2009 King of the Cats Contest

[Patters]

My fish time in the KOC contest this is going to be great can't wait to do some soft water fishing,although we already got the boat wet in pool three for some early spring walleye and sager but turned out they where still south of there yet.Well that's my two cents can't wait for the fun to begin.

Good Luck Everyone!!!!

[DTro]

Hey Pat, good luck to you this year. It won't be long now!

Starting to close in on 60 contestants. Should be a lot of fish caught. Can't wait to see the pictures start rolling in.

[Patters]

Is that a lot of people for this contest or have you had larger turn-outs?

[DTro]

Well it will only be the second full year with this format. I'm happy with the response.

It will be fun no matter what.

[Scott K]

I just want to add that there will be alot of catfish caught this year, and that catch and release is very important for large cats. A large cat takes many years to get large, so it is very important to get these large fish measured, and take a picture then back in the water as quick as possible. Also to use some comon sense and make sure when you do release the fish to make sure it is capable to swim before releasing it in high current. If we all are carefull and practice catch and release, we will be able to continue playing with these fish for many years to come.

I know it is your choice whether to keep the fish or not, but if to many are kept, there wont be many big fish left. I recommend if your looking for a meal, to eat the fish less then 10 lbs, they will taste better and be healthier to eat anyway!

Good luck all, just under 3 loooonnnnggg weeks left to go.

[Patters]

Yes sir looks like a great response for you, you cap it at sixty then a? Well i'll be watching the clock on the site here and be waiting for it all to begin and spending some time on waters in chase of a walleye or two till then.

[Flaco651]

Quote:

do you guys think its to early to chase some channels right now

Nope. If you can find channels now, they can be caught.

Quote:

you cap it at sixty then a?

We are just approaching 60 contestants, but I don't think it cuts off there. I think more people may have signed up last year, although some didn't end up participating or submitting any pics.

[Patters]

Coulnd't agree more with you, and that is my plan..it's like a musky and beleive me there precious. Handle with care respect grama and grand pape!!!! Practice C.A.R

[Patters]

Ya hope we can send some pics never really caught a big cat yet lots of hours out there and little ones and a couple of mediums but no BIG ones for me YET.

[DTro]

Nope no cap and no deadline to sign up.

Would like to also echo what 4WE touched on. The better we treat these fish the bigger and more plentiful they will get.

One of my biggest concerns about doing a contest like this is exploiting the fish, but hopefully we as a group can promote the importance of protecting them.

[Patters]

Thanks dtro for all your work in this glad to be apart of it this year and hopefuly more years to come.

[Scott K]

Dtro was there a post on how to properly handle and release catfish. The do's and the dont's? I am assuming there will be some first time cat fishermen/woman out there this year, and some handling tips may be helpfull.

[DTro]

If there wasn't, there is now

[DTro]

I love to see guys like this signing up

Walleyes12

NorthernStalker

Muskie Dude

[River Runner Z]

it is very important to make sure that everyone know's how to properly release them so that we have nice fish for years to come and i'll let you guy's know how many i release on sunday i'm going to try to get out hopefulll i'll have some pics

[Patters]

Going back to pool three monday will report on that then, and GL to you runner z get a doozie!!!! Think Spring and BIG FISH

[Gordie]

I love to see guys like this signing up

Walleyes12

NorthernStalker

Muskie Dude

YEP thats awsome there going to find out what the meaning of game fish really means

couldnt resist

[Here-Kitty-Kitty]

OHH Thats just low, shame on you. Only one thing I feel the same.

[Patters]

O boy can't wait it's getting closer and musky opener is right around the corner as well. What a line up!!!!!!!!!!!

[Patters]

Could anyone help me out with uploading some pics? I just can't figure it out

[DTro]

Could anyone help me out with uploading some pics? I just can't figure it out

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/ub...ere#Post1219014

[fishinJohn]

I was looking at 2009 fishing regs for WI and saw some areas have moved from a 10 fish limit to 25. Maybe I just didn't notice it before but I think it is new. I guess it is good to see as it is a reflection of a large population but you won't see me trying to drag home a couple hundred pounds of fish! All of mine will swim again.

[DTro]

As a reward to the guys that are out there hitting the ground running, I’ve decided to make a surprise announcement.

I will begin taking entries for the KOTC starting.....

Click to reveal..

NOW!!!!

Since the contest is for fun and as long as several guys are already catching them, I figure why not?

For those of you that will be bouncing jigs over at Red Wing (or wherever) the next few weeks (myself included) please think twice about entering the accidental fish you catch. I cannot deny them, but all I can ask is that you be ethical about it.

Good luck and I cannot wait to start seeing some entries!

[HotPocket]

Well good luck to all!!

[Here-Kitty-Kitty]

hmm now lets get it on. Good luck guys and gal.