing or just fishing around someone who is. Tournaments bring sponsers, advertising, new products, spectators, blah, blah, blah. They keep the sport advancing like nothing else. Amost every vehichle, sled, wheeler and boat probably has parts bred orignaly from a competition background. I like what I read above about technology advancing from competition. Just like every form of auto or powersports racing. My guess would be everyone who fishes in a tourny has a love (my wife calls it an excessive addiction but thats not my perspective)for the sport just as I do. Why NOT have a friendly competition doing someting we all love???

[buddha]

I haven't been to Big Stone for the last two, due to buying a cabin in the Brainerd area, previous to that I fished Big Stone this weekend for the previous 10 years and always fished with the tourney boats and I never ran into one issue with being "too" many boats, especially on that place. Maybe on the big pond when everyone is on the same rock pile or mud flat but not on the Stone! Hope the fishing continues to pick up, good luck this weekend. I miss going out there to get into some early eyes. It's been hard during the days but the evenings always got us enough to eat.

[Eric Wettschreck]

I don't fish too many tournaments, maybe 4 or 5 a year. Fishing tournaments forces me to seriously get my game on and pay attention to what I"m doing. I've also spent a lot of time on various lakes while a tournament is happening. I've never had a problem with tournament anglers or non tournament anglers.

I like them and don't have a problem with them. I really enjoy participating in the SW MN Fishing Club tournies. They're a lot of fun with some good camradarie before, during, and after the blast off. Heck, the last 2 I fished, when the blast off came a bunch of us just sat there, finished our sandwich and shootin the bull session, then took off and didn't catch a fish.

[meathunter]

Ok you guys win I am a wannabee and will probably try it when my kids are older and i have more time and money. I was just frustrated of learning of this tourney sat and sun after waiting to go the last two sundays which are the only days i could go and the weather being brutal. This topic sure got some good responses. I think i will still go sunday and see what happens. What tourney is on traverse?

[riverrat56]

Heck, the last 2 I fished, when the blast off came a bunch of us just sat there, finished our sandwich and shootin the bull session, then took off and didn't catch a fish.

"Was that the start horn?"

Good times!

The first real tournament I fished in was a SW MN Fishing Club one and we also did not catch a fish but I had a blast, adding a little competition can help everyone improve their fishing skills.

[johnksully]

Ortonville, Which tournament is on Father's day weekend? Where can I get info. on this tournament?

[Muddog]

I used to fish tournaments like this. I wouldn't worry about the fishing pressure. Be careful some fisherman think that there tournament is more important then your fishing and just think your in there way. As someone said on this post we owe a lot to tournament fisherman for the advances in fishing equipment.