1. Virtual “America’s Ice Fishing Tournament” happening Feb 4.
Presented by the Brainerd Jaycees – who also host the world’s largest in-person ice fishing derby. This 3rd-annual virtual event will be open to anyone in the U.S. who has fishable ice and will be hosted thru the FishDonkey app from 8am to 3pm on Sat, Feb 4.
> “Eligible species for the tournament are walleye, northern pike, crappie, perch and sunfish. Participants will still need to use a commercially available bump board or measuring board to submit official fish measurements.
> “With a total prize list over $20,000, contestants are eligible to win one of 50 prizes scattered throughout the top 350 places, including $2,500 cash, based on point-awarded fish values.”
Bunch more info here.
2. WI: Some invasives can still be spread in the winter.
> “Curly-leaf pondweed and Eurasian watermilfoil are two aquatic invasive species that remain hardy in the winter under the ice, giving them an advantage over our native aquatic plants.
> “The plant-like algae starry stonewort dies back for winter, but its tiny, star-shaped bulbils can be present on plants yanked up through the ice or in the mud that can come up if the bottom is disturbed by augers. Disease and the larvae of invasive snails and mussels can also be present in the water and mud in winter.”
3. WI: Wake boat concerns rising.
4. NE: Some fishing reg changes start Jan 1.
Handful of lakes were added – and removed – from the list of water bodies where it is illegal to possess or use live baitfish while fishing.
Few other changes include:
> Walleye, sauger and saugeye: The location designated on the Republican River above Harlan County Reservoir for size limits on walleye, sauger and saugeye is changed to the Highway 89 bridge west of Orleans.
> Flanagan Lake: The catch-and-release designation is removed from this Omaha lake. No harvest of northern pike is allowed. There is an 8″ maximum length limit on bluegill and redear sunfish, and a 10″ maximum length limit on crappie.
> Lake McConaughy: It is illegal to possess walleye…on Lonergan Creek and Otter Creek from their junction at the McConaughy lakeshore upstream to, and including, the culvert under Highway 92 from April 1 through June 30.
Full details and some other changes here.
5. CO: Couple of ice-fishing contests coming up…
– 35th Annual 3 Lakes Ice Fishing Contest, Granby, Jan 27-29.
– 26th Annual Wolford Reservoir Ice Fishing Tournament, Kremmling, Feb 18.
6. MI: Natural Resources Trust Fund Board recommends $23.3 mil…
…to boost outdoor recreation with 45 recreation development projects and land acquisitions.
7. Join the National Fish Habitat Board.
NFHP is currently seeking applications for 5 Board member positions by Jan 13
8. MN: John Hoyer’s speaking at the TCWU meeting on Thurs, Jan 5.
Everyone is welcome – Twin Cities Walleyes Unlimited meetings are open to the public. Not sure what Hoyer’s charging for autographs nowadays tho. 😉 Should be a great event!
9. Lake of the Woods’ sleeper houses aren’t always easy to find…
…but Border View Lodge runs sleepers out there! Big 10’x20′ houses (sleeps 4 and has 2 holes each) with a separate outdoor heated potty near each house.
Seems like the majority of LOTW operations are “day houses” where they run you back into shore for dinner in the evening, get a good night’s sleep in the cabin, then shuttle you back out on the ice after breakfast in the morning. Nothing wrong with that – did it last year and absolutely LOVED it! But there’s something to be said about going to sleep and waking up already on the ice.
There’s also this big misconception that you can’t catch fish on Lake of the Woods after dark. From my experience you don’t see (graph) or catch nearly as many fish at night in the stained water, but you definitely still can…and usually the ones you do catch are waaaay bigger-than-average walleyes and roll thru suspended. 😎 Plus a bonus burbot never hurt anyone.
I’m heading up to Border View Lodge next week – so pumped!
10. Semi-interesting post about boat trends…
Few quick snippets from it:
> Electric outboards: He expects the year to bring more announcements about new products and one-off projects, but with no larger-scale production for another 3-5 yrs.
> …[the marine trade assn] working to ensure that the industry’s transition to newer technologies will be market-driven, not government-imposed. “We’re trying to prevent somebody from coming in and saying, ‘Let’s decarbonize the marine industry without really understanding what that means.”
> …people who may have, in previous years, bought an end-of-season model for $25,000 or less may be waiting until spring to see where things stand. “It’s more the [economic] uncertainty that’s hitting people the most.”
11. John Loughlin III is Mustad’s new global OEM manager.
He was the North America OEM manager.
12. WI: DNR Conservation Biologist receives national lifetime achievement award.
> The WI DNR is pleased to announce that Conservation Biologist Thomas Meyer was awarded the national George B. Fell Lifetime Achievement Award from the Natural Areas Association (NAA) for his career-long efforts to build and advocate for WI’s State Natural Areas (SNA) program.
> This award is given to an individual who exhibits the highest qualities of the profession and who has significantly advanced natural area identification, protection, stewardship or research and the mission of the Natural Areas Association. This award is the association’s highest and is reserved for exceptional achievements in any of the areas in which the Natural Areas Association is concerned. With 37 yrs dedicated to protecting and enhancing WI’s natural heritage, Thomas Meyer is an exemplary recipient of this prestigious recognition.
13. UT: DWR stocked 8.2 mil fish in 2022.
> …into 711 local waterbodies this year – total of 1,140,682 lbs of fish! …in 2019, the DWR began stocking fewer, but larger, fish to increase their survival rate.
Lot of trout. But looks like around 85K walleyes were stocked into 4 different reservoirs.
14. How to start your own high school bass club.
> …non-profit Future Angler Foundation (FAF), in conjunction with Into The Outdoors Education Network, offers a free series of 4 classroom videos with lesson activities covering all aspects of high school bass fishing, including a youth-to-youth introduction designed to help students form a club and get it up and running in their very own schools. These peer-driven lessons are even correlated to national education standards for use in schools across the country.
15. NY: New Grindstone ramp project announced.
On the St Lawrence. Sounds like to make it more usable during low water.
16. NY adds 18 environmental conservation police officers.
17. Johnson Outdoors director to exit board.
18. Recipe: Would you try prosciutto-wrapped walleye?
Yes, yes I would. Haven’t met a cooked walleye I didn’t like! Lol.
19. KY: Magnet fishermen land multiple live grenades. 😳
Out of the Little River…prompted road closures and an emergency visit from the local bomb squad. One of the 40mm grenades (designed to be used with a grenade launcher) was destroyed in place, the other was taken back to Fort Campbell for disposal as it was determined to be stable enough to move.
20. These geeks had themselves a day!
Not just any geeks…but the Fishing Geeks hahaha. They caught 38 walleyes in the video (actually caught more that day, but ran out of room in the vid) and only 5 of them were under 20 inches. 👀🤯
