World Ice Fishing Championships in China

[captkev]

I just thought I'd drop by and share this info with the Ice fishing community. From what I gather the team for this year has been selected. but there is next year and I know of a few people on this forum that just might need to look into the selection process.

GO Team United States of America

McNett to captain USA ice team

The 2006 World Ice Fishing Championship will be in China. Captain of the USA ice fishing team Mike McNett knows that it is "an expensive trip, to say the least."

So, the superb fisherman is on the fast-track to become a promoter, a publicist and a coach- and, he's got six months to get it down pat.

McNett won an ice fishing championship last winter and the humble, soft-spoken fisherman catapulted into the headlines. So, when some of the top competitive ice anglers in the land conferred about how to pull a team together, Mike was asked to be the Captain for the next three years and to hand pick those anglers who will compete.

"It was a hard decision to make," McNett admitted. After all, some of the biggest names in American ice fishing were considering being on the team.

Guys like Dave Genz and Mick Thill.

It was Thill, in fact, who asked McNett to take the reins and pull the team together.

"There wasn't really any way of having a fish off," Mike described how he decided who would be on the team, "so, I decided to chose my team based on ability to fish, getting sponsor support, team building qualities, ability to drill with hand augers, fish competitive without sonar's and past fishing accomplishments."

The following is the current list, pulled together after much consternation, consideration and review of many hard water anglers around.

"I chose Greg 'The Prowler' Wilczynski, my mentor in fishing.

"Greg is the best all around fisherman I know. He ties flies, builds rods, has medaled in European competitions as a young man, is the patented holder of the spring bobber system on the (new) Legend Ice Rod by St. Croix and a dear friend. He has been instrumental in getting our first fund raiser event in Delavan, Wisconsin, on June 11 with another to follow in the fall, probably September. He speaks Russian and has many contacts in the industry that will help our quest along the way.

"I chose Jeff Wright because of his skill as a fish finder and his ability to catch fish under any conditions. He can tight line and use spring bobbers.

"He is great under pressure and his history on the ice speaks for itself.

"Jeff and I have created a bond ever since we met on the ice".

"Jeff also has a great supporter in Michigan from Knutson's Bait Shop. They already have a plan in the mix to raise money for the team.

"Another Michigan tight-liner I chose is Mark Young. He has the sheer power of a big man to drill as many holes as needed to find the fish during competitions. He was an All-American ball player in high school and can be a real mean competitor when he's under pressure.

"Mark is well liked in the ice fishing circuit and will help blend the team together. Mark has two wins on the ice circuit with his dad, Dave Young.

"Jasen Schine is the best all-around fisherman on tour in Illinois.

"Jasen took second place to Jeff Wright in the first Championship and has three top ten finishes in the NAIFC. Jasen only gets a few days before each tournament to pre-fish and always manages to finish well. He has a PWT win in Antioch Illinois as an amateur last year. Jasen is cool under pressure and has a deep-rooted goal to make it in the fishing industry as a pro.

"The Five man team requires an alternate fisherman who may not get a chance to compete but is allowed to pre-fish with the team.

"I chose Tony Boshold my student and team mate on the ice of four years. I believe Tony deserves the chance to fish because of his incredible talent as a raw fisherman. This guy would rather fish than eat! Tony constantly scrutinizes maps for that spot on a spot that will produce a 'fishy spot'.

"Tony more than any man I know will go for the team and not for his own personal gain. He is a perfect fit for an alternate!"

This will be a rare opportunity for anglers to watch the building of a national fishing team, literally from its inception. We see the fleshing out of the first national team and will be privy to first-hand information from McNett detailing how he moulds the top five, how sponsorship will develop and how the Americans will fare against teams fishing on waters that receive incredible pressure compared to the far northwoods where our ice anglers often have thousands of acres virtually to themselves throughout the winter.

Throughout most of the fishing world, ice anglers employ incredibly sensitive techniques to pull together their final weight, often comprised of small species we would consider rough fish or minnows.

"Our main goal over the next several months is to get the word out about the world competition in China in December 2006, he said. "Our goal is to raise enough for this years team and to have some left over for the program to continue indefinitely so we can choose the best Americans to compete and to keep a couple of the 2006 members and have a vote or a fish-off sometime during the 2006/2007 ice season."

The Ice fishing team's first fund raiser will be held on Delavan Lake, Wisconsin, June 11th as a fishing tournament.

Events will include bank fishing and a two man boat competition. After the tournament there will be awards handed out followed by casting contests and other fun events.

"There will be loads of food and sponsors," McNett said,"

It may be just a few days into this virgin territory, but Mike McNett already sounds like there's just enough of Ray Scott in him to make USA Ice fishing team a reality.

[Matt Johnson]

That's definitely a solid group of ice anglers, and they should do USA proud! Good luck!

[hanson]

No doubt! That is way cool as well!

I typically run the range of emotions when heading out of state to ice fish, out of the country & half way across the world, now that is a different story!!

Tony posts here occassionally. Good luck to ya Tony!

[captkev]

I copy and pasted this info here form another site.

Here is a copy of the recent rules. Countries often change the rules to fit their style of fishing.

> 01.01.2004.

>Organisation

>

>I. International official competitions are organized by National

>Federations affiliated to the International Confederation of Sport Fishing

>( C.I.P.S ). The organizing federation is officially responsible for

>competitions.

>2. Only national teams of National Federations (further we will use the

>word "Federations”) who are members of C.I.P.S and who pay subscriptions as

>well as sport clubs affiliated to these federations can participate in the

>competitions. They must have appropriate authorities from their

>Federations. Fishermen of the Clubs' and National Federations' teams must

>have the nationality of the country they compete for.

>

>Club teams are allowed to have one foreign fisherman on condition that he

>lives in that country or he is the member of the club. He must have all

>necessary papers confirming his status.

>

>The fisherman, who has once taken part in the World Championship or in any

>other international competitions as a member of the national team, cannot

>compete for the team of another country.

>

>Participants of the competitions must prove their nationality by the

>identity card, passport or any other official document.

>

>Only national federations' teams are allowed to take part in the World

>Championship between national teams.

>3. Every country - member of F.I.P.S can set out only one team; the team

>consists of five fishermen; the team can also have one reserve fisherman

>who has been declared before the first drawing, one captain and one

>delegate. None of the fishermen can participate individually.

>4. The competitions are carried out on freshwater areas: on big and small

>rivers, canals, lakes and reservoirs. In the area of competitions the whole

>surface of the water must be allowed for fishing. The depth in the area of

>competitions must be not less than 1.5 meters. The width of the water area

>must not be less than 25 meters.

>5. The teams who do not wish to use accommodations offered by the

>organizers must pay the registration fee of 900$ (this sum also includes

>the cost of the closing banquet ) during the procedure of registration.

>Registration is obligatory for the teams comprising not more than 8 members

>( 6 fishermen, 1 captain, 1 delegate). Registration is not obligatory for

>supporters. They should just pay the cost of their participation and may

>take part in the closing banquet if they wish. If the team does not put

>forward any special requirements for accommodation by the fixed time, it

>must observe in due order terms of accommodation offered by the organizers.

>With the permission of the organizers fishermen can get to the area of

>competitions using their own transport.

>

>6. Fishing sections must be separated from the spectators' places. For this

>purpose fences are installed and ropes are stretched. The pathway for

>officials participating in the competitions is defined in the same way.

>The captain of the team can stay in the neutral section and he can call the

>fisherman of his team to the line of the section informing the main referee

>about it. He can give instructions to the fisherman only verbally.

>

>The captain and the fisherman are forbidden to cross the line of the

>section. The captain must wear the identification badge defining his duty.

>

>The captains' meeting.

>

>7. The captains' meeting should be carried out the day before the first

>round of drawing. According to 31 article of the Rules the international

>jury must be formed. Then the usual order of the day is carried out. It

>includes the following items:

>1)Call-over of the nations.

>2) Nations' drawing numbers in the alphabetic order to define the sequence

>of the nations at the drawing of the first round. According to the results

>of this drawing every team receives the number for every competitor. All

>the fishermen of the team will compete under this number.

>

>If the captain or the delegate of the team is not present at the meeting,

>the delegate of F.I.P.S draws lots instead of those absent.

>

>

>Drawing.

>

>8. The drawing of each round must be checked and inspected by the

>organizers, captains or delegates and F.I.P.C. It is usually carried out

>not earlier than 180 minutes before the competition starts.

>During this drawing sections are chosen ( A,B,C and so on). Only one

>competitor of the team is allowed to the section.

>9. On the second day of the competitions, the drawing is carried out in the

>reverse order according to the list of the first day.

>10. When competitions take place on big and small rivers and reservoirs,

>section A always downstream. When competitions take place on large water

>areas ( lakes, ponds ) section A should always locate on the left if you

>look at the lake from the bank.

>11. Captains receive badges for each fisherman of the team. Only

>inscriptions approved by F.I.P.S can be written on the badges.

>

>If it is necessary to write some other information which does not refer to

>fishing, article 41 of the present Rules comes into force.

>

>General recommendations.

>

>12. Fishing on mormyshka competitions are carried out when ice thickness is

>not less than 10cm. The allowed air temperature is defined by the

>organizers. It depends on the peculiarities of the climate zone

>13.a) During ice - fishing on mormyshka it is allowed to use one fishing

>rod, equipped with one mormyshka. The length of mormyshka without a hook is

>not more than 15 mm, the hook is single, soldered in. The color and the

>form of mormyshka are chosen at will. It is prohibited to install any other

>devices on the fishing line. Fishermen are allowed to have any number of

>spare fishing rods.

>

> Organizers of the competitions must provide every fisherman with two

>signal flags for marking the hole in the ice. The backnumber of the

>fisherman should be written on the flag. It must be pointed out that flags

>must be easily seen by the fishermen and referees

>c) It is allowed to use any kinds of ground bait and bait except live, dead

>or artificial fishes and their parts. It is also prohibited to use roe and

>ant ova.

>It is allowed to use ground bait without using stationary feeders. The

>amount of ground bait can be limited by the organizers.

>14. For the ice - fishing competitions the organizers try to chose the part

>of the water area with similar parameters as far as the bottom relief,

>depth and vegetation are concerned. It is afterwards divided into sections

>according to the number of fishermen in the team. One fisherman from each

>team should occupy one section. The length of each section looking to the

>bank is not less than 10 meters for every sportsman. It is the major

>referee board which takes into account all the peculiarities of the water

>area and determines the place for sections.

>The size of the sections is determined with due regard to the fact that one

>fisherman must have not less than 400m2.

>Sections are marked with stencil letters A, B, C, etc., boundaries are

>marked with flags, the width of the neutral section is not less than 5

>meters. Sizes of the stencil letters and flags are defined at will. They

>must be seen by the fishermen and spectators clearly. The area of

>competitions must be separated from the spectators from all sides by the

>neutral section. The width of this section is not less than 5 meters. Only

>captains of the teams and pressmen accredited in the organizing center of

>the competitions are allowed to stay in the neutral section. Pressmen must

>not disturb the sportsmen.

>Sections for the second round of competitions are made on a new place of

>the same water area.

>

>15.a) Before the first signal is given the sportsmen make a mark in the

>referee's list of results. Then they allocate around the section. With the

>first signal " Entrance to the section " ( not less than 5 minutes before

>the start) fishermen are allowed to enter the section and occupy the place

>for drilling a hole and mark this place with a flag. When the fisherman

>enters the section the knives of the ice - axe must be covered with a

>jacket. The jacket can be taken off when the sportsman comes up to the

>place of drilling the hole.

>

> Inside the section the competitors should not sit closer than 5 meters

>from each other. In case of debate , when the flags of the fishermen are

>situated closer than 5 meters from each other, the problem is solved by the

>referee. In this case he can even use drawing lots. The competitor, who has

>arrived to the section

>fastest of all, has an advantage. It is prohibited to throw the flag for

>occupying the place.

>

>16. After the signal "Start" sportsmen can freely move inside their

>sections and make any amount of holes. The place is considered to be

>occupied when the drilling of the marked holes begins. When the ice - axe

>touches the ice it means the beginning of drilling. Fishing is allowed not

>closer than 5 meters from the rest of holes marked with flags. When you

>fish on mormyshka it is allowed to occupy two holes marked with flags. The

>flag must be put at the distance not more than 30sm from the hole. It must

>be clearly seen by referees and fishermen . The fishermen are allowed to

>leave at the holes any things except boxes for carrying equipment, fishing

>tackles and ice -axes.

>

>It is prohibited to fish in the unmarked hole. Using the hole in any way

>including drilling and feeding can be regarded by the referee as the

>process of fishing.

>

>Inside the section the ice - axe must be in the vertical position with

>knives down.

>17. While fishing competitors are not allowed to get any kind of help

>except the medical one. With permission of the referee it is possible to

>replace the broken ice - axe. It is prohibited to use motor - axes. After

>the signal "Start" fishermen in the section are prohibited to take ground

>bait and bait outside.

>18. There is the main referee and some commissioners in each section. They

>must know the rules of competitions perfectly well..

>The duties of the commissioner are the following. - control the amount of

>bait if it is necessary.

>a) control the process of fishing in his section.

> when the round is over, he continues to check the catch of the fisherman

>and he does not allow non - authorized persons into the section till the

>referees, who carry out the weighing, come or till collecting of the

>catches is over.

>

>19. The participants must observe the rules of fishing, concerning sizes of

>the protected fish, if they are mentioned in the local rules of fishing.

>This data must be announced at the captains' meeting (the captains must

>inform the fishermen in their turn ). At the weighing fish must be clean.

>It should be kept in similar plastic bags given out by the organizers.

>20. In case the amount of ground bait and bait is limited it must be

>measured and checked by the commissioner. After training exercises and

>rounds of competitions are over , throwing the rest of bait into the water

>is strictly prohibited.

>21. The competitions consist of two rounds. Each round lasts three hours.

>In case of insuperable difficulties, the round is considered legitimate if

>it lasted more than 1.5 hours.

>The time of the round can be reduced by the organizers because of weather

>conditions (strong frost). This must be announced before the round starts.

>22.The catch of fish is counted even if it was not hooked by mouth. Fish

>gaffing on purpose is prohibited.

>23. Fishermen can prepare any number of fishing rods., but they can fish

>only with one rod at a time. The competitor must hold his fishing - rod in

>his hand while fishing. It is prohibited to leave fishing - rods with

>mormyshka in water.

>24. Landing gaffs can be used only by those sportsmen who land fish.

>25. Inside their sections sportsmen should not make noise or disturb other

>competitors.

>26. Five minutes before the round is over, the organizers give the third

>signal which warns the competitors that only 5 minutes are left.

>The fourth signal "Finish" indicates the end of the round. Only the caught

>and landed fish is supposed to be the catch.

>27. Every competitor must strictly .observe the rules of the competitions.

>

>Weighing.

>28. Weighing is carried out by sections' main referees. The fish is taken

>out of plastic bags and weighed on similar scales. It should be noted that

>each section will have its own scales.

>

>29. The caught fish goes to the member of the referee team. The catch is

>weighed but not counted. Being weighed, the fish is at the organizers'

>disposal ( if the local law does not say the opposite ).

>30. The competitor must be present at the weighing process and check it.

>Then he signs the list of results where the weight of his catch is

>indicated. After signing the list no claims on the weight of the catch are

>accepted.

>

>Jury.

>

>31. The international jury is formed to solve disputable questions and

>apply sanctions, provided by the rules. This jury is formed on the eve of

>the first round during the first captains' meeting. The jury consists of 7

>members:

>- F.Î.P.S chairman or the substitute appointed by the chairman.

>- General secretary of the F.I.P.S.

>c) Chairman of the organizing federation, if his nationality differs from

>that of Chairman or General Secretary of F.I.P.S. In case his nationality

>is similar to the previous two, 5 delegates of different nations instead of

>4 will be appointed by drawing lots.

>d) 4 delegates of 4 different nations chosen by drawing lots. These

>delegates should not be of the same nationality as Chairman and General

>Secretary of F.I.P.S as well as the chairman of the organizing federation.

>These delegates are to be included in the team registration list ( the

>captains cannot be regarded as delegates ).

>Members of the JURY have to wear a distinctive badge with the world "JURY".

>These members should be present at the place of the competitions to solve

>any problems and complaints. The place where one or several JURY members

>are permanently present should be specially marked.

>

>32. Complaints, except the ones concerning classification, must be

>submitted to the JURY not later than one hour after the round is finished.

>First, complaints may be made verbally but then they must be confirmed in

>written form immediately.

>Complaints, concerning classification, are to be submitted not later than

>30 minutes after the official results have been announced. The time of

>publishing of the official results must be indicated on the information

>board of results. Every written complaint, addressed to the JURY, is to be

>accompanied with a deposit of 50$. If the complaint is not accepted as the

>valid one, the deposit is paid to the account of F.I.P.S. If the complaint

>is accepted the deposit is returned.

>The JURY must be immediately informed of all violations and warnings. Only

>the JURY has the right to announce disqualification. The disqualified

>sportsman must be informed immediately. The members of the JURY as well as

>the main referees must know the rules perfectly well and inspect that they

>are observed.

>33. The members of the JURY and captains of the teams should be supplied

>with the rules of competitions, written in three official languages.

>

>Decisions are made by the majority of votes. The voice of the F.I.P.S

>chairman and his substitute are the casting votes in case of balance of

>votes.

>Members of the executive committee of F.I.P.S wear individual badges which

>enable them to enter the section designated for officials. These badges are

>valid during 4 years after these members have been elected on their posts.

>

>List of sanctions.

>

>34.a) a warning will be given for the violations of articles 15a, 15b, 16,

>17, 19, 20,25.

>

> a disqualification will be given for the violations of articles 13a,

>13b, 24 and 26 and the violation of the rules the second time after the

>warning on articles 15,16,17,19,20,25 has already been made.

>

>c) if a sportsman is disqualified he will get the number of points equal to

>the number of participating countries plus one. If a sportsman is

>disqualified, all the sportsmen classified after him will keep their

>initial positions ( for example: sportsman X is disqualified, he has the

>8th position; the following sportsmen will keep their positions and get the

>ninth, the tenth positions, etc ).

>d) the warning of the team is valid for 3 years. In case a new violation of

>rules is made it is considered repeated and the jury makes its own decision

>according to the regulations and the list of sanctions.

>

>e) the warning of a sportsman is valid for unlimited time. A new violation

>of rules is considered repeated and the jury makes its decision according

>to the list of sanctions.

>35. Only persons with official referee licenses, given by President of

>F.I.P.S, can enter the section of competitions informing the main referee

>and state the violation of rules.

>

>CLASSIFICATION.

>

>36. Team classification.

>

>a) The first round.

>

>1) According to the summing up of the places, obtained by the fishermen of

>one team in their sections.

>

>The competitors having equal catch weight in the same section are given the

>number of points which equals to the average of places they must have

>shared. (Example 1: two fishermen claiming to the 5th place get (5+6):2 =

>5.5 points each. Example 2: 3 fishermen claiming to the 8th place get

>(8+9+10)=9 points each).

>

>2) The team with the fewest number of points will be classified as the

>first one, etc.

>

>3) The fisherman without a catch gets the number of points that equals to

>the average of places of the same fishermen (without a catch ) in the same

>section. (Example 1: 24 fishermen, 12 are classified with the first 12

If you would like to send a tax deductable donation to help TEAM USA

Non profit organization "USA Ice Fishing Team"

EIN..............20-4892007

Please send all money to:

USA Ice Fishing Team

630 South Stewart Ave

Lombard IL 60148-3434

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

[Bobb-o]

i didnt see anywhere in the rules that they cant use vexilars or marcums?

[Tony Boshold]

Hey Capt,

Thanks for getting this up on here.

I am really excited to say the least not to mention honored about being a chosen one. There has been no USA Ice Fishing Team for 15 years now. Dave Genz was instrumental in encouraging us to compete at this level. He was on the last team in '92 with the likes of NAFC main man Steve Pennaz.

A USA Ice Fishing Team non profit account has been set up to accept tax deductible donations to fund the teams expenses. If your feeling charitable this would be a great way to get an extra write off.

We are working on the details of another fundraiser at lake Delevan in September. Those in attendance at the first event last week came away with armfuls of tackle and full bellies. With more time to promote the next event we expect a great turnout.

We are working on some other ideas for fundraising and promoting the event. Any suggestions are welcomed.

I know for fact that there are absolutely no electronics or power augers allowed in the world competitions. Just a stick and string for all intensive purposes. You must drill your own holes as well, no fishing in open holes someone else drilled.

The whole thing is a bit overwhelming, to say the least. The corporate support has been great so far. Many US companies are really excited to help us raise funds through their generous contributions of gear for awards and raffle/ auction prizes.

The info for forwarding contributions is listed in the post above. I will be keeping an eye on this from now on, so if you need anything let me know and I'll do what I can.

I'd like to thank you all in advance for any support you can offer. Big or small it all adds up.

Tony

USA Ice Fishing Team 2006 China

[Jim Hudson]

Hey guys, I just wanted to bring this back up to the top..

I am very excited to say the least, that this is actually occurring this winter... What a deal it will be for these guys to compete against the best of the best in ice fishing racket.. On a Global Level!!! I will be fortunate enough to attend this event with the team, helping out in anyway, shape, or form to bring the title here to the USA!!!

Everyone involved is working non-stop to raise money for this event, and any help from the members of HotSpotOutdoors family would be great!!! Again, the USA Ice Fishing Team is taking tax deductible donations through their non-profit organization at:

USA Ice Fishing Team

630 South Stewart Ave

Lombard IL 60148-3434

Also, if anyone has any questions please feel free to ask.

[walleyeaddict]

WHAT TYPE OF FISH DO YOU CATCH IN CHINA??

[captkev]

Jim, glad to hear your going with them, With your skills You should be able to help bring home the gold. I'm still working on a few angles here, but I've run into a few dead ends, I'll know more when I start Grouse and Woodcock guideing this fall. GO Team U.S.A.

[Jim Hudson]

Here is an update for USA Ice Fishing Team...

This past weekend, Jack Baker and Summit Golf Club (By Cannon Falls) put on a Golf Fundraiser for our cause. Jack had a great turn-out, where all 20 4 man slots were filled and they raised $3,273 for this trip. These golfers walked away with some great gifts, won some excellent prizes, and were treated to a walleye fish fry. Jack will be putting on another one of these events in October, where half the field is already full!!! So if any of you golfers or supporters want to participate in some good fun for a good cause, contact Jack at the Summit Golf Club!!!

Also, on September 10th, USA Ice Fishing Team will be putting on a fundraising event on Lake Delevan in WI. With over $2,500 in prizes and some great events, this fundraiser should be a blast as well. If you wish to attend, you can pre-register (the best way to secure a spot and have a great lunch included) call (847)514-4763.

And as always, if you wish to make a tax deductible donation to this cause send to:

USA ICE FISHING TEAM

630 S. Stewart Ave

Lombard, IL 60148

With a donation, a person will receive a 2006 USA Ice Fishing Team Ribbon to display proudly for your support of USA Ice Fishing Team!!

And if you wish, please e-mail or call me directly and we can talk about any of these events or about USA Ice Fishing Team. We are definately on our way to China this December, but still need some more help in reaching our goal of bringing the gold here to the USA!!!!

[ryan johnson]

just don't take your dog with you when you go... read this article..

http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/china-orders-mass-slaughter-of-dogs/20060801000009990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

[Tony Boshold]

Follow the links in the poster or call the phone #'s to register or for more info. You can also contact Jim or I right here.

Pre-registration earns a FREE lunch. And you thought there were none.

There will be a bank anglers division, boaters division and kids division. Some incredible prizes will be awarded. On display will be some of the latest gear for icefishing.

After a half day of fishing will be the weigh-in and a great lunch. Then the seminars and contests will begin. A Kids Only Zone with plenty of activities for the little ones!

There's still plenty of time for corporate sponsors to donate more goods to the prizes as well as volunteers to help with both events as well. Any help is GREATLY appreciated, it all adds up.

Thanks and hope to see you out there.