What do you do in a contest?

[slick814]

For those who do the fishing contests...

Do you go after the bigger fish (Pike, Walleyes) or try for a panfish to try to get one registered?

As you may have guessed, I'm doing the Forest Lake contest this year. I'm thinking of trying for an 'Eye or Pike for the first couple of hours, and if nothing has come up by 2:00, switch to panfish taechnique and try to just catch something to register.

Any suggestions or tips?

[Captain B.R.K]

The catch with these tournaments is that you have to fish specific holes that are pre-drilled for you. Normally it is a mad dash to a hole and there you sit for the day. The big PIKE or EYE is going to win you that new truck no doubt about it. BUT it is tough to target multi species from one hole when you are limited to a certain depth.

NOW if you could drill holes in certain depths , like we do at the ICE LEADER events, then I would target your bigger fish right away and then go to the panfish areas to add to your weight.

Good Luck.

[hanson]

slick814-

I'm not much for contests at all, but they are a huge part of the Minnesota ice fishing tradition.

My game plan would be to catch 1 fish period. I don't care what it is. I'd probably target a panfish right away. Once I got my fish, I'd go after the weight- pike & walleye.

I would say it depends a lot on the lake the contest is on also as well as how the payout of prizes is organized.

I fished the URL crappie contest once and you had a better chance of winning something by buying raffle tickets than you did catching a fish. Old man winter brought a very miserable day that day also.

[MINNKOTA]

Hey Slick814 and any other FMer's

If you are going to be at the Forest Lake contest Stop by the Chaska Jaycees Brat Booth to say Hi. It would be great to meet people from Fishing Minnesota.

Minnkota(Marty)

[slick814]

Sounds like I might just reverse the plan.. go after ONE fish, then hope for something bigger...

Captain.. I might be doing an ICE event, but thought that this thing in Flaketown might be fun. I've done it a couple times before, but it was 10 years ago or so... never caught nothin', but I didn't have the skills, knowledge & equipment that I do now. I'd like to say that quite a bit of it has come from reading & posting here. FM has made a huge difference in how & fish, and it's been for the better.

[Tripleplay]

Slick,

I've also decided to hit this contest in place of the Minnetonka ICE event. It will give me a chance to fish with a family member I've not fished with before and some of his cousins which should be a good time.

We've talked about strategy abit, but without knowing the lake or where we'll be fishing it seems kind of hard to make the decision. Other posts have talked about a great deal of variance in the depths at this event in the past which would really affect what to fish for. We are trying to come up with a lake map and then getting our group together and trying to decide on a depth or possibly a break if there are any to focus on. Of course, from what I understand that means winning the race to those holes. Just what I want to do, run across a bunch of bare ice racing a bunch of other people in bibs and such while carrying a vex, rods, bait and tackle! Oh well, I've got to try it once just to say I've done it.

My first thought was to focus on big and then down size for pannies or perch later in the time slot. Really I'm guessing we won't be seeing alot on the vex and if you do happen to miss a bite or not coax a fish to hit your rig we'll all be so busy trying to kick ourselves in the rear we'll probably miss the next one as well.

(those brats sound good!)

[so haaad]

I agree with Hanson. Right away just try to catch a fish...any fish. 99% of the people do not even catch a fish at general tournaments like Forest Lake or Alexandria. I would say to target panfish right away, and if you get on the board, then go for a bigger fish like a northern. And you still have a chance of getting a northern fishing with a crappie jig and a minnow. Also, you will have a better chance of catching something later on in the tournament if you have an edge hole, or very close to the edge. I used this philosophy up at the Alexandria tournament last year, where a .24 lb perch was enough to get top 100 prize. My .48 lb perch brought me a new Strikemaster power auger.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I used to live on Forest Lake, within eye sight of the take off. And did fish it a few years. I think the best plan of attack to to catch as many fish as possible.. the big prizes are all luck. So I just tried to catch as many fish as I could and registered them all... One year I must have caught close to 30 fish and got prizes on quite a few of them. I just downsized to 1 lb test and about the smallest lure I had... may of my fish were perch. But I won nets, rods, lures.. quite a few things.

[Tripleplay]

I'm not sure but I think the rules state that now you only get the "highest" value prize you have won. Would you still fish it the same way?

[slick814]

Thanks guys...

I think I'm going to downsize and go for anything that swims... hopefully, something will swim by and be in the mood for a nice tasty looking ratso or something..

I was kind of thinking that going for anything was going to be better after I initially posted. After seeing some of the weights of fish that have won contests like this, and with the weather we're supposed to have, I think that getting something on the board is going to be the best way to go.

Oh, and tripleplay... you're right, the rules say that if you qualify for more than one prize, you're awarded the highest retail value that you qualified for.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I think I wuld still fish it the same way.. Heres my take on it.. you can either fish for a prize or you can fish for the win.. if you are fishing for the win.. by all means jig a spoon with a minnow head for pike.. if your fishing for a prize.. catch as many fish as you can to give yourself the best oppertunity!

[danny berg]

I sit on a bucket and pray that I catch one, then if i do catch one I pray it is big enough to stay on the board.

[slick814]

I t hink I'm going to go with danny's idea... pray for a fish, then pray it sticks...

The win would be cool, but the chances aren't good of it happening. But, maybe staying on the board for something is an attainable goal.

[so haaad]

Yep, go for anything that swims. Last weekend up in Alexandria, a .18 perch still placed in the top 100!

[Hondemon]

Quote:

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slick814-

you had a better chance of winning something by buying raffle tickets than you did catching a fish.

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Sad but true ....

The south and east edges of the contest area appear to be the most sought after.

[Tripleplay]

Are you speaking specifically about the FL contest? If so, any idea why those areas? Depths-structure-closer to the food/drink and jiffy jons?

[danny berg]

So Haaad,

Did you fish the Alex contest? This is the first year I have missed it. Always a good time. The first year there is the only time I caught a fish, I was #25 on the board but by the time the contest was over, I was off the board.

[Hondemon]

It's defintely not for the food or weigh-in. The edge is perceived as better, I suppose, because that's where new fish entering the area come from. I think history is a factor as well since you see a lot of the runners coming from there. The west/north sides of the area seems to atract less attention. Probably due to combination of shallower depths and just plain further to walk to get there. We even did some advance scouting one year... as I recall there wasn't much if any structure... I think we found one hump. I am by no means an expert but I have been skunked out there 5 times now.