Whitefish Chain 9/11/14

Well, I can't believe I'm saying this, but another season is in the books. Year 17 for me, and I still don't get no fricken trophy at the end of the year. What I do get, is to hang out with a bunch of guys each year that like to do the same things I do...TRY to catch fish. I emphasize try, because none of us are ever satisfied with how many we've caught, or how big they are. There are always a lot more fish bigger than what we caught left in the lake after we leave, and thank God for that. We had a good group of guys this year, and we've got a good foundation to build on. I think our league is only going to get more popular over the next few years, because hey...is there anyone better to hang out with on Thursday nights than us?

When we were hanging out at the end of the night, there were some suggestions brought up that we should talk about for next year:

1. Don't start the season until after Bass season opens.
2. Take a kid fishing night.
3. Up the entry fee and make big fish mandatory. For instance, using the same amount of boats we had this year, if we upped the entry fee to $150 per boat, $50 goes for expenses and $150 for the yearly winner. I would propose leaving the nightly payout at $60 for the winner, which would leave $50 for the big fish pot. If we have 10 boats, the nightly payout would be $80 for the winner and $60 for the big fish pot. Something to think about at our meeting next April.
4. Two lakes were talked about being dropped...North Long and Inguadonna, so those will be up for discussion as well.
5. There was also some discussion about girlfriend night, but I doubt any of us has one.

So, Brian and Dustyn were the champions this year...congratulations to the both of them! They really pulled it off coming down the stretch, so they deserve it. Gives the rest of us someone to shoot at next year. 

It was a great year everyone...I'm already looking forward to next year. Have a cold ass winter!

Brad

Click HERE for the final standings.

Click HERE for the weekly details.

Rice Lake ~ 9/4/2014

For the third time in a row, Brian and Dustyn have not only walked away with the biggest point total of the night, but they caught the biggest fish as well. I won't say they are un-catchable leading into the last event of the season, but if they show up on the 11th, their 24 point lead gives them a pretty big fucking big head start. So as I see it, that gives the rest of us three viable options to stop them from winning: 1) we shoot a big hole in whatever boat they show up in; 2) we call the DNR and tell them the boat they show up in is stolen; 3) we shun them and don't let them play in anymore reindeer games.

Last night on Rice was a pretty good night for everyone. There were a lot of fish caught, and I don't remember a league night where there were so many big fish caught. Two pike at 34 inches or larger, a largemouth bass that pushed 20 inches, and a 30 foot oak tree...all would be pretty hard to beat on another lake. Dustyn even caught a 36 inch Musky!

So, the time has come to say we're headed to our last event next week on Whitefish. I can't believe another season is coming to a close so quickly, but it is. We fish from 4:00 to 8:00 again at the Lower Hay Lake landing next Thursday the 11th...I'll see y'all then.

For event detail, click HERE.
For the standings, click HERE.

North Long Lake ~ 8/21/14

Well, North Long is behind us. I'm glad to have that weedy, shallow, non-accurate Lakemaster map chip son-of-a-bitch lake done with. I also heard some grumbling from the troops last night about dropping it for next year, and as long as we don't add back Serpent, I'd be all for it. The sometimes at each other's throat team of Brian & Dustyn made a move last night that may have put them out of reach. They're 17 points up on the second place team of Steve & Brandon, and 18 points up on Mark & Chad. That's a lot of points to make up with just two events left, but it is possible Brian & Dustyn will fold under the pressure. If they do, it will be fun to watch, 'cause that's fishin!

For updated events detail, click HERE.
For updated standings, click HERE.

Rice Lake at Lum Park is up next. We fish on September 4th from 4:00 to 8:00. We finish up on Whitefish a week later on September 11th from 4:00 to 8:00.

See you on the water!
Brad

Rabbit Lake ~ 8/7/14

Hello gents...it was another beautiful night on the water last night...almost too nice. A little chop would have been better, IMHO. It wasn't a huge point night for anyone, but we did have a change in leadership, with Steve and Brandon dropping to third, and Brian and Dustyn moving up from third into first. Mark and Chad remain in second place, but technically, none of us are out of it. No one is lapping the field at this point, so someone could have a great night and jump several places. I think it's going to come down to the last event on Whitefish, but whoever does well over the next two events, will be in the drivers seat going in. We're on fucking North Long on the 21st from 5:30 to 8:30, so there will be no set up for Jim and I, because I hate that fucking lake.

Have a good fucking night everyone, and I'll see you in two fucking weeks.

For the event detail, click HERE.

For the standings, click HERE.

Inguadonna 7/24/14

Jim and I only took one wrong turn while trying to find the landing, but we made it before 6:00 so all was well. Not a lot of fish caught, but I think that is to be expected of a lake that most of us have never fished. It was a haul, so we'll have to see if it make the list for next year.

To see the event detail click HERE.
To see the updated standings, click HERE.

Our next event is on Rabbit, August 7th. We have dropped the extra half hour, so we will be fishing from 6:00 until 9:00 PM that evening.

I'll see you next week!

Brad

Whitefish Chain 7/10/14

What is that over there??? That's rain...holy shit! That was the short conversation in our boat just before we got soaked. Turns out some other boats had a similar conversation. The rain came on hard, and then let up enough to get fish measured. This morning the sheets were dried out enough to add everything up, and it was pretty ugly points wise. There was no place to park at the landing, so there was either another league fishing last night, or there were a whole bunch of other people duped into thinking the fish were biting. I know those of us that pre-fished had a much better night that we did last night, so I guess we've learned our lesson...save the pre-fishing until league night, and you'll do much better.

We're half way done with the season already, and after last night we have a new leader. Brandon and Steve took over first place from Joe and Dustin by 5 points, so it should be an interesting 2nd half. There was also a tie for big fish of the night with a whopping 23 inch pike...pathetic. Brent and Dan won the night with 26 points. Not bad for a chain without fish in it.

Click HERE for the standings.
Click HERE for the event detail.

We are on Inguadonna on the 24th. The elusive Musky will come into play on that lake. Minimum size is 48 inches, and that is a 7 point fish. If it's 47.99 inches it doesn't count. If you catch a Musky that is over 48 inches, call another league boat to verify it. The lake isn't that big so someone can get to you rather quickly. Measure it, take a picture, and then release it. I hope someone catches one.

I'll see you on the water!

Roosevelt Lake - 6/24/14

Last night was in question weather wise, but we decided to go, and it was a good thing we did. No lightning, and just a light rain most of the time, but that quit by the time we measured, so all was good. As usual Roosevelt produced some nice fish, with Mark and his nephew nailing a 31 inch pike to take big fish, but Dustyn minus Brian came away with the win. The big fish points, along with the tri-fecta and dogfish, was enough to put them over the top. It was close though...they had 33 points, team Wallin had 29 points, and team Wallace had 28. Team Dustyn had 12 bonus points, not counting fill points. That's in stark contrast to team Wallace having 0 bonus points...just goes to show that size really does matter.

For the event detail click HERE. For the updated standings, click HERE.

Our next event is on the Whitefish Chain. We put in at the Lower Hay Lake landing, but you can run all the way to Little Pine to fish, if you want. (rumor has it that there are big pike and bass in Little Pine) I'll see you on July 10th...we fish from 6:00-9:30.

Lake Edward 6/12/14

For the second year in a row on Edward, a team filled out on all three species. Congratulations to Brent and Dan on that accomplishment. With that performance, they won the night and moved from last place into 4th. I'd hate to think where they'd be if they wouldn't have missed the previous event. Until last year, no one had ever caught 4 fish in each category, and now it's happened on the same lake one year later. There were a lot of fish caught last night, so Edward must be a pretty well kept secret. Even after a hard storm the night before with a cold front moving through, it still produced well. For the event detail for the evening, click HERE. For updated yearly standings, click HERE.

The next event is on Roosevelt from 6:00 to 9:30 on Tuesday, June 24th.

See you on the water!

Gull Lake 5/27/14

It was a beautiful night to be on the water, and there were several fish caught. Steve & Brandon were the big winners, taking both the big fish pot, and the nightly points by 1. For event detail click here. For standings, click here.

Next event is on Edward from 6:00 to 9:30 on June 12th.

See you then!

Brad

Week One Results - Pelican Lake - 5/15/14

Well, to quote my partner, it was "colder than a witches ta ta's" last night on Pelican. I have a feeling there were a lot of frozen parts on that witch last night. With water temps in the mid 40's to low 50's, and a north wind blowing at 10+ MPH, fishing was tough. Boat control was hard, the ride was rough, tying a knot was hard with cold fingers, but we were fishing, and any time spent on the lake regardless of conditions, is better than not fishing at all.

There weren't many legal fish caught, but I have a feeling if Bass season was open, that would have been a different story. Bass and Pike roam the same waters this time of year, so it wasn't surprising that a lot of Bass were caught and released.

The fish totals were dismal, with only 3 Walleye's and 4 Pike caught last night, but on the upside, it didn't take long to measure and record the points. Brian and Dustyn came away the big winners, with a 25.5 inch Walleye. That fish was a 7 pointer, plus a 3 point bonus for being the biggest fish in the category, so it ended up being a 10 point fish. It was also the biggest fish of the night caught, so they won the optional big fish pot as well. They're in 1st place after 1 event.

For the Pelican Lake event detail, click here. To see the standings after 1 event, click here.

Our next event is on the Gull chain on Tuesday, the 27th from 6:00-9:30. If the wind isn't blowing out of the west very hard, we will use the hole in the day landing. If the wind is out of control, we'll use the landing by Zorbaz. I'll send out a text that day to confirm the location.

Thanks everyone, and I'll see you on the 27th...Brad

Nightly Scoring Sheet

Hi guys...click here to see this years score sheet. This has the fish points break down as well as the teams. Let me know if I'm missing someone. b.wallace@crosslake.net

Thanks,
Brad

2014 Schedule and Rules

Welcome to the Fish It Live It 2014 fishing league. Here is the schedule and the rules. Pass this Blog on to anyone you think might be interested in joining the league and have them email me at b.wallace@crosslake.net

Brad

Thursday 5/15…Pelican…6:00-9:00

Tuesday 5/27…Gull…6:00-9:30

Thursday 6/12…Edward…6:00-9:30

Tuesday 6/24…Roosevelt…6:00-9:30

Thursday 7-10…Whitefish…6:00-9:30

Thursday 7/24…Inguadonna…6:00-9:30

Thursday 8/7…Rabbit…6:00-9:00

Thursday 8/21…North Long…5:30-8:30

Thursday 9/4…Rice…4:00-8:00

Thursday 9/11…Whitefish…4:00-8:00

FISHING LEAGUE RULES

PAYOUTS, MEMBERSHIP, DUES, & TEAM REQUIREMENTS

Annual membership fee is $50.00 per person/$100.00 per team. Dues must be paid prior to the start of the first contest. (EXACT CASH ONLY PLEASE)

NIGHTLY BIG FISH CONTEST: ($10.00 PER TEAM – OPTIONAL – WINNER TAKE ALL)

END OF SEASON CHAMPION: The team with the most points at the end of the season will be awarded $150.00

NIGHTLY PAYOUT: After all teams are set, dues are collected, and league expenses are paid for, the rest of the money will be divided evenly and distributed nightly to the team with the highest point total for each event. For instance, if there are 10 teams, $150 will be reserved for the season champion, and $50 will be reserved for miscellaneous league expenses. The remaining $800 will be distributed evenly over the 10 events.

Two person teams only-per boat. This has to include one official member of the league. You may get a sub if one member has to miss but you will give up one show point. You may fish one team member per boat if no substitution is available. Two substitutions per team on the same night are not allowed---1 team member must fish.

The league is full once we reach a total of 15 teams.

Cancellation Policy

We will fish in the rain; as long as weather is not severe.

Contests will be canceled and no make up date will be scheduled if threatening weather is forecast; lake wind advisories are in effect, thunderstorms, and of course lightening. The canceled contest’s prize money will be held over until the next event. In the event a contest is canceled, the money for the canceled contest will be held over and paid out to the winner of the next scheduled contest.  In the event the canceled contest is the last one of the year, that contest amount will be awarded to the season’s point champion.

In case of threatening weather, cancellations will be decided by Brad Wallace by 2:00 p.m. the day of the contest. An email and text message will be sent out if the contest is canceled. If you don’t have email or text messaging capabilities, it is your responsibility to call Brad @ 218-821-1954 and ask.

Once the contest is started, the contest will finish.

If there is a question on whether to start the contest or not due to questionable weather at start time, there will be a vote at the ramp before the start time.

Scoring System/ Weigh in Procedure

All teams will need to have their fish measured at the landing by the measuring team.  Teams should provide a weigh in bag for the purpose of carrying and releasing their own fish after measure.  The league officials will determine the health of the fish at the boat and make the call on their admission into the contest.  Measuring on the water is allowed if another team measures and verifies the length. Only large fish or fish that are stressed and are going back into the water immediately are allowed to be measured on the water. Dead fish can not be measured, or culled.  If you catch a fish and it dies in the livewell, that fish cannot be thrown back. This fish will be included in your species limit.      

We encourage catch & release, but if you want to keep “eaters” please feel free to do so. It is up to you, however, to present fish to the measuring team that you want measured. For instance, we will not measure five Walleyes and take the top four. Keep your “eaters” separate

Fishing League Bag Limits Per Team

 Bass 4 (includes Largemouth & Smallmouth)
 Northern Pike 4
 Walleye 4
 Musky 1

Bass - 12" minimum.

Northern Pike - 20" minimum and only 1 Northern over 30" is allowed per person.

Walleye - 14" minimum and only 1 Walleye over 20" is allowed per person.

Musky – 48” minimum and only 1 allowed per team.  Musky must be measured and verified by another team on the water, or a digital picture with a date stamp of the fish must be taken next to a tape measure for length verification by the measuring team at the end of the contest.  Musky must be released.        

LEAGUE POINTS BY SPECIES (all lengths in inches)

Bass: 12-13 (1 pt.) 13-15 (2 pts.) 15-17 (3 pts.) 17-18 (4 pts.) 18-19 (5 pts.) 19-20 (6 pts) 20+ (7 pts.)

Walleye: 14-15 (1 pt.) 15-17 (2 pts.) 17-19 (3 pts.) 19-21 (4 pts.) 21-23 (5 pts.) 23-25 (6 pts) 25+ (7 pts.)

Northern Pike: 20-22 (1 pt.) 22-24 (2 pts.) 24-27 (3 pts.) 27-30 (4 pts.) 30-33 (5 pts.) 33-36 (6 pts) 36+ (7 pts.)

Musky: 48+ (7pts.)

Tails will be pinched and mouths closed for measuring total length of all fish.  Fish will be measured to the nearest 1/8th of an inch. If you have a fish that you feel will make the biggest in any category or biggest of the evening, make sure it is an exact measurement (27 3/8".....).

Rough Fish: The largest rough fish of the night (Dogfish, Carp, Redhorse, Bullhead, Sucker, Whitefish/Tulibee, and Eelpout) receives one point.

Show-up Point: One "show-up" point per event is awarded for each team that has at least one member present at the night's event (two points possible). If a team does not bring in any measurable fish, it is the team's responsibility to inform the measuring team that they were present.

Two extra points will be awarded for each species you are able to fill. Example: four Bass, four Walleyes, four Northern Pike.

Biggest Fish: The biggest fish from each category will receive three points for that team. If there is a tie, both teams will be awarded the three points.

TriFecta: A total of five points will be awarded to a boat if they get a TriFecta (one fish from each species).

Other Rules

Random live well checks may take place each night. This can be done by any league member.

No pre-fishing allowed the day of the contest. This means no marking fish, marking spots with buoys, getting there early to run the lake and use your depth finder, etc.

Start times are posted with the schedule. Come early so you can put your boat in and be ready for the shotgun start. We will not wait to begin the contest if someone is late, but we will start early if all boats are present.

All boats must be within 300 feet of landing at start time and end time.

Contests will end sharply at their scheduled times. If you are late getting back to the landing, your fish will not count.

All lake and state length or slot limits will be observed. If not, the team breaking the state regulations will be disqualified for that contest, and won't receive any points, including show points.