Mountain Man
07-16-2001, 05:38 PM
I've thought about this or should I say groaned about this for a while now and feel I am calmed down enough to repond. I'd just like to say a couple of things.
#1 - This tourney was in no way a threat to ruin or destroy the resource. For two years as a tourney director and forty some years of fishing on and around these waters, there is no shortage of fish. For those same two and a half years no less 7 Dnr employees,( one manager,three fisheries biologists and three wardens,) have assured me that there were each year more Walleye and sauger than ever before. I was told less than a year ago that it would take possibly as much as 10-20 or even 30 times as much pressure on a daily basis 365 days a year to even cause a fluctuation. I was also told the yearly water levels and quality play a much larger part in the size of the population than fishing does, again and again.
#2 - What happened here was exactly what has happened in other parts of the country. A few Local folks got together behind faulty, facts for the sole purpose of keeping those (outsiders out of our water). There are local catch and kill tourneys nearly every other weekend, some of large size, and one held last weekend, of good size. To set the record straight all tourneys that require a DNR permit on Wisconsin sections of the Mississippi are catch and kill June through August. As to the personal assualts on Mr. Lamb, it has been well known for some time where he stands on fishing tourneys. As Professionals??? , one of our responsiblilities is to handle outselves as professionals and not result to public name calling, no matter how clearly it might seem to be deserved. Many folks like and respect the man. It is totally professional and correct for you to send intelligent and accurate statements of your belief to both Mr. Lamb, everyone in anyway associated with the paper, businesses affected by the cancellation,and also local and state government officials. If you don't it is like saying it was all okay and could encourage similar actions in the future.
#3 - I am sorry that so many of you lost time and money prefishing and planning and sacraficing to get to this tourney. If I told you how much it cost me , many of you wouldn't believe it. The city and area as a whole welcomed the tourney and even some of the naysayers were amazed when approached with the real facts and figures, after it was cancelled. I can only say.I AM ASHAMED AND VERY SORRY THAT THIS TOOK PLACE IN OUR BACKYARD.HAD WE REALIZED THAT THIS WAS GOING TO TAKE PLACE SOME OF US MIGHT HAVETRIED TO HEADED IT OFF, AND ALL OF US THAT MIGHT HAVE ARE SORRY. FRANKLY IT WAS THE LAST THING MOST OF US EXPECTED.
#4 After all is and was said and done one thing stuck out in my mind. I through the help of guide customers and friends was able to pay the entry fee for co-angler, and afford to prefish the whole week before the tourney. I misunderstood the deadline for entering and was away from home with no way to get the entry in by the deadline without calling my Mother and having her use her credit card and enter me. I expected to spend weeks getting the money back from the entry and my mothers credit card. I was informed the day it was cancelled that the credit card had not been charged and that the tourney was cancelled . LISTEN- Not one day later, two days later, or whenever they got around to it, but that day. To a great mom who is at that age where every little financial matter is a crisis, it was a relief to see the matter resolved so quickly. They at the RCL had basically a crisis on their hands , but yet handled this in a continually professional matter. Professional under pressure is the exception not the norm. Thank you for it RCL. Lawrence Ecklor
#1 - This tourney was in no way a threat to ruin or destroy the resource. For two years as a tourney director and forty some years of fishing on and around these waters, there is no shortage of fish. For those same two and a half years no less 7 Dnr employees,( one manager,three fisheries biologists and three wardens,) have assured me that there were each year more Walleye and sauger than ever before. I was told less than a year ago that it would take possibly as much as 10-20 or even 30 times as much pressure on a daily basis 365 days a year to even cause a fluctuation. I was also told the yearly water levels and quality play a much larger part in the size of the population than fishing does, again and again.
#2 - What happened here was exactly what has happened in other parts of the country. A few Local folks got together behind faulty, facts for the sole purpose of keeping those (outsiders out of our water). There are local catch and kill tourneys nearly every other weekend, some of large size, and one held last weekend, of good size. To set the record straight all tourneys that require a DNR permit on Wisconsin sections of the Mississippi are catch and kill June through August. As to the personal assualts on Mr. Lamb, it has been well known for some time where he stands on fishing tourneys. As Professionals??? , one of our responsiblilities is to handle outselves as professionals and not result to public name calling, no matter how clearly it might seem to be deserved. Many folks like and respect the man. It is totally professional and correct for you to send intelligent and accurate statements of your belief to both Mr. Lamb, everyone in anyway associated with the paper, businesses affected by the cancellation,and also local and state government officials. If you don't it is like saying it was all okay and could encourage similar actions in the future.
#3 - I am sorry that so many of you lost time and money prefishing and planning and sacraficing to get to this tourney. If I told you how much it cost me , many of you wouldn't believe it. The city and area as a whole welcomed the tourney and even some of the naysayers were amazed when approached with the real facts and figures, after it was cancelled. I can only say.I AM ASHAMED AND VERY SORRY THAT THIS TOOK PLACE IN OUR BACKYARD.HAD WE REALIZED THAT THIS WAS GOING TO TAKE PLACE SOME OF US MIGHT HAVETRIED TO HEADED IT OFF, AND ALL OF US THAT MIGHT HAVE ARE SORRY. FRANKLY IT WAS THE LAST THING MOST OF US EXPECTED.
#4 After all is and was said and done one thing stuck out in my mind. I through the help of guide customers and friends was able to pay the entry fee for co-angler, and afford to prefish the whole week before the tourney. I misunderstood the deadline for entering and was away from home with no way to get the entry in by the deadline without calling my Mother and having her use her credit card and enter me. I expected to spend weeks getting the money back from the entry and my mothers credit card. I was informed the day it was cancelled that the credit card had not been charged and that the tourney was cancelled . LISTEN- Not one day later, two days later, or whenever they got around to it, but that day. To a great mom who is at that age where every little financial matter is a crisis, it was a relief to see the matter resolved so quickly. They at the RCL had basically a crisis on their hands , but yet handled this in a continually professional matter. Professional under pressure is the exception not the norm. Thank you for it RCL. Lawrence Ecklor