Catfish Contests (Live Transport)

[AceintheHole]

What needs to be done is for everyone who is upset about these contests to contact the area fisheries office that hands out these licenses and tell them what you think of these contests and the fish they kill.

I have talked with several people in the new Ulm regional office and I do believe that if they recieve enough calls and e-mails, something will happen.

If we sit and let the DNR believe that this is all ok, nothing will change.

Give them a call.

You hit the monkey right on the head. Doing nothing will get nothing.

[Scott K]

Tom do you have a link to the persons email thats gooing listen to us? If you do, post it, I will let them know what I think of these contests! I am sure others will as well.

[rattleL]

what they should do is give everyone a disposable camera when they leave the dock, that way the only pics on thier could be from launch time to wiegh in time....... take a pic of the fish laying on a measering tape.... that would be the verification that way we are not potentially killin a 40 lb fish

[Shack]

4.W.E., call down town to the DNR office in St. Paul and ask for the head fisheries supervisor. I forget what his name is at the moment, but if he is not the one to contact, he will direct you to who is the one to contact.

Again, I am all for the tourneys like the one that started this poll thread.

If the DNR is strongly involved and can get valuable information on flats, in which other wise could not with out the large gathering of contest fish, I am all for it. Unfortunately a couple casualties might pass for the good of the cause. If people cheat, well hopefully they get caught.

But again, if the DNR is using the contest to tag, document fish, and track and gather valuable information which will help protect this fish’s future, I can not see any reason why anyone involved in flat head fishing and who cares about its future should think that a contest like this gives a black eye to our flat head’s and cat fishing in general.

It has to start some where’s and hopefully will lead to better ways of obtaining this information. I think it is better than the DNR turning a blind eye and not doing nothing at all or very minimal.

[Scott K]

Thanks Shack, I will do some checking to find a name. I was just hoping someone had one.

I dont know how the contest in Franklin is run even though it is a live transport type contest it seems that they have the fishes safety in mind.

There is a large catfishing contest thats close to me, and it will be going on in a couple weeks, I would refer this contest as a witch hunt for the bigger fish, for those that live close know which contest I am reffering to, and if they have ever attended this contest they know the fishes best interest isnt there at all! For those of you that dont know which contest I am talking about, lets just say the mortality rate is much, much higher then a few fish! The care taken for these fish after they are caught or even weighed in is a disgrace! And this event needs to be shut down!

[Shack]

4.W.E I did some checking and his name is Roy. It was from a thread I did awhile back here

Yes, I am not in favor of any contest like this. In my first post, I was referring to that noodling video with the contest where they are at a General Store or gas station down south and everyone has their hogs lined up on the side walk. Maybe down south they grow quick, but up here it takes awhile for them to get big.

Should we go and protest

[Scott K]

Quote:

Should we go and protest

I have been there and voiced my opinion before, I was asked to leave!

[still floats guy]

For Cat's Incredible I have kept 15-20 lb fish alive and healthy for 7 or 8 hours. I use a huge tote with an aeration system. The fish are always weighed, measured, and released healthy.

That said, many of the other guys come to the weigh-in with a cooler not much bigger than a 5 gallon bucket. They have three fish jammed in there with the heads barely in water. They wait for 10-30 minutes before getting to weigh-in. The contest mandates all fish are weighed live. I'm sure many of these fish die. It is not uncommon to see a few floaters around the weigh-in area the next day.

Done correctly these contests can be great. However, it is hard to enforce common sense respect for a fishery if the individual does not posess these traits in the first place.

[Ryan Becklund]

I have read all your comments. I apologize to anyone that has been offended in my post. Let it be known that I am not part of the tournament but I do take part IN the tournament. I understand what everyones feelings are in this, I have looked at the votes.

I am a flathead catfish fisherman and my family likes to do it as well. I have not kept a single fish that I have caught for probably 10 years. Unless I am fishing the tournament and that fish is transported with the utmost respect that it deserves. I guess I am kinda shocked at some of the posts on here about going to the dnr and complaining and getting this taken away or changed. I enjoy the sport as much as the next guy and more then some. I don't think that it should be that much of an issue. The DNR helps out in the contest and have since I have been fishing it. Like I said this is my point of view. I have mine you have yours. Hope you all have a great weekend on the river, I know I will.

Ryan

[ec30_06]

Try these people as well.

Office address

Hutchinson Area Fisheries Office

20596 Highway 7

Hutchinson, MN 55350

tel. 320-234-2550

e-mail. [email protected]

Office contacts

Area Supervisor: Lee Sundmark

Office address

Waterville Area Fisheries Office

50317 Fish Hatchery Road

Waterville, MN 56096-[Please-read-forum-policy]

tel. 507-362-4223

e-mail. [email protected]

Office contacts

Area Supervisor: Hugh Valiant

Co's

Supervisor: LT Dean Olson 507-252-0163

St. Peter: Chris Howe 507-385-1686

[Scott K]

I have read all your comments. I apologize to anyone that has been offended in my post. Let it be known that I am not part of the tournament but I do take part IN the tournament. I understand what everyones feelings are in this, I have looked at the votes.

I am a flathead catfish fisherman and my family likes to do it as well. I have not kept a single fish that I have caught for probably 10 years. Unless I am fishing the tournament and that fish is transported with the utmost respect that it deserves. I guess I am kinda shocked at some of the posts on here about going to the dnr and complaining and getting this taken away or changed. I enjoy the sport as much as the next guy and more then some. I don't think that it should be that much of an issue. The DNR helps out in the contest and have since I have been fishing it. Like I said this is my point of view. I have mine you have yours. Hope you all have a great weekend on the river, I know I will.

Ryan

Ryan, as I said, the Franklin contest sounds to be a much better contest then the one I am talking about.

Thanks Ed!

[DTro]

Slayer, this post was not directed at you, the Franklin tourney, and or anyone else specifically. Basically just a poll too see how everyone feels, and to start a general dialogue about these types of contests.

As time goes by, I understand more how much of a world class Flathead fishery we have right here in our back yard. I want to try to protect that as much as I can. I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t want to spend another 20 yrs regenerating these big fish?

It makes one raise his eyebrows when he hears of people driving from nearby states because the waters there are decimated by setline “fisherman”.

I just think there is a better way to have a contest without killing these fish for a few bucks.

[ec30_06]

I think this past spring proved to all of us what a phenomenal fishery we have. Even if you didn't get in on the action anyone who has seen the pictures should want to protect it.

[Ryan Becklund]

DTRO, thanks for the post. I understood that it was not directed towards me. It is definately a world class fishery. I as well as all of you should do our best to keep it that way. If I sounded like I took it personal I really didn't. I have read in other areas about the walleye, bass etc tourns that are run similar to this and they have a definate percentage of loss. I believe that the good folks from Franklin and the folks that are in the tourn try their best to keep the fish as lively as possible. Its a fun weekend, and you meet people from the area and some from other places as well. Hope to see some of your names on the leader board.

Ryan

[Lowblazah]

I think we should all push for an immediate release law of any flathead over 39". (maybe even less)

That would force the tournements to change their ways along with keeping the fishery strong and healthy!

[still floats guy]

what they should do is give everyone a disposable camera when they leave the dock, that way the only pics on thier could be from launch time to wiegh in time....... take a pic of the fish laying on a measering tape.... that would be the verification that way we are not potentially killin a 40 lb fish

I think this is a great idea.

[Scott K]

One can manuver the fish, tape measure, camera to make it look bigger then it really is. The problem is when you have 200 people going for a prize of $1800, there will be cheating!

[still floats guy]

Originally Posted By: rattleL

what they should do is give everyone a disposable camera when they leave the dock, that way the only pics on thier could be from launch time to wiegh in time....... take a pic of the fish laying on a measering tape.... that would be the verification that way we are not potentially killin a 40 lb fish

I think this is a great idea.

I guess what I meant was this is a horrible idea

[rattleL]

how do u manuever a fish on a measuring tape lay the tape down and take the picture it will read 40 inches or whatever.......do what u have to do as a tournament director hand out 3 dollar measuring tapes at the beginning and disposable cameras and that is it

[RAB]

Take it from me guys, appreciate what you have and do all you can to protect it. Take it upon yourselves, the DNR cannot fix a damaged fishery overnight.

I'll tell you a little bit about my home river. It is very similar to the Minnesota, except flathead harvesting is a pretty big tradition around here. Most flathead anglers go fishing so they can bring a flathead home to eat. And up until 2000 it was legal to sell flathead meat to bars and restaurants and that was a pretty common practice. Setlining is permitted and it seems to be a vary effective way to catch flatheads, most of which are legally harvested.

Here is a timeline on how long it can take to get anything done.

During the late 1980's flathead anglers began to notice reduced catches.

In the mid 1990s a flathead conservation group was started.

In 1997 the group started urging the DNR to look into the issue.

In 2000 the DNR was finally able to secure funding for a 5 year study of the issue. Flathead sales were banned.

2005 the study is finished and the DNR is shocked by the results. They conclude that more than 30% of the adult flatheads are being harvest each year and that while the population is not in any danger of being wiped out, it is way, way , way below the river's potential and has a huge shortage of fish over 20 pounds.

2006-2007 the DNR holds meeting with interested parties to come up with some possible rule changes to be proposed. Due to the high harvest tradition, the proposed changes got watered down somewhat in the negotiations.

2008 the proposed changes to the bag limit and harvest season dates are passed by the public at the Spring Hearings. The DNR secures another 2 years worth of funding to continue the project.

Now the state legislature has to pass them into law. Then we have to hope that people will follow the new rules and we see some results in the future.

My point is it is now 20 years since the problems first were noticed. It was 10 years from the DNR go interested to the point where rule changes may become law. It will be at least another 10 years before we really see any possible results and by then the DNR will be onto some other project.

[aanderud]

If 30% of the flatheads are harvested each year, that means a flathead has less than a 3% chance of living til it is 10 years old. It has less than a 1 tenth of 1 percent chance of living til it is 20 years old. That means less than 1 out of 1000 flatheads lives til it is 20 years old. Ouch.

It's tough to have a trophy fishery with that situation. I would hate to see the MN river go that direction. I'm always happy to see CPR anglers around here. Nice post RAB.

[DTro]

That timeline is scary RAB.

It's good to know that the current fishery is in very good condition here.

Let's hope it stays that way.

Anyone notice that the catches are getting bigger each year

[harvey lee]

Yes Darren, seems there were many larger trophy fish caught this spring and pre spawn. Lets hope this trend continues for some awesome fishing in the near future.

I have always stated that I do not mind Tourney's run where the fish has a chance but to simply kill these trophy for a buck is wrong.

[DTro]

Oh another thing I wanted to mention about one local live transport contest was that it indirectly encourages bringing in every fish you catch by offering a nice prize for a certain slot fish (23rd biggest or something like that).

That is just wrong IMO.

[RAB]

If 30% of the flatheads are harvested each year, that means a flathead has less than a 3% chance of living til it is 10 years old. It has less than a 1 tenth of 1 percent chance of living til it is 20 years old. That means less than 1 out of 1000 flatheads lives til it is 20 years old. Ouch.

That stat is 30% of the "adult" flathead population is harvest each year. Adult is defined as over 24 inches. Most fish under 24" are not harvested.