TOURNAMENT FEE INCREASE....Game & Fish advisory meeting MONDAY 11/30/2020

[tikkalover]

I don't fish tournaments, so it doesn't matter what the state does to me.


Q. How many tournaments will be affected by the removal of the $5,000 cap?
A. Of the approximate 160 fishing tournaments the Department currently permits annually, more than 150 contests would see no change. In recent years, five of these tournaments are in-state contests that would exceed the $5,000 former cap. In addition, there are occasionally out-of-state tournaments that are in excess of the $5,000 value.

So, according to what your saying, the area that the 10 most expensive entry fee tourney's are in, every thing will be closing up? I'm guessing not.

 

[drivenmarine.net]

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.

Exactly, there are all kinds of fishermen running around with 70K boats, not just tourney guys. Not sure what ramp he hangs out at, but go to any access on Sak and look at the number of expensive boats, campers, ect... Because people have nice things, that makes them clowns? Look at all the advancements in fishing. From lures to electronics, to boats, to techniques, a lot of this comes from people who make their living fishing, ie. tournament anglers. All of these things make fishing more enjoyable and more successful. Our lakes are becoming more pressured due to many factors, but one being the difficulty to find access to hunting land. If one cannot hunt like they used to, they turn to other hobbies. The good thing about ND, is we have a TON of water, and opportunity to catch fish. Having tournaments which usually fund some sort of community organization or other type of fund raiser is not a horrible thing. Go to any ramp near a hot bite, and it will be just as busy as if a tournament is being held. Ever go to VanHook, Hazelton, Langliers, Ft Stevenson when the fish are really active? I just don't see the need to call names and freak out about tournaments.

 

[ElkHunter]

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

 

[Kentucky Windage]

A sampling of responses indicates to me that you’re not going to get much support for tourneys in this thread. I could be wrong though. Math was never my best subject.

 

[drivenmarine.net]

I agree with what Elkhunter said in his post. The tax won't effect very many tournaments, and the revenue can be used for some nice and greatly needed improvements to our facilities. It just bothers me that some people blame the crowded ramps, cleaning stations, an lack of courtesy on tournament guys only. They get mad because someone is running a nice boat. or does something that they don't like and automatically assume the guy is a tournament guy. On the Missouri River, in the spring, there are so many people that have no courtesy, it takes a lot of the fun out of fishing. I guarantee most of them are locals that don't fish in any type of competition. Unfortunately, there will be rude people and cheating when money gets involved, but these people would probably try to push you out of your spot if they saw you catching fish on a non tourney day too.

 

[628977]

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 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

-As for the 150 tournaments Game and Fish states will not be affected these are small club\business tournaments that do not have a large numbers of anglers attending them. Prize payouts are minimal in these tournaments and yes these tournaments will not make or break local businesses.

-The increase WILL affect the big tournaments like the DWC, Big Muddy, Gov Cup, and VHC. The increase is not only placed on the money but also any other items of value or side pots like big fish.

-Yes it will affect the out of state circuits that participate in North Dakota. Many tourney anglers put most of their time into these circuits because they have the most to offer the angler. The NWT could be taxed close to $30,000.00 and the AIM circuit has already stated they may not be back because of the increase.

-Their is not proof that out of state tournaments rape and pillage our resources. I say they are probably easier on our resources since most of them practice catch and release.

-Most of the guys participating in these tournaments are not sponsored, use their own money to participate in the tournaments, and the expensive boats they are using are not owned but more being leased.

-Pulling the NWT away from Bismarck is a huge economical loss for the community, They run the tourney on a Thursday and Friday which is not the weekend leaving the water for the weekend guys to have.

-I agree their are some guys participating in these tournaments that need their moral compasses checked and should not be out there because they do not know how to share the water the right way. These people are very minimal and they also exist in the (Fun weekend angler). Most tourney anglers would be quick to point those guys out now days and make sure they are dealt with accordingly or banned from future tournaments.

 

[zoops]

-Pulling the NWT away from Bismarck is a huge economical loss for the community, They run the tourney on a Thursday and Friday which is not the weekend leaving the water for the weekend guys to have.

I'm fairly neutral on the whole tournament thing (Definitely would not be in favor of having a kill tourney on the Missouri in April if that is what they want), I have to wonder how much money an NWT-type tournament actually brings to town. A few guys staying in hotels and eating in town isn't much in the scope of Bismarck's economy. Doesn't someone actually pay the NWT to host their tournaments (to put up the tournament staff, etc)?

 

[shorthairsrus]

will that NWT tourney be a kill ? or CR? April 29 is the date

 

[MarbleEyez]

Take the NWT away from the communities of Garrison. These guys usually pre-fish for a minimum of a week. And with that they have other guys who come out and fish in sperate boats, either friends or locals. There was 123 Pro's in the NWT up at Garrison in Sept. Take a week of that "economic impact" from Garrison and you're talking about a good amount of money taken away.

Say only 50% stay in Garrison. That's 61 pro's, so lets say 61 boats and 122 people (2 people/boat).

Hotel Room is $60/night ($30/person)
Gas is $75-$100/day
Food is $30-$50/day/person

The amount spent within the community would be $13,055-14,640/day, using 50% of the tournament entries. Take that times 7 days of these guys pre-fishing. $14,000 X 7days = $98,000

It's up to everyone to come to their own conclusion if they think $98,000 less spent in the rural community of Garrison would have an impact on the local businesses.

 

[eyexer]

I’m not opposed to tournaments. I’m opposed to the number of them that we have now.

 

[ranger150]

will that NWT tourney be a kill ? or CR? April 29 is the date

The NWT canceled ND!!:dance:

 

[Enslow]

I’m not opposed to tournaments. I’m opposed to the number of them that we have now.

Agreed! Just too many. A couple local tourneys and one big tourney is good per lake.

 

[628977]

Agreed! Just too many. A couple local tourneys and one big tourney is good per lake.

Why are there too many?
Whats the perfect number?
What is the difference between a tournament or a packed ramp because of a hot bite?
Raising tourney fees is not going to fix crowded ramps.
Raising tourney fees is not going to fix overfishing.
Sounds like tourneys are putting the ammenities in at boat ramps.
Why are tourney anglers supposed to pay for the ramps, docks, gravel, trees, fish cleaning stations?
Why are tourney anglers, who the majority practice catch and release are accused of overfishing a body of water?

 

[Kurtr]

Haha worried about raping and pillaging as the locals fill their freezers, no slot limits(your welcome for the big fish coming back in Oahe) and keeping five a day quit being such pigs and lower the limit to four. #conservation # publiclakeowner

 

[eyexer]

Tournaments cause excessive pressure for days if not a week before tournaments on bodies of water that see very little pressure during the week. For me personally there just seems to have an arrogance associated with tournament fishermen now. They’re not what they used to be back when I fished one on occasion. It’s just become an environment I don’t enjoy being involved with now. But that’s just one guys opinion.

 

[Enslow]

I have never seen so many questions.. that’s more questions than there should be tourneys allowed in the state lol.

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The yelling and paragraphs of words...

 

[Kurtr]

Tournaments cause excessive pressure for days if not a week before tournaments on bodies of water that see very little pressure during the week. For me personally there just seems to have an arrogance associated with tournament fishermen now. They’re not what they used to be back when I fished one on occasion. It’s just become an environment I don’t enjoy being involved with now. But that’s just one guys opinion.

you must not fish very popular places it’s packed here all week and even more so this year with out as many tournaments we had more sota and sconnis and locals with time off filling the freezer and killing more fish than any tournament guys do.

 

[Enslow]

Devils lake has been raped by tourneys for like 20 plus years now. Every awesome spot eventually gets sold out through the guides and tourneys. No tourneys and guides on devils lake would be a blessing from heaven.

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One time I was having a few at Ed’s and a local guide told me I don’t have what it takes to be a guide on this lake. Haha the ego’s, the butthurt , the backstabbing. It’s literally a big shitshow with these guys lol. They are buying and selling waypoints all the time. It’s no wonder the craziness comes onto the threads whenever tourneys are spoke of. It’s a finger pointing butthurtfest.

 

[SDMF]

Why are there too many?
Whats the perfect number?
What is the difference between a tournament or a packed ramp because of a hot bite?
Raising tourney fees is not going to fix crowded ramps.
Raising tourney fees is not going to fix overfishing.
Sounds like tourneys are putting the ammenities in at boat ramps.
Why are tourney anglers supposed to pay for the ramps, docks, gravel, trees, fish cleaning stations?
Why are tourney anglers, who the majority practice catch and release are accused of overfishing a body of water?

1. Why are there too many?
A. Because you've worn out your welcome with the majority of the fishing public.

2. The perfect number
A. No more than 1 on any given body of water on any weekend

3. What is the difference between a tournament or a packed ramp because of a hot bite?
A. Attitude. The majority of the asshole behavior by tournament fishermen happens during pre-fishing, not during the event when they know there are consequences.

4.Raising tourney fees is not going to fix crowded ramps.
Raising tourney fees is not going to fix overfishing
A. Raising tourney fees is the shot across the bow that the general fishing public is fed up with "Tournament Fisherpeople".

5. ND G&F can use the extra $$ to educate people from WI HOW to use cleaning stations. Things like "One fish at a time down the grinder".

6. Why are tourney anglers supposed to pay for the ramps, docks, gravel, trees, fish cleaning stations?
A. Because you're attempting to use those resources as a source of income

7.Why are tourney anglers, who the majority practice catch and release are accused of overfishing a body of water?
A. Because they fish 5-10 days at a time in an attempt to profit off of those resources. You can release all the fish you want from 25'+ in late July and all of Aug on DL or Sak but you and I both know the majority of them will die.

I for one am thrilled to hear ND is the most expensive state to run a tourney. IMO I'd be happier if the tourney had to split the $$ 50/50 with ND G&F.

You've brought this on yourselves by being so poor about policing your own.

 

[eyexer]

you must not fish very popular places it’s packed here all week and even more so this year with out as many tournaments we had more sota and sconnis and locals with time off filling the freezer and killing more fish than any tournament guys do.

thats very possible. I haven’t fish during the week last couple years Very often.

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Devils lake has been raped by tourneys for like 20 plus years now. Every awesome spot eventually gets sold out through the guides and tourneys. No tourneys and guides on devils lake would be a blessing from heaven.

- - - Updated - - -

One time I was having a few at Ed’s and a local guide told me I don’t have what it takes to be a guide on this lake. Haha the ego’s, the butthurt , the backstabbing. It’s literally a big shitshow with these guys lol. They are buying and selling waypoints all the time. It’s no wonder the craziness comes onto the threads whenever tourneys are spoke of. It’s a finger pointing butthurtfest.

i agree on the guides generally speaking. There are a slight few that are great in many aspects. But we seriously could do without em. Hell I can’t even get anybody to go fishing anymore lol. Mostly due to every Tom dick and Harry owns a boat now. Which is good from one aspect