Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

I'm setting up a Catch and Release tournament for June.I've sent in the paper work to state F&G.Should be no problem there.

The tournament will be held at a VFW post which is located on a state owned lake.I also live on the lake which makes putting this whole thing together alot easier.I've been bustin my chops for ideas on how to make this tournament a Big Hit/Success for the fisherman and the VFW.
I finally thought of posting it here on good old Hunting Net.

I'm not a tournament fisherman so I'm lookin for ideas,input,brain storming - whatever.This is what I've done so far.Nothing really written in stone.

* Emailed form to F&G advising on dates and species etc...
* Catch and Release tourney for Bass and Crappie only.
* Tourney will last 4 hrs(8-12).
* 1st and 2nd prize.1st prize cash ??? Possible tackle shop gift cert??
* Fish will be measured and logged at catch location.
* Tie will be broken by flip of coin??
* VFW will supply measuring sticks.
* 15 boats - 2 man teams.
* Draw teams out of hat??
* Launch at State ramp of VFW owned ramp.
* $15 each man or $30 per boat
* Artificial lures only
* No gas motors during 1st 1/2 hour.
This should even the playing field for guys with trolling motors only.
Lake has a "No Wake" speed.
* Need to create or find a registration form??

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

Possible rulesto add.

-No landing net
-option of 5.00 each for big bass of the day.
-I would personally start the tournament at 7:00 AM
- They usually draw a number for each boat to start out in about 30 second intervals
Also tthe ones I fish at , the man in charge inspects the boats for
Live well, lights working fire extingisher if using gas motor.
- there are penalties for any fish which have died. ..a few ounces deducted from total weight
- no drift fishing..only fish one rod at a time

Hope that helped some.
C7

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

We have a catch and release in our club, we call it the pre season tournament. We draw partners a month before the tournament, so you know who you are fishing with however, what your doing isn't a club tourney so probably not necessary to do that, you just want to make sure you have even boaters and non-boaters.We don't allow anyone to fish alone for this. We use a weigh scale on paper, however long the fish is it converts it to pounds and ounces.

Is this a team tournament or individual.

In one club we have it is individual and the person that you are fishing with has to weighyour fish and visa versa, and record yourfish for you.
Thefish have to be released imiediately back into the water after measuring and recording.

As for your prizes theysound good, and thebig bass pot could just be a side pot, so if some people don't want to get in it they don't have too.

Good luck to you and keep us posted. If you have any questions feel free to ask. We just started a new club and just covered all of the rules we needed to have for our catch and release. From past experiences, draw tournaments are so much fun, you fish with someone that you wouldn't normally fish with and always learn something new and hopefully make some great friends in the process.

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

Im a part of a local bass club in Gillespie Illinois. Feel free to check our website out. Click on the tab "by-laws" and it gives all our tournament rules and guidelines. Feel free to use it for ideas. www.gillespiebassclub.com

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

OK - I'm reading some good ideas.
This VFW tourney will be a 1st - so I'm/we are playing everything by ear.

* My worry is cheats - there is one or two in every crowd.
* Good idea on checking live wells etc..etc.
* Sign In - should this inc name address etc..to properly I.D.every fisherman.
* Draw tourney.Do the boat owners draw names from hat for partners?
* This catch and release is just that.2 men per boat,measure fish,log it,and release it at boat.Cuts down mortality and don't have to weigh anything.Hopefully keeps things real simple.
* Are fish measured to nearest 1/16 - 1/8 - 1/4" ?? Guess need to set that rule up front.
* How would you break a 1st or 2nd place tie with cash prizes at stake?
* Cash Prize - was thinking maybe $30 1st prize for big bass(longest),
maybe $25 for largest crappie and then 2nd prizes is up in the air?? This is considering all 15 boats show @ $15 per man/$30 per boat.

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

* This catch and release is just that.2 men per boat,measure fish,log it,and release it at boat.Cuts down mortality and don't have to weigh anything.Hopefully keeps things real simple. Friend,, the check for live well isn't to see if men are sneaking fish in..they are making sure fish wil be kept alive. I honestly would not fish in a tournament where fish are not brought ot a scale visually and weighed. Once money is in the picture a boat team could make up a lie and split the cash. In a normal tournament fish are put in fish bags filled with water..brought before the other fishermen and weighed on a scale with everyone watching. here in Florida we are allowed 5 bass per fisherman.
* Are fish measured to nearest 1/16 - 1/8 - 1/4" ?? Guess need to set that rule up front. There is no measurement ...they are weighed. If you are measuring though I would say to the closest 1/8 th inch.
* How would you break a 1st or 2nd place tie with cash prizes at stake?
I've never seen a tie...
* Cash Prize - was thinking maybe $30 1st prize for big bass(longest),
maybe $25 for largest crappie and then 2nd prizes is up in the air?? This is considering all 15 boats show @ $15 per man/$30 per boat.

We usually had all those who wanted to particpate in the big bass throw in an extra 5.00. The heaviest bass takes the entire amouint.

You'll have to decide the other split ups. If the money is going ot a charity it would be split up differently ..but around here every bit of the money goes to the top 3 bass fisherman. We don't mix fish..we either have a crappie tournament or bass.

The live well check down here is 2 fold.
a, make sure fish will be ok
b. no sneaking in.

Down here fish have not been caught being snuck in..but fisherman have been caught having bass already waiting in the lake in a wire mess cage.[:@]
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RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

We expect some if not alot of novice fisherman in this tourney.This is why we're making it Bass - and - Crappie and might throw in white perch.Gives the guys/gals that have little or no experiance or equipment to catch "Bass" a chance to compete for prize money in the panfish cat.

We hope and expect some boats will not have live wells.This gives all fishernman regardless of equipment a chance to compete - thus a catch and release tourney for multi species.I talked to a guy tonight that might bring a 2 man dingy(no live well).What do I tell him??

Keep in mind this is not a Bass Club its a VFW event.

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

for those with livewells, just make it a rule that the livewell must be plugged up from OUTSIDE of the boat.

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

I talked to a guy tonight that might bring a 2 man dingy(no live well).What do I tell him??

I have a very cramped for space 10 foot jon boat. Here is my live well''

I got a cooler. In the bottom of the cooler I got one of Walmart's 19.95 sucktion cup aerator that runs off the 12 volt battery. The only deal was the suction cups would not stay on the bottom. After experiementing I found an adhesive that works like a charm..fact..she is still stuck.LOL
I removed teh suction cups and put about 1/4 inch of Shoe Goo on .

SHOE GOO ...the waterptoof liquid rubber.It works like a charm. Anyway, my home made live well works great. ;)

PS ...I only bring that aerator if I honestly think I may be catching a trophy bass 10 pound or bigger. Otherwise for crappie or bluegill fishing I use a fish basket. When I'm done I put those fish in a cooler in my truck.
In the picture I took this year is a fish basket with 12 nice crappie.

AJ, good luck with that tournament partner.Sounds like fun.

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

First of all if this is a catch and release you don't need to have a livewell. They aren't keeping the fish, just measuring and recording then releasing.

Measurements, we do the the 1/8". You can decide though and look at your bump boards to see what they measure and go from there. Some bump boards don't have all the same measurements.

Boaters should be drawn first, then draw a partner for them.

I don't think you need to get to crazy with rules this sounds like it should be fun learning experience. To many rules sometimes make things to hard and people won't want to fish next time.

This isn't a club tournament so stick to basics. Make it simple. I wish I was close I would come and fish it. I love fun tourneys.

Good luck and feel free to ask more questions, just try not to get to overwhelmed!;)

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

Wow - glad I finally posted here.Should have done this a month ago.
Getting alot of good ideas.Have a VFW meeting tonight and will be able to pass on some good info that I've picked up here.

Yea - I don't want to make this whole thing to complicated from a rules standpoint.Tryin to make it simple.At times I'm thinkng to hard on "what If's".

The catch and release(at catch site)does increase the "Cheat Factor" but we/I will be watching very closely from the water.I will also address all fisherman on the "cheat factor" and play upon everbodys "Honesty" in the competition.

From what I'm hearing around here from a couple tourney guys is we need to make the prize money enough to get a showing.

We might start this thing a little earlier - 7-7:30 vs 8am.If I had it my way it would start at 6am !

The 1/8" rule sounds good and everybody should be able to read to 1/8".

What is a "Bump Board" ??

You say boaters should be drawn 1st and then a partner - please explain - I'm a bit thick headed:eek: How would you handle that.

I guess my next step is to create a reg form and where do applicants sign up and pay.Probably at VFW post would be easiest.Only taking the 1st 15 boats.

Thanks to everybody for the suggestions,ideas etc...A Big Help in setting up this 1st Annual VFW tournament :)

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

Sorry a bump board is the measuring stick that us tournament fisherman use to make sure a fish is legal. We call it bumping fish.

As far as drawing just put all your boaters in a hat, and non boaters in a different hat. First draw the boater than draw a non boater and they are partners. If you have more boaters than non after all the pairings are done with non boaters then just draw boaters and pair them up until everyone has a partner. The boaters can decide between themselves who's boat they are going to use.

I wouldn't worry to much about cheating, we do this every year in our club and we have never had a problem or concern about anyone being dishonest.

The draw tournament is one of the most fun tourney's of the year. You get to fish with someone you might not normally fish with, you will learn something new and hopefully get to know your partner better and make a great friend. For our club that is what it is all about. Our motto, friends first then fishing. We live by this and it really does work.

As far as upping the ante, depends on what you want to accomplish. If your just trying to get a group of people together to fish and have a great time with some prizes or attracted some tourney fisherman. Me personlly I would fish it just because it sounds like a great time, but you don't want to make your entry fees so much some people feel they can't afford it.

Our regular tourney fees are 40.00 per boat or team. Makes it affordable for everyone.

Let us know how the meeting goes at the VFW tonight and if you have more questions feel free, glad to help anytime.

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

Rules need to be implemented and put in place especially when money is involved. I know your intend is for everyone to have a good time but when you have money involved it changes what the main purpose is. I have also fished tournaments and there is a lot of diff between loseing a 4 or 5 lb bass when your fishing with your family as opposed to fishing in a competetion and losing the same fish. In a tournament you just lost some big $$$ as opposed to fishing with your family, you only lost a little bit of your ego. Money tends to take it to another level which brings out some intresting characters in people.
I would keep the rules posted within sight at sign in or at the captains meeting but there has to be some guidelines set where everyone is operateing on the same level and no surprises after the fact. I too would look at what would happen at the worst case scenero, you never know.
We always had a 14" size limit and had to be weighed in at the ramp and in the event of a tie, it went to who had the big fish for the tournament. I don't like the ideal of catch and release at the place where there caught, but I do believe in all fairness, the bass should be weighed in. As far as the other fish, (Bream,ect)take em home and eat em. ;)
The people who don't have a live well need to improvise to keep their bass alive till they get to weigh in or pounds will be deducted.
Good luck.

Bobby

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

If your bass season isn't open yet for keeping bass you can't keep them in the livewells.

Michigans bass season doesn't start until memorial weekend, however catch and release is legal starting the last saturday in April. That is why we have so many catch and release tournys here.

Maybe you should give each boat a copy of the rules to keep on the boat, that way if they have a question they can look it up.

I agree with 121553 that money does change things, and you have to think about the worst case, however what your doing isn't a club, sounds to me like it's more of a fund raiser with some prises.

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

Ok - Here are the rules/regs I've drawn up for the Catch and Release Tourney.

I need to get the flyer,rules and regs Out ASAP.This will give me a month to get for Registration fee's etc...

Any thoughts on Rules/Regs - Let er Rip

[quote]

1st Annual [/b]Milford[/b] VFW Bass Tournament ([/b]Post 6483)[/b]
Williamsville Road[/b] - [/b]Milford[/b], [/b]Delaware[/b][/b]

VFW Beach – Haven Lake
Sunday, June 10th 2007 (Rain or Shine)
Pre-Tournament Sign In 6:30a.m. VFW Beach Lake Front.
Send Off 7:15a.m. Check-In: 11:30a.m.

Cash Prizes; 1st $65 – 2nd $35 – 3rd $25

The VFW “Tiki Hut” will be Open after the Tournament for Food and Beverage !
VFW Boat Launch is located off the entrance road to main building on left side into a small lake channel that will accommodate Boats up to 18’. Ample parking available
[/b]
Rules and Regulations[/b]
1. [/b]Participants will conform to all Delaware Boating Laws and Responsibilities and Delaware Fish and Wildlife regulations as it may pertain to this tournament. Please note there is a No Wake policy on Haven Lake. No Alcoholic beverages will be allowed in Boats or the Send Off/Check In point NO EXCEPTIONS
2. [/b]PARTICIPATION:[/b] Open to the public, 18 years of age or older unless accompanied by adult. Proof of age to the satisfaction of tournament officials is the responsibility of the competitor.
3. [/b]PRE REGISTRATION:[/b] Available at the Milford VFW from 12noon to 8:00 pm daily (pre-registration required). The maximum is 12 boaters that must also register a Non-Boater partner. Non-Boaters will be paired up with Boaters via blind drawing on day of tournament. We need 12 Boaters and 12 Non-Boaters to be drawn off to make this tournament work!
4. [/b]FEES/RELEASE OF LIABILITY:[/b] Entrance fee is $20.00 per fishermen payable at time of registration. Tournament officials reserve the right to refund any entry fee, if they shall choose for any reason not to accept the application for entrance. Anglers must sign a Release of Liability form prior to tournament, check in.
5. [/b]PAIRING:[/b] There shall be “Boaters” and “Non-Boaters”. All Boaters must be matched up with Non-Boaters via blind drawing at the 6:30 am check-in.
6. [/b]CATCH AND RELEASE:[/b] This will be a Catch and Release Bass Tournament “At the Catch Location” for any Bass 10 inches[/b] or longer. This is defined as a Bass caught/landed on hook and line, measured to nearest 1/2 inch[/b] with a measuring device supplied by VFW tournament officials. Each fisherman will be supplied with a form to properly document their catch and length. Both fisherman must witness the measurement and documented length. The fish will be documented on supplied form and immediately released[/i] at the catch location.
7. [/b]TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT:[/b] No live bait, prepared, or frozen bait. Method of catch restricted to artificial lures and pork strips. Trolling as a method of fishing is not permitted. One rod and reel combination may be used at one time by any one fisherman. Fly fishing will not be permitted.
8. [/b]CODE OF CONDUCT:[/b] All fishermen agree to fish with the Assigned Partner as Drawn, in a Sportsmanlike manner. Fisherman participating in VFW fishing events will at all times observe the Code of Conduct and may not reflect unfavorably on the sport of fishing, the VFW its members or affiliates, officers or representatives, tournaments or sponsors. All fishermen will in their best efforts provide a high degree of integrity and conservation in the sport of angling. Any Competitor who violates the Code of Conduct may be penalized which may include: Disqualification from event, forfeiture of registration fees, any winnings, up to disqualification from any future VFW fishing events.

9. [/b]CHECKPOINT VFW BEACH FRONT; SEND OFF/CHECK-IN:[/b] There will be one official point for tournament launch/send off in the morning and check-in at the designated time as set by the tournament director. Competitors not at the checkpoint/check in at the designated time will be penalized a deduction of 1 inch per minute. Any competitor more than 15 minutes late for send-off or check-in will be disqualified for the day.

10. [/b]SCORING FOR CASH PRIZES:[/b] 1st place will be awarded $65.00[/b] for the total of all Bass caught, at a minimum length of 10 inches and over and properly documented by any single fisherman. Example 5 Bass caught at; 14 1/2 +13 1/2 + 15 1/2 + 10 + 14 = 67 1/2 inches total. $35.00[/b] 2nd place = 53 ½ inches total. $25.00[/b] 3rd place 35 inches total. In case of a tie, combining awards and dividing them equally shall resolve positions.

FINALLY:Boogidee – Boogidee – Boogidee - Lets Go Fishing !
[/i][/b][quote][/i] [/i][/b]

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

Sounds like a blast..wish I was there. I'd be Rooster Tailing it. That's a great ,quick lure to get some quick inches..

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

where would it be?

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

It would be at;


I know it sounds little vague but anybody in the area knows where Haven Lake is and Williamsville Rd/VFW.

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

may also want to make everyone fishing have a polaroid/digital camera to document the lengths.

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

What do you guys think about the price to enter vs cash prizes for 1,2,3 place?? Are these prizes always in Cash or does any club/organization every pay with a check?? Thanks for all the input.

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

Ok,
I'll be honest..I personally think your prizes are too cheap.UNLESS this is a charity fund raiser..than I can understand the low payoff.

Otherwide If you have 12 boaters and 12 non boaters there is 480.00 for prize money....where does the change go to?


I don't like the measurement rule. Two fellows could be buddies in the boat ..lie..and split the money. I was in a tourny once like that as a kid{a community pond}in a small tournament. We had to go to a table and have each fish weighed in.

If i were you,I would have fish put in a live well. For those who do not have a live well a fish basket easily holds 5 bass. Last weekend I had 43 large bluegills in a basket ..The baskets cost about9.00
When money is involved you need to cover all basis...For prize money..I need to see the fish that beat me.

Just being honest,
C7

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

I appreciate all the feedback.I'm soaking it in [:o]

I guess the big issue is - This is Not a charity event.Non Profit - Yes
We are looking at a gross of $480.We have prize money,food,measuring sticks and misc to take out of gross.

This is a VFW event (Veterens of Foreign Wars).The "change" goes into the VFW/Mens Auxiliary fund to cover expenses or donations to other veterans organizations or community events thru the year. Everybody is always looking for donations!

I made a sincere attempt to determine attractive cash prizes by speaking to various club fisherman who fish small tourneys such as this one,10-12 boats in small lake or pond.BIG money around here is won mostly on large rivers with 25-50 boats! Prize money in these small events/clubs is not Big other than maybe a side pot for heavy fish.

This VFW is located on a small state lake (about 95 surface acres) with a nice boat launch.This is the very 1st VFW event utilizing the lake and its launch.Things could change next year including mabe the prize money.I might need to tweak things a bit before or day of event to make it all work.Also - We will Only have 1 Bass Tourney a Year.Next year will probably add a Crappie tourney.

The catch and release factor is here to stay.It Cuts down on mortality,
pulling fish from spawning beds(this time of year),expenses in scales etc...It also allows boaters who do not or will not invest in any form of live well system.I'd like to see ANY boater from a Canoe up to a 30K bass boat attend and compete.

The cheat factor is a concern.I'll deal with it If and When it occurs.Things around here have a habit of getting around via word of mouth much sooner than later.A lying cheat only cheats himself in the end!

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

i noticed you mentioned it was a "draw" format, that will generally take care of cheating, buddy tournaments are where most of the cheating goes on. another option on prizes is have local stores donate some door prizes, coolers, tackle boxes, a rod, a reel, and such. if your trying to raise money you could also raffle some donated items;), our club used to sell raffle tickets a buck a piece or 6 for 5 bucks, most folks would buy the 6 tickets.

another thing you mentioned was measureing fish to the closest 1/2, most measuring boards will measure down to eights of an inch, i would also make sure everyone uses the same brand/type of measureing device. when i lived in texas, we fished a few lakes with "slot" limits in a club i was in, we used a chart compilled by Texas parks and wildlife that converted inches to a weight, ie: a 20 1/8" bass would be weighed as 4.83 pounds, a 20 1/2" bass would be recorded as 5.14 pounds. we used this when we would fish the slot lakes and we could "keep" our best five fish, we called these our "paper tournaments" they were acutally a lot of fun, but the bad thing is depending on what kind of fish you catch (a bullet or a football) the weight can vary drastically, i have caught 20" fish that weighed around 6 pounds, but i have also caught some 20" fish that would be tough to get four pounds of weight out of[&o], but in this case you go stricly by what the conversion says (a 20 1/8" bass weighs 4.83 pounds) no more, no less


sound like you got a pretty good grip on this, i will agree with chuck that the pot could be a little sweeter, either by adding more boats (but no more than 20 total) or making it a winner take all, JMHO


BTW, a side pot for big fish would be a great idea;)

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

This is a VFW event (Veterens of Foreign Wars).The "change" goes into the VFW/Mens Auxiliary fund to cover expenses or donations to other veterans organizations or community events thru the year. Everybody is always looking for donations!
AJ52

OK partner..sounds good. I hope my reply was not offensive.;)
Also, overall I've learned most folks are honest. God bless you my friend on this outdoor event.
c7

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

Chuck - Offensive not at all.I posted the Rules and Regs for input.I want all the input I can get - good - bad or otherwise :)

I've never fished a tournament and never will so this is all new to me and hopefully will be a fun deal for everyone.

Today I upped the prize money to $85 - $40 and $20.Might take the $20 and have a big fish pot.The fisherman can sweetin it up as they see fit if everybody agrees before send off.This is 1st tourney so it could be only 1/2 of what we are expecting.We'll get feedback,suggestions,make changes and make it happen next year.

I'm seriously looking forward to putting on a Crappie Tourney next year/spring.These Bass tourney fisheman can be a pain in the butt at times.Crappie fisherman are alot more fun,friendly to be around and tend to share alot more info.My experiance anyway.

RE: Feedback & Ideas from Tournament Guys
 

m.t. - I'm not going to invest in Bump sticks this year.I'm going to buy some decent/good measuring sticks (24") and make a bump stick.Hek of alot cheaper than buying alum bump sticks for every boat!

Yea - I agree a bullet or football Bass can make a huge differance in weight.

I've got a couple of tackle shops in mind for next year that might kick in some tackle or gift cert.