icefishing tournaments on small lakes

Just a thought about tournaments on small lakes of 100 acres or less. what effect does it have on fish numbers depending on how many times a tournament is held. some lakes have numerous tournaments in a 3 month period. Thoughts????

Another issue is how some of these small lakes suffer with low oxygen levels. Some years past I've seen Gills looking like they were starving. Like they were anorexik.

 Especially small run-off lakes.

Fin Bender- You should know a few things. First I only moved here on this lake 3 years ago. I never said anyone destroyed "my" lake. The lake is recovering and improving. I am only saying what the people that live here on the lake told me. There are 50 or more lakes within 25 miles of where I live. Including the Chippewa Flowage which is about 13,000 acres. I fish all kinds of different likes in the area and so do most of the people I know that live on this lake. I actually fish a couple that are small also that have a wonderful panfish population. I took my 3 grandkids to one of them last summer and we caught over 70 crappies in a few hours before a thunderstorm forced us off the lake. We kept 10. I'm only pointing out that a small lake can get fished out with enough pressure which was apparently what happened here. Of interest is that you stated that lakeshore owners who try and restrict access are vile? Maybe in some respects I couldn't agree more. BUT Of all the people I have met and talked to who own lakeshore property on this lake I have never heard anyone call it "their lake". It also has a public boat landing. They all look upon what happened as greed and disrespect for a resource. I was also told that those who knew the lake before voluntarily limited their harvest to enough for a few meals. They knew it was a small lake and would be impacted by keeping to many fish. I think you read into my post a whole bunch of things that were not there. I just went back to your post to re-read it so I could respond to all your concerns. POOF your post and mine are gone???? I suspect this too will disappear shortly so you better read it quick.

 Quote: frenchbrit: "I was going to post this on the panfish regulations thread but this will work fine. I live on a smaller lake about 120 acres. I have been told the same story by at least 10 people that were here when they had a boy scout sponsored fishing tournament on this lake about 10 years ago. They all tell the same story so I believe its true. They had hundreds of people attend and it was a great day for ice fishing I'm told. This lake was a local secret before the tournament with a great crappie population both numbers and size I guess. Obviously once the tournament was held the word got out and the rest is history as the road near the landing was lined up with vehicles for weeks with people fishing it and they destroyed the lake."

I hope I don't offend you frenchbrit as it's nothing personal, but the general idea held by lakeshore homeowners and their associations that "outsiders" are destroying "their" lakes is a terrible view. The efforts that lakeshore homeowners groups have made to restrict public access, and move toward privatization of our public lakes is vile. There is no local secret lake, they are all owned equally by everyone, and no one has special privileges to them.  I firmly believe this is true despite me being a lakeshore owner on 2 different WI lakes.

I think it's fine to speak against fishing tournaments if you believe they are wrong. However, never once should you or your neighbors take the view that one destroyed "your" lake, as it's not yours. Next time a neighbor complains of "outsiders" using the lake, simply respond with "well, it belongs to them anyway"

Finally, if a few weeks of heavy fishing pressure destroyed a lake for 10 years, well frankly that lake has far bigger problems than fishing. I'd suggest taking a look at phosphate runoff and just plain water runoff from yards to start.

Ulbian, the value of prizes must exceed $10k to require a permit.

Do I Need a Permit?

as far as i am concerned any tournament held on any body of water needs records kept and 15% of the gross should be paid to rehab that body of water. i know of one body of water in racine county with a tourney held by a husband and wife, guess where those profits go, tax free money on the largess of all who buy liscenses. i dont care if its a bar, baitshop, boy scouts, little sisters of the poor everyone should pay their fair share. gilespe had a show a few years back on eagle lake and there was 5 tournaments on that lake in 6 weeks. the northern population never recovered. add the cost of a guides liscense to the rape of our waters. all of you who are paying to register your boats and still paying launch fees also need to look at all the walkin launches being built and not paid for by their users. i do not mind paying my fair share but have a problem subsidizing the leeches.

I have long wished small lakes, for sure under 100 acres, would have reduced bag limits for all species on them. I also agree with not having tournaments of any size, ice or open water, on these lakes. 

Fish hound,

Does the monetary value of prizes apply to winter permits the way it does in the summer? Unless it’s a pretty good sized event I don’t think many of these smallish ones would reach that threshold which I believe used to be or is around $500 for all prizes. A raffle is different and would fall under a different permitting process.  The tourney permit benchmarks were very specific about value of prizes for fishing and fishing only. 

It must have at least 100 participants to require you apply for permit otherwise the DNR doesn't even need know whats happening. I would like to see that number dropped to 20 and then enforced as some with over 100 still don't apply and it gets overlooked or ignored.

I realize organizations need revenue to operate but cleaning out a smaller lake just isn't right just because the local lake is so handy. a reduced limit helps a little. but i feel as was said lakes under certain acres shouldn't be hammered by multiple tournaments. especially in one season. some lakes never get hurt. like winnebago or other bodies alot smaller. maybe on small lakes should have reduced limits.              just a thought

Riki-I will stand corrected. I was thinking that was part of an agreement they made way back when with the state. Sorry for the misinformation.

I am not sure if they stopped spearing lakes under 500 acres but they have legally speared much smaller in the past............I can think of one under 100 acres for sure.............

Depends what your definition of a tournament is.

I do not think the WDNR does a good job on winter permits so they can track what is actually going on.

I was going to post this on the panfish regulations thread but this will work fine. I live on a smaller lake about 120 acres. I have been told the same story by at least 10 people that were here when they had a boy scout sponsored fishing tournament on this lake about 10 years ago. They all tell the same story so I believe its true. They had hundreds of people attend and it was a great day for ice fishing I'm told. This lake was a local secret before the tournament with a great crappie population both numbers and size I guess. Obviously once the tournament was held the word got out and the rest is history as the road near the landing was lined up with vehicles for weeks with people fishing it and they destroyed the lake. On a side note I do not believe that the natives ever spear a lake that's under 500 acres.