What is your reasoning or facts that you have that makes this fair? Why are tournament guys considered clowns in your eyes for spending however much they want on a boat? Not every tournament angler has a 70K to 100K boat. It sounds like your assumption is that every tournament angler has more money than they can handle. This law makes North Dakota the most expensive state to host a fishing tournament. Bring some facts to the table please.
What sort of facts would you like?
*THIS INCREASE WILL NOT AFFECT MOST OF THE STATES TOURNAMENTS(even the big tournaments like the Dakota Classic and Big Muddy will see a MINIMAL to NO increase)
*The tournaments it will affect are the "Out of State Circuit Tournaments"
- If they want to come for a week to rape and pillage our state resources for THEIR gain, then they should have to pay. $10,000 would go nicely towards updated fish cleaning stations, handicap accessible docks, handicap accessible restrooms, etc..
-Most of these guys are running around in sponsored boats that are easily worth $70,000-$120,000
-The NWT scheduled their event here before they even had approval to run a tournament in the spring on the Missouri River.
-Who wants a nationally televised tournament on the Missouri River during the spawn??? Not one local guy! Unless you are one of them that has dreams and aspirations of someday being a famous Youtube Star or getting on TV with The Next Bite Guys..
*A lot of tournament fisherman have brought this on themselves by losing the publics approval.
-Don't get me wrong, there are some good guys that put on kids clinics and such. But many of times on the lake or river during a tournament, you will have tournament boats that will come into a spot and think they own it. That doesn't sit well with the "for fun" fisherman.
-Years ago in the Big Muddy(A tournament I was fishing in). We witnessed a tournament boat cut off a small 14' tiller Lund and push him into the rocks when he was trolling. The guy in the small boat said" come on man I was trolling this all morning" The tournament boats response........ "You can give us our room, we are fishing for money"! I've never been more embarrassed to be part of something in my life. It really made me rethink being a part of them. I fish one or two a year but wouldn't care if they went away.
*The cheating seems to be running rampant enough in tournaments. It seems every year someone posts a picture of a snagged dog kennel.. $20,000+ first place prizes will encourage it even more.
*Even if these big out of state circuits don't come to town, every campground and boat ramp up and down Lake Sakakawea and the Missouri River will still be full or near capacity all summer long.
I'm sure there is more I can come up with, but this should do for now.
:;:duel