just what is going on?? and doesn"t anyone care??

[jim]

I have been observing the pro"s at Fort Peck, while the PWT tournament is underway, yesterdays results showed a 90% death rate on the fish caught, we are talking abou 135 teams turning in 30 and 40 pound each a day, very few strike outs and 2nd day, (two day total), top weight at around 62 pounds.
Now we are talking about the pro"s who preach catch and release, (for what!! So that they can drag these fish around in their live-wells all day, drag themn back to the launch site and then have their pictures taken with them, collect some money and then be on their merry way!!).
Is there somthing I am missing?, most the local anglers release the larger fish they catch to help inhance the walleye population and then to have these so called (example setters) come in and upset your fish population just does not make much sence,while (everyones idols) go on their merry way looking for another lake to ruin).
It appears time to me for sports clubs, walleyes unlimited and any other oraganization or people concerned to become involved and do somthing about this rape of the local fishing lakes. your help is
incouraged!!!. jim

[Neal/Co]

Is that true, 90%. If it is that's obscene and the local would have every right to be pissed off. I would hope that it's a mis print or a mistake.

[jim]

>Is that true, 90%. If it
>is that's obscene and the
>local would have every right
>to be pissed off. I
>would hope that it's a
>mis print or a mistake.
>
Neal, my post reading was suppose to come out like this,

just what is going on??, and does'nt anyone care?? FORT PECK LAKE, MT.

No this was not a misprint!, 90% this includes all the big fish 8, 9, 10 pound and plus fish, high surface temperatures on the lake, 73 degrees, and holding tank temperatures of 80 degrees just not playing favorites with any particular size fish!!!

[Smitty]

Unfortunately, I think the only way to avoid this is to eliminate tournaments during July/August when the water is so warm or find a way to allow the contestants to somehow weigh (officially) their fish immediately and then release.

Sure would be nice to get something figured out. That's an atrocious death rate percentage!

[cws]

90% I doubt it. For one thing the 137 boats are probably averaging 9 lbs/day not 30 - 40. Even if the water was 85 deg with 100 deg heat I doubt they would lose 90%. Go blow smoke elsewhere.

[FJH1]

I seriously doubt that the mortality rate is this high. I remember a tournament I was in a couple years ago and we had 90+ surface temps and my partner and I lost one of our four fish. Overall I think weigh-in mortality was under 50% for all teams. I'm not saying this is ok, however, if surface temps are only in the 70's I really doubt that they are having a 90% mortality rate. Can you direct me to the info that you read regarding this? I would be interested in reading this.

Best Regards,

FJH

[MR.Pike]

Lots of questions regarding the source of these figures. Something would have to be really wrong to lose that many fish. I wonder how deep of water these fish are coming out of?? I remember a thread a few weeks ago regarding ( I think it was Mille Lacs) lots of large fish floating because they were coming out of water over 30+ ft??? Just some food for thought. <;{{{{{<<(
Mr.Pike

[Jimmy]

Seems a little high to me also, a well oxegenated live well wil do alot better job then that, beside I believe that they are docked weigh for bringing in dead fish and that doesn't do them any good either. Let me see the documentation on this and put your money where your mouth. I'm not saying I disagree with you but I remember not to long ago that an anti was on here blowing smoke up everyone butt on this same subject.

[chester]

Check out the In-Fishermans site for the correct weights on the days, very few are over 10#, not to mention over 30-40#. I'm not sure where you get your information, but I spoke with numerous contestants at Peck, none of them spoke of the high death rate, and you'd think of something of that significance, someone would've certainly mentioned it.Any fish death is too high, but take into consideration that these people take utmost care of their catch for many reasons. They're in the public eye-such as this. Please remember that there are 1000s for fishermen that have dead fish, but nobody seems to say much about them

[SkeeterBoy]

CWS; Sorry if Jim's post hit a nerve but it sounds to me that he is either there to witness this or has reliable information. If so then questions,or smoke signals, should be sent out.I too could be wrong but a little respect for one another would make our world a better place. The high temps. will cause problems as well as other factors like depth fish are caught (its cooler down there). Maybe they could look at supplying ice to cool the live-wells and holding tanks and such. I don't know if this would be affective or not but if 90% fatality is true I doubt it could do any harm. Maybe they do this already I don't know. Good luck...SkeeterBoy

[LQP1]

Those weights are a little exagerated. The average for a 2-day weight is 20.79lbs.

I will guarantee you that every pro is doing everything they can to keep their fish alive and releasable. They get weight deductions for every fish that is ruled non-releasable, which could be the difference between 1st and somewhere in the middle of the field.

I agree with smitty, that their should be something done with tournaments in July and August. It is very hard to keep fish alive with water temps around 80 degrees.

The pros are not at fault here. The State has to issue permits for each tournament. I think the thing to do would be to contact the DNR and voice your concern on the mortality rate.
At the bigger tournaments their are usually a couple DNR officers their observing, so they should see the mortality as well.

[AquaMan]

19% I believe that is the correct mortality rate at the tourney as of yesterday was 19%. I really wonder why you all jump like this to that type of baiting. Sorry everyone, but I really despise posts like this since they clearly lack evidence, proof or facts. Your daily weights are WAY off, Jim, and your assumption that EVERY boat came in with limits is irresponsible.

If you were not sure about the facts then you should have posed this as a question, not an attempt at misdirected facts.

Sorry for the slam, Jim. I just look at this post a purely antagonistic and untrue. Based on your figures, they have put 7533 pounds of walleye in the pan in 2 days. Hmmmm. Check those numbers and post some responsible information.

AquaMan~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Mongo]

Ditto to Aquaman!!!

[jigr]

ditto Aquaman-however, there have been some snafus regarding July August tournaments-such as a Dubuque iowa tournamnet some years ago "iceing down" the water of stock tanks for holding tanks before weigh in-everything was cool until the eyes were released all at once back into the river- most went belly up within minutes. DNR still allows tournaments during July, but requires them to be brought in in an ice chest, then given to charity-its a sensible alternative--i wonder about weigh in then quick release, it might work in a nice cool lake, but in the midwest, water temperatures often are in the upper 80's middle of summer, i dont think walleyes would do well being brought up out of deep water then let go. good luck

[jim]

>90% I doubt it. For one
>thing the 137 boats are
>probably averaging 9 lbs/day not
>30 - 40. Even if
>the water was 85 deg
>with 100 deg heat I
>doubt they would lose 90%.
>Go blow smoke elsewhere.

While my reflected weight was high, so was yours low, daily average has been almost 21lbs, and their was several weights in the 30 lb range and a 40lb, so what does this prove???. The point was mortality rate!!, two day weight 2847lbs, 90% mortality loss figure it out, it really looks professional, I have contacted personel in high ranking present at the weight in and questioned them about the actual rate of mortality,their information recieved from the fish and game dept., reflected in the high eighty's for the first day and ninty percent for the second day, now if you can absorb that and make smoke rings out of it go ahead and blow your smoke!!! figures given to me to be exact, were out of 400 fish presented for weighin on the second day only 20 of those survived, and someone stated that they had talked to their friends fishing at Fort Peck and they didn't think this was a big deal or they would have been told??, (any questions answered with that response???.) Jim

(what are todays results going to be??).

[jim]

>19% I believe that is
>the correct mortality rate at
>the tourney as of yesterday
>was 19%. I really
>wonder why you all jump
>like this to that type
>of baiting. Sorry everyone,
>but I really despise posts
>like this since they clearly
>lack evidence, proof or facts.
> Your daily weights are
>WAY off, Jim, and your
>assumption that EVERY boat came
>in with limits is irresponsible.
>
>
>If you were not sure about
>the facts then you should
>have posed this as a
>question, not an attempt at
>misdirected facts.
>
>Sorry for the slam, Jim.
>I just look at this
>post a purely antagonistic and
>untrue. Based on your
>figures, they have put 7533
>pounds of walleye in the
>pan in 2 days.
>Hmmmm. Check those numbers
>and post some responsible information.
>
>
>AquaMan~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aquaman check out response to post #4 to cws, you can believe whatever you want to, but I guarantee you that the truth will prevail!!, your informer is not being honest with you!, and the information that I have gathered, from people who have talked to the Game Fish and parks, state that it unlikely that the PWT will get another permit to fish Fort Peck again, maybe you had better check out your informants, just a kindly suggestion!!! Jim

[Also]

If Fort Peck cannot handle 380 fish each day being removed over a 3 day period, once a year, there is really a problem with the lake.
How many eyes do you think are eaten out of the Lake on a Holiday weekend? How many fish do you think are removed in a year?
The fish managers have to expect the worst when they decide to allow a tournamnet on a given body of water (If they have that authority)
I am absoulutely not advocating allowing tournamnets with super high mortality rates. Remember, long before catch and release tournies, all the fish were kept, in every tournamnet.
Catch and release came about Partly because anglers care about the resource and partly to compromise with the people complaining this very thing, that tournies were coming in and plundering the resource.
Would you have made the same post 10 years ago, if this was a catch and keep tourney?

[jim]

Here we go again with wrong figures, the figures that you are replying to were for one day, 380. (not for three days as you indicated). Fish with an average weight of 3lbs plus, that I believe is getting into the spawning class weight fish that are counted on for lake reproduction, and please tell me why are we talking about 10 years ago, its what we do today that is going to affect the future!!!, I can personaly guarantee you that fishing is better today on Fort Peck than it was 10 years ago and why is that?, Its because of proper management on a daily and yearly basis.
I can also tell you that the public opinion of this is what is going to matter and what you or I think is shmut. Jim

[Hey Jim]

You mis read, I said/meant 380 fish, each day, for 3 days, once a year. Just as an example.
You are also correct, what we do today will matter years from now. So there too, is the relevance to what we did 10 years ago.
As it relates to Fort Pecks fishery, I cannot attest to the quality therin as I have never fished there.
I can certainly hope that if the fishery is much better now than it was before, local angler input and proper fishery management has gone a long way.
Public opinion is just that. You and I are members of the public, are we not? Our opinion matters as much as the next guy. Where it really matters is when the DNR and the law types make the rules. If we cannot or do not make our opinion known, where will the public opinion come from? The anti's, that's who.
You and I basically agree that high mortality rates are a huge concern, but I also believe the fishery there, or anywhere is much stronger that you present in your post.
Keep smiling, and keep fishin.
I personally see no problem with not holding tournaments when the weather is really hot, but how can all the tournaments be held in a couple of months wrapping both ends of winter. Which, by the way, is a whole lot longer in your neck of the woods.

[Just a thought]

The DNR in Dubuqe is very anti tournament. In one of their mortality studies done in the early 90's, they took walleyes from the MWC tournament and held them in hoop nets, in the Petosta (I hope I spelled that right) channel. Walleyes don't do well in hoop nets, nor do they do well in a warm side channel with very little current in the heat of the summer. That study was flawed from the start.
The PWT Izaty's disaster was the MN DNR making the PWT release the fish into the shallow, small warm harbor. Filled with boats with their engines running.
The Debacle at the Green Bay MWC, was also the DNR and the Cirty of Green Bays fault. The fish had to be released into the river, the MWC was not allowed to run them out to the lake. Also, the loooooong wait to pull the boats out of the river was due to the fact that of all those ramps at the mouth of the river, the powers that be only allowed the MWC to use 2 lanes. That meant those poor fish sat in the livewells, in the warm river for hours.
I have said before, care of the fish is of the uttmost concern. Many times we need only point the finger of blame at ourselves. How well do you think the fish fare in a boat that is beat to snot as it covers the rough water on a long run. Not all anglers beat up their boats, but if a guy comes ibn with a windshield sheared off, missing the kicker and has the trolling motor laying in his partners lap, how do you think the fish made out.
Lastly, lets use these numbers. 500 fish caught, 250 declared dead. Those dead fish will be filleted up and used to feed the volunteers, or a senior center or some other such deserving group. But most importantly 250 lived to swim again. In a cooler tournament, that is 500 dead fish, period.

[Mountain Man]

Why do we have a discussion like this at all:
#1 -The fisheries manager is aware that his or her job is supply fish for all forms of recreation
in a fishery including tournaments. This is no longer an "envioronmental" issue but a recreational one. To me a tournament and a recreational fisherman, "there is a strange seperation between my work and my play time that doesn't seem to bare out much logic. Where is the difference between a tournament harvest or a daily keep all harvest. Don't kid yourself guys many if not most recreational fishermen keep all they catch. As a guide I constantly hear,"oh we though you were kidding about catch and release".
#2- Until you know the source everything on the internet is smoke.
#3- When you have a poster that is salivating over the opportunity to attack tournament fisherman and obviously had as an agenda before the fact, to put the worst possible face on whatever information he or she recieved, don't waste your breath trying to fight back.
#4 Any mortality rate at an event where the participants have as much at stake in the future
of the fishery as anyone is unfortunate. My son and I stopped 4 or more times on the way back to the weigh in Dubuque a week ago. Ya we left our spot 45 minutes before we had to and unfortunately another team pulled in as we left and caught the weight they needed to beat us, but I would do it again. I also feel that many other tourney fisherpersons do the same. All of our fish were strong not just alive!!! Lawrence Ecklor

[Nofish]

Hey Lawrence,

Well said.

Have fun.....R

[Eyez]

Very well said Lawrence, honest and eloquent.

As a tournament fisherman, I'm held to a much higher standard than I am when I'm fishing for recreation, but that's part of the idea, to set the best example possible, and I think that most tournament fisherman do just that. Even if the 90% mortality rate is the truth, then I would have to believe that there was nothing that the fisherman could do about it, and the decision to hold the tournament is up to the fisheries biologists, that's what they get paid for.

Anyway, nicely said Lawrence.

Eyez