Ideas for the winter events..please help

[GullGuide]

hey all, its getting to be about that time where we need to plan for this winters events.
A few ideas have come up, mainly a 2 day tourney in the Brainerd area on two different small lakes, a different one each day. What would make this one fun is that no one would know where we were fishing until the rules meeting that morning. The lakes would be near the meeting spot, only a short drive away.
What do you think about this idea and does anyone have any others?

[Guest]

I think you need to decide what type of participants you want. Last years format was on big lakes, with serious fisherman and was very competitive. I thought that format was well recieved and was a good time. I enjoyed all the lakes we fished last year and it was certainly worth the travel.

Personally, I wouldn't travel to fish a contest when I don't know what lake it is going to be on. Nor would I be interested in fishing small lakes or fishing different lakes each day. The larger lakes offered great "run & gun" action and rewarded those willing to work for their fish. I liked the team format last year as well as the two day format. Just thought I would get my opinions in.ScottS

[GullGuide]

These larger lakes also limited the contestants to what they could or could not do. There were only 4 teams that were really set up for the bigger lakes, and the teams that were truly mobile were the ones who consistantly finished near the top.
We have had long discussions about how we can make this fair to EVERYONE, not just those who have a snowmobile, atv, etc. Lakes where anoyone could walk to a spot would make this possible.
As a non-participant, I could see the discouragement on many teams faces after the first day, knowing that there was nothing they could do to compete because they did not have the means to travel 10 miles across the lake. Well, now one might say "who cares, if they are not set up for it, it's their own fault they cannot compete", well, that's not what this is about.
The small lake idea is just that, an idea. mainly a way to ensure that we have a lake to fish on early ice instead of taking our chances with a large body of water.
All lakes picked this year will be small, that will be a given. We are still keeping Red, actually Rick had the idea of making Red the site for the championship.
We need to make these events as fair as possible so that everyone has an equal chance at winning otherwise why would anyone sign up knowing they are just going to be giving their money away. We have even talked about making these tourneys "walking only" in order to equalize the field.
The way we see it, either have these tourneys on smaller waters where everyone could reasonably walk to spots if they had to, or having it come down to a marked-off area on a larger lake.
I'm not saying we are going to do this, but we need to even the playing field as much as possible to attract new people.

[Guest]

I like the idea of keeping Red Lake in the mix. That tournament was a blast and would make a good finals. Although I disagree with the walking idea, I can see it has benefits also. I would hate to think of walking and pulling all the gear necessary to fish a tournament. Again, Just my opinions.ScottS

[Jim W]

I can't sit back with out voicing my opinion.

I agree with making it more "reasonable" for people. I'm not so sure I agree with, serious fisherman, making it more competetive. I can imagine there were a lot of people who have just started out ice fishing, who want to meet people from FM, learn more about ice fishing, but were turned away by the mere heavy competetive factor.
(I will always side on that of the underdog!)

If it is about having "more fun", I think the less competetive it is the more fun it will be.

Now before you you hop on the "post reply" icon, I have one more opinion.

WHy not incorporate 2 "larger" lakes that might require a tad more "skill" and 2 "smaller" lakes that would be more accessable and "reasonable" for the newcomer or those without all of the "hard core" ice gear!??

That way, everyone would have a "more equal" chance at aquiring points? Then the "serious" ice fisherman(what ever that might be?LOL) can still hop on their ATV/ snowmobile or truck and scoot across the water at high rates of speed, punching a million holes, causing a percussion from the wakes of their augers!!! IN turn, pushing all of the fish over to the "less serious" fisherman's holes!!LOL

IN all seriousness, my vote is for two "large[er]" and two "small[er]" lakes!

I can't believe I am thinking about ice fishing!!???

Jim W

[Tully]

I have not fished in any of your tournys yet due to the fact that I am a loser ;-)
But here is a thought.
You could have both options, you could have a roped off part available or people could go out searching and fishing. You could make the points different for which ever method you choose. Each fish being worth more for the people that choose to "walk out" and fish in the designated area.
Tully

[Dave]

I say FM (Rick) should buy about twelve ATVs and borrow them to the contestants.

Hey, a mobile ATV rental shop...... I could make a good buck or two from my machines.

[Guest]

I don't think my point came across as I intended. I will try again. I personally wouldn't drive up to LOW or Leech to only fish in a roped off area or be restricted to walking only! This is just my opinion.

Jim, I never said serious fisherman made it competive. I said there were serious fisherman AND it was competitive. I think everyone learned a lot and caught a lot of fish. I am not saying this is the way to go, just merely giving my opinion of the events last year. (Driving all the way from Illinois for the events, now that is serious!!)

It is certainly hard to please everyone when you plan an event. Pick a format that is fun and educational for the participants and you will have good success.ScottS

[Rick]

Just to prevent any arguments:

We will not have a walk-out requirement or rope off an area. We may payout to a lower placing team (top of the lower half) to keep the fun aspect of it going for newer anglers and allow for the truly serious/competitive anglers to show everyone what it takes to really get on fish. That part is fun as well.

We will be having the Championship out of Upper Red Lake. We did not have the Mille lacs event last year, so Mille lacs will be on this years list.

I'm leaning towards Minnewaska or Osakis in the Alexandria area and am open for ideas on a small lake preferably under 500 acres for a 4th event.

We're looking for suggestions from anyone and everyone on good small lakes with walleyes, pike, crappies, sunfish, perch, and bass in them.

Please fire away, and suggest your favorite lake and why it would be a good choice.

[Skeets]

I would suggest Hinds Lake/ Hubbard County.
There are lots of big northern in there and LM bass. Not to mention huge schools of nice sized blugill and crappie. The lake is small, so getting around wouldn't be a problem.

[Dave]

I know I didn't fish last year but how about Minnetonka?

[Gordon Fothergill]

My thoughts dito Scott S. I will not travel to fish mystery lakes or travel to fish in a roped off area.

You will never be able to please everyone every time.

I think it would be a mistake to take the competetive aspect out of your tourneys. When individuals put their money in the pot for a tournament they should "hope" to win not "expect" to win. At the end of the day when you don't get your money back you should be able to say: 1. I had a good time 2. I learned alot 3. I met some nice people. I would say almost everyone from last years events can answer with yes for those questions.

You take the competetive aspect out and you begin to edge closer and closer to an on ice "seminar".

A fishermen like ScottS wether on foot in between ropes or unleashed on a snowmobile will still dominate, the difference is you wont have that caliber fishermen show up when the ropes go up. Maybe that is what you want. I dont.

I'll quit before I ruffle more feathers.

[Rick]

I think Minnetonka is well over 500 acres.

Heck up to 3,000 acres might not be bad either. I'm up for suggestions still.

Thanks Skeets, Hinds is in the running.

[Jim W]

ScottS,

Now I got ya! My bad, sorry for misinterpreting!

SO you don't think we should all fish with in a 1000 square foot box?LOL You know it could be warmer that way?

Great set up for a Team G.A.F gathering!

Jim W

PS> By the way, Nice smallmouth !! Darn near a five pounder eh?

[This message has been edited by Jim W (edited 07-25-2002).]

[Guest]

LOL, that would be a G.A.F gathering alright! Which hole should I fish out of??

I am certainly not a Bass Fisherman, just another bass that couldn't resist that 3/8 ounce Millenium Shad Spinnerbait. She was a beauty though, 20 3/4 inches and just a shade over 4 1/2. I see why you like to fish those smallies so much, pretty scrappy!!ScottS

[This message has been edited by ScottS (edited 07-25-2002).]

[Jim W]

Don't get me wrong, I am one of the most competetive people out there! Also, I would agree that ScottS is an excellent fisherman, striving to become just half the fisherman he is would satisfy me!!

I just want this event to be welcoming to everyone! I guess I see the turn outs from last year(not bad) but far from good enough.

There is a reason why we don't have 50 to 100 people at these events and I guess I have been trying to figure it out is all. Nothing wrong with trying to make things better??

There will always be middle ground to stand on, if not........ maybe these events aren't meant for me? Maybe that is what some folk are thinking when choosing not to come?

Let's here it people what is keeping you from coming to these FUN events?? I don't know!!
I have been to them and they are a blast! What do you need?????

Jim W

[Guest]

Thanks Guys. I am going to stay out of this now. I have already said that I liked last years format.

I just wanted to add one more thing. I spend more time on Hinds lake in the winter then anyone and I think there are way to many logistical reasons why there should not be a tournament there.

Although the lake is a good fishery, it is a very tough winter lake!

The access is terrible!

The roads in the area are worse!

No snowplows!

No walleye in the lake!

Crystal clear!

I think I have covered it pretty well. I have a cabin very close to this lake and I just want to warn you in advance. Not a good idea.

Oh, and Minnewaska-Now there is a good winter lake. I have never winter fished it but the guys I know that do, hammer them! All species too! Gullguide, didn't you fish Minnewaska last year and do really good?ScottS

[This message has been edited by ScottS (edited 07-26-2002).]

[GullGuide]

I have fished Hinds about as much as Scott, even though we have never seen each other out there, and I will have to agree with him that there is no way we should hold one out there.
As far as the mystery lake thing goes, it was just an IDEA, nothing more. The roped off thing was just a figure of speech in trying to illustrate an ultimately fair way to do this. I also would be totally against such a measure.
We do need to find a way to make this more attractive for more people. The reason Toad and I did not enter last year was because we knew we could not compete with the people who had ATVs and snowmobiles. I think this was a reason many people had as well.
I would love to see 50 teams out on the ice, but with 10 teams, as we had most of the season last year, there really isn't much competition.
Gordon is right about the fact that good teams such as his and Scott's will always rise to the top, that is a given, but we also need to attract more teams like theirs in order to make this fun. Sorry Scott, but it would be nice to see someone else win for a change...LOL
All joking aside, I do not see a problem hitting smaller lakes. A lake, just for an example for size purposes, like Green near Spicer, would be just about right. It is not too small for those who want to run-and-gun and it is not too big where a walking team could not walk to any structure with too much difficulty. This is what I mean by evening the field a bit. Being able to drag your gear on foot is part of ice fishing, being mobile is part of the challenge. But when your talking lakes like Lake of the Woods where 10 miles across the ice is nothing, then you are limiting the competition to those who have snomos and ATVs. Yes, we could drive trucks just about anywhere, but we will not get too many years like last where that was possible.
We also need to find a few more lakes that are a bit more centrally located. This was also a factor that I believe that not too many entered last year.
Another big reason was that we only paid out for first place. This was a big mistake in my opinion. Maybe we need to find more sponsors willing to shell out prizes, maybe even up the entry fee to allow us to pay down further. But I think we should try to find a way to pay down at least 3 even 5 places.
As far as the lakes go, big lakes like Red and Mille Lacs are not a problem because each has a vast system of roads where mobility is not a factor. Minnetonka would be out unless we held it in the big part of the lake and made travel through the channels off limits. Hinds is out for logistics reasons, but there are plenty of lakes in the Park Rapids area that would be fantastic choices.
Here is what I see so far-
First event, late December, on a small lake somewhere in the central part of the state where we know there will be a good chance of ice. Maybe Round Lake in Brainerd, Nest Lake near Spicer, Minnewaska or Osakis, Rush Lake near Cambridge, all of these might be a possibility.
Second event, early January- Mille Lacs.
Third event, late January- totally up for discussion, maybe one of the lakes mentioned for event number one.
Championship event, just before the close of the season- Upper Red.
Any more thoughts?

[Grabs]

Well guys I have been following this post now just for informational purposes, because I didn't participate last year and I probably won't this year because I have a fish house on Mille Lacs that needs to be used every weekend or I can't justify having it.

None the less here's my 2 cents. I think you should include a metro lake in the mix of things, I don't know the stats, but it appears that a very large percentage of the active people on this board are from the Cities. If you were to inlcude a metro lake in the mix of things you may draw some more interest. Is the format going to be event by event or enroll for all the events? If it was event by event you might get a bunch more people to show up at the metro lake event, and they may realize how much fun it is, and realize that they are competitive with some of the better fisherman and begin to participate more often.
Some of the lakes you might want to think about, Waconia, big enough, but yet small enough, and the marina has a road system too, very good walleye, crappie, sunfish, pike etc! Maybe run a marathon tourney on this one,..24 hours, see who can stay awake and still catch fish!

Other lakes, Spring Lake or Prior Lake, Fish Lake, Cedar Lake, Calhoun, Harriet, and many others in the northen half of the metro that I am not very familiar with. My vote would be for Waconia though.

One problem being it would have to be no earlier than January though to be sure you have ice, but ya never know, I was out there in mid Dec with a truck one year. I might even consider participating in this one and the Mille Lacs one if we did an event by event basis.

Just my thoughts.

------------------

[This message has been edited by Grabs (edited 07-26-2002).]

[Capt'nJosh]

I like Grabs idea of having one in the metro. By having one of the first events in the metro area you will draw a larger crowd of people that will realize just how much fun it is. Once they fish with this crew they will be HOOKED

my $.02

Capt'nJosh

[Gordon Fothergill]

As far as participation is concerned I think you will be pleasantly surprised this year. I know of several teams that will be participating this year that have learned about it through word of mouth.

It is still in its infancy. Let it grow.

GF

[Skeets]

I didn't mean to hurt any feelings by suggesting a lake. When I was up there last winter, I didn't think the conditions were all that bad. The fishing was great so getting there wasn't a issue at all.

I also like the suggestion of Nest Lake near Spicer. That is a great lake as well.
I do not know if I will participate this year either, it depends if it conflicts with my work schedule.

[This message has been edited by Skeets (edited 07-27-2002).]

[Dave]

I still think one of the lakes should be a metro lake. You'd gain a lot more participation on one.

[juddfish]

I was just wondering how to get signed up to fish in these tournaments. I am just a poor college kid so i was wondering how much the entry fee is. I would love to fish in the Red lake tournament because i go to school in bemidji and i would love to fish in the minnewaska tourny because i grew up 20miles from the lake. My suggestion for another lake to hold a tourny on would be a lake in the Park Rapids or Detroit lakes area, these two areas have excellent fishing and would provide plenty of action!

-juddfish

[Grabs]

OK guys,..all of you are in favor of a metro lake lets start a list now:

Waconia
Prior
Spring
Fish
Cedar
Calhoun
Harriet
White Bear
Bald Eagle
Coon
Hydes

lets here your list so Rick has a bunch of metro lakes to choose from.

Rick there are three posts in here already for a metro lake,...I am sure many others would be interested in one too.

------------------

[This message has been edited by Grabs (edited 07-28-2002).]