Fishing Contests in America: Blog Posts and Replies

Show us your colors! by donkaldunski

4/12/2012 10:03:53 PM

Show us your colors! It's mid April and spring colors are bursting out all over. Trees are leafing out showing us their wonderful, light shades of spring green. Tulips, crocuses, azaleas and other flowers are emerging from the ground and blossoming into their brilliant reds, blues, oranges and yellows. With all this color coming forth in nature I thought it would be a good time to post another photo album of the colorful fish art that appears on tournament and fishing club web sites and promotions. Over 50 examples of fish art is shown in the latest photo album on the AmericanFishingcontests.com Facebook page.

Show us your colors! If you have or know of a colorful, attractive logo used by a
fishing tournament or fishing club post it in the photo albums caption. Most of
the examples of fish art I have come across are quite stunning. It’s a shame
that the only people to see this unique art form are those who enter the
tournament or join a fishing club that have these beautiful graphics. This is
an opportunity for anyone to see some wonderful fish art and for you to show us
yours.

Spring migration of fishing contests by donkaldunski

3/20/2012 8:16:08 PM

Spring officially arrives March 20. It marks the Vernal Equinox which means day-time and night-time are equal in duration. Daylight hours will now begin to slowly increase, warming the earth. In the northern cold weather states the landscape turns from one of snow and ice to one of green grass and blue lakes. The Vernal Equinox could also be said to mark when a fishing Spring migration begins.

During January and February the majority of fishing contests taking place in America are in the northern cold weather states. There are easily twice as many fishing contests in cold weather states as there are in warm weather states. Beginning in March, fishing contests begin to migrate south to the warmer weather states. This spring migration of fishing contests is easily seen on the AmericanFishingContests.com "Home page". Only two weeks ago most of pins on the map were above the Mason-Dixon line and clustered in MA, MN, WI, IA, VT and NH. The current map shows only a handful of events in cold weather states with the majority of fishing contests being held south of the Ohio River and in California.

There are several reasons for the spring migration of fishing contests. Most obvious is the melting of ice on northern lakes. Without a layer of frozen, thick, safe ice hardwater contests can no longer be held. Another big contributor is that fact that game fish (bass, walleye, northern, muskie) season closes on inland lakes and won't become legal until May. As warming weather shuts down ice fishing contests in northern states, contests in the south begin to pick up. Many of the well known fishing tournament circuits American Bass Anglers, Anglers in Action, Fishers of Men, Crappie Masters and FLW begin their season in the warmer southern states at this time and local fishing clubs begin to hold their tournaments as well.

As the average high temperatures begin to rise in the northern states and game fish once again become legal to catch, fishing contests begin to return as well. This could be thought of as a second spring migration of fishing contests. In May the number of fishing contests held in America explodes, easily doubling the amount held in January and February. They also become more evenly distributed and popular all across the country.

Diary of a Professional Ice Fishing Team by donkaldunski

3/1/2012 9:55:02 PM

Hardwater-Angler.com Team #711 ends its North American Ice Fishing Circuit season on a high(er) note with a 11th place finish on Lake Menomin. 51 teams competed Sunday for the chance to “take home the wood”, the trophies given out for first, second and third at all NAIFC events.

Lake Menomin is reservoir located in the city of Menomonie, WI. The Dunn County Fish and Game club has placed several fishing cribs made of various materials throughout the lake for several years. Many anglers that find the fish cribs in winter will place a “permanent” ice shelter over the top of the crib to allow themselves the opportunity to catch fish on them. Fish cribs are a great starting point to locate panfish, though often is the case, the cribs hold
small panfish, protecting them from large predators. Larger panfish do not use the protection of the cribs as often, many times they will school up as a level of protection in the basin of the lakes or on top of structure which could include fish cribs.

Team #711 fished hard for two days to find places where some of these larger fish were. Not once did they stumble upon concentrations of fish while ice-fishing, but did find quality fish scatered in those two days. While tournament fishing generally shows a lakes true colors, many time the best fish are caught days before the event. When fishermen come upon an area that holds these fish, they have a tendency to over fish the area. Once these fish are exposed to the same baits day after day leading up to the tournament, often they do not find these baits or any baits attractive by Sunday. Great teams walk a fine line between checking on fish and over fishing them. Many teams on Lake Menomin fished the areas with these larger fish hard for days in a row and by Sunday they were not there are did not want to feed anymore. Team #711’s fish were caught on only one day prior to the tournament, Friday, while the tournament was on Sunday the fish did not see any pressure on Saturday to scare them off.

One of the great lessons Team #711 has learned in the few years of tournament fishing is how to “Bobber fish”. This does not refer to the ice fishing floats produced by one of the team’s sponsors Rod-N-Bobb’s, it is in reference to fishermen who have garnished the reputation as good fishermen. You watch these “bobbers” while pre fishing, and you certainly watch them during the tournament.
Team #711 had caught many healthy bluegills on Sunday but lacked Crappies to fill their tournament limit. While traveling across the lake they had noticed one of these bobbers fishing in an obscure area and made the quick decision to check out why they many be there, it certainly paid off. This bobber had found
these crappies where no one else had, and Team #711 happened to be at the right place at the right time to cash in on this discovery.

Team #711 finished with 16 fish (8 Crappies, 8 Bluegills- Tournament Max) for a total weight of 6.89lbs.

World Class ice fisherman reveals his secret. by donkaldunski

1/30/2012 8:09:24 AM

Jeff Kelm, a.k.a. Hardwater-Angler , is a member of the USA Ice Team which will be competing for the World Championship of Ice Fishing in Kazakhstan February 6-12. Here is a guest blog by Jeff in which he reveals one of his secrets for success.

If you have ever sat directly over your ice hole in shallow clear water (sight fished) and noticed how your lure and bait is presented to the fish then chances are you have noticed your lure will spin as you stop it or maybe even jig it. It causes a very negative reaction from the fish, more often if it is a very tough bite situation.

The occurrence of line twist is frequently in users of spinning reels, which
revolutionized ice fishing over a decade ago, but some experts are questioning
if they are a good choice for use while fishing for panfish.

The reason for the twist is simple to explain, as the line is wound around the
spool by the bail, it twists it as to avoid a reversed coil on the spool. The
problem then is the coil is much more pronounced as the line is released, and
it must work itself out, starting at the end of the line, your bait. Much hype
is give to fishing line that hold less memory, due to the fact that many
anglers use these spinning reels and these coil create large problems.

Anglers have gone to interesting lengths to avoid line twist at the bait, the
most common technique is adding a swivel to the line 18-24” up from the bait.
For very obvious reasons this does not seem like the greatest idea when fishing
with small jigs for panfish. The addition of the swivels is two-fold problem.
It is two extra knots between you and the fish and a significant weight between
the rod tip and your bait. This causes the action of your jig to be
dramatically reduced. When you jig with a swivel on the line your jigging the
swivel much more then you jig the lure.

Other ways anglers have attempted to reduce line twist is to “pre-stretch” the
fishing line. It works to an extent, if you’re using Monofilament. With the
introduction of Fluorocarbon, and other polymer line, the “pre stretch” method
is much less affective due to the fact that these lines have virtually no
stretch. It in fact can have the opposite effect on some lines by expanding the
molecules and making it curl up causing all kinds of tangles.

The easiest way to avoid line twist is to use a reel that allows the line to
roll on and off the spool straight. Many fishermen today have begun to use Fly
Fishing reels on their ice rods to allow themselves to have a drag system and
take advantage of the straight on and off action of the line. The styles of fly
reels are virtually never ending but ones I enjoy using are the Okuma SLVs in
4/5 weight. The weight sometimes is an issue, and you will have to learn to
grip the rod differently than you would an ice rod with a spinning reel.

The best way I have found to avoid line twist, keep the weight on the combo
down and still give me the versatility of fishing water 5-40’ is using the old
standard ice reels. Yup, those old plastic ones found on ice fishing rods for
the last 60 years. Simple, cheap and highly affective. In fact many of the top
anglers on the North American Ice Fishing Circuit use these ice reels. The ice
reels are easy to use, light weight and readily available, any box store with
even a limited selection of fishing equipment will have them for sale.

Nearly all my rods are set-up with the HT Enterprises ice reels, modified to
fit the way I would like to fish. I modify them slightly to allow me to reel in
more line per turn. I start with a standard ice reel, wrap 3/16” wide closed
cell foam (weather stripping) around the reel 5-7 times, filling it nearly to
the top. Then I take a good electrical tape, you don’t want “Cheap” stuff for
this, and begin to wrap the foam with the electrical tape, applying quite a bit
of pressure so that I have a solid base for my line to rest on. When completed
I end up getting 8-9.5” of line spooled onto the reel every turn. That’s as
good as a spinning reel with a 5:1 ratio and I don’t worry about line twist.

There are ice fishing reels available that are specifically designed to have a
large arbor, wrapping as much line as you can to allow you to fish fast and in
deeper water comfortably. There are also manufactures offering combos that are
equipped with a small fly reel specifically designed for ice fishing.

Get rid of the spinning reel, certainly get rid of the darn swivel and go back
to basics. Line twist hurts your presentation and hurts your fishing. Let’s
UN-do the twist!

Ice shanties make ice fishing more comfortable by donkaldunski

1/18/2012 8:01:25 AM

Ice fishing is becoming more and more popular. One of the main reasons is the improvement in equipment that makes getting out and staying on the ice easier and more comfortable. Having a roomy and warm shelter is perhaps the most important factor for enjoying the sport of ice fishing.

There are at least six companies that offer compact, portable ice shelters. Different designs include flip-over, cabin style, pop-up or hub designs as well as suitcase models. All these different designs are usually offered in different sizes to accommodate anywhere from 1 to 6 or more people. They all come equipped with a door and windows and may or may not include seats, storage pockets, light hangers, etc.

The commercially available ice shelters provide great functionality at very affordable prices but they can’t match the uniqueness in design or color schemes of homemade ice shelters.

Homemade or modified shelters are equipped with whatever the maker decided they wanted. A door, windows, a table, a heat source and even beds can be found inside them. There are even companies who have taken the home made shelter to a new level and offer commercially made shelters that are like hard sided trailer/campers you see in campgrounds.

If you are looking to make ice fishing at little bit easier and more comfortable, you might consider an ice shelter either store bought or home made. To see a variety of ice shanties check out the ice shanty photo album on the AmericanFishingContests.com Facebook page. Comment about your favorites or post pictures of others that you have seen. AmericanFishingContests.com, find one to attend.

Make fishing your New Year's Resolution by donkaldunski

1/11/2012 8:06:19 AM

Every year at this time we hear about people making a New Year’s resolution. More often than not the resolution is to begin some activity that is commendable but hard to follow through on. People say they will quit smoking, or lose weight, or save more money. Many people try, but most fail in their efforts. I think the reason for failure is that the process of quitting smoking or losing weight is not fun. If you’re looking for a New Year’s resolution that is fun and easy to achieve, make fishing your New Year’s resolution.

Fishing is fun for so many reasons. From the anticipation of the outing, to taking a road trip to a favorite spot or to a place you may have never been, to breathing fresh air, to seeing natures landscape, to feeling a fish on the end of your line, to landing a fish and seeing what kind it is and how big it is. Fishing is also easy to do. It doesn’t require a lot of expensive equipment and places to fish are numerous.

This time of year in northern states ice fishing is a popular and growing activity. I’ve found it a great excuse to get out of the house and enjoy the outdoors during winter. If you’re looking to see what ice fishing is all about, the North American Ice Fishing Circuit (NAIFC) holds events in seven different states. They have seminars that anyone can attend. You’ll learn about equipment, techniques how to target and catch different fish and even get a chance to fish. Parents can also take their children to a kid’s seminar where tutorials are given, kids get a chance to fish and they receive products that can be used on future outings.

If you’ve never gone fishing or haven’t for some time, a quick way to get started is to contact a local fishing club, bait store or your states department of natural resources. Any one of these can help you determine where to go and what you may need to get started. AmericanFishingContests.com has links to many organizations. To find one near you, simply go to the “Find Contests” tab, click on your state and then click on several of the fishing contest links until you find one that suits you.

You may think that you need a boat to go fishing but, that is not the case. Many parks have fishing piers or just find a comfortable spot along a river or lake and fish from shore. Surf or shore fishing along the east and west coasts and the Gulf of Mexico is another form of fishing where a boat is not needed.

If you’d like to fish from a boat ask a friend or neighbor who has one to help introduce you to fishing. Another option would be to hire a fishing guide. All you have to do is show up since guides typically provide everything you need to catch fish. By asking them questions you’ll learn more and find out tips that help make them successful.

Fishing can also help you achieve other New Year’s resolutions you may have made like helping the environment. Visit the Recycled Fish web site and find out how they are helping to protect our valuable natural resources and how you can help.

Attending a fishing contest is another way to get excited about fishing. You'll see plenty of nice fish at the weigh-in and contestants are happy to share their experiences. Use AmericanFishingContests.com and find one to attend.

This year make fishing your New Year’s resolution.

Fishing, a look back at 2011 by donkaldunski

12/28/2011 8:13:34 AM

Just like the major networks and news and sports magazines take a look back at the past year by highlighting big news events, here are some of the highlights in the world of fishing that I found newsworthy. Everything from world records to the best kept secret in 2011.

Let’s start with the best kept secret of 2011. Besides friends, family and the small but growing number of American tournament fly fishermen, who knew that Team USA captured a Gold medal at the Sport Fishing World Championships in Italy? What makes this story even more extraordinary is that it was the U.S. Youth Fly Fishing Team that brought back the gold. Team members all under the age of 18 came from CT, CA, CO, GA, MA, PA and TX. Team member Danny Marino of CT fished his way to an individual Silver medal.

These young men deserve recognition for their efforts and a big round of applause. To read more about tournament fly-fishing and learn more about the U.S Youth Fly Fishing Team click on these two links U.S. Fly Fishing tournaments and Youth Fly Fishing Team USA.

America was center stage for another international fishing competition in 2011. The Carp Angling World Championship was held on the St. Lawrence River in September between the river communities of Ogdensburg and Massena NY. It was a multi-day, continuous-hour event that attracted over 200 of the top carp anglers from around the world. Find out more at Carp Angling World Championship.

Every angler likes to boast about the big fish they caught. 2011 saw some potential and certified world records. Click on these links to view two world class fish that were caught in 2011. World Record Halibut, World Record Tiger Shark.

In Wisconsin state record fish were being caught just days apart. One Wisconsin man even had had his fiancée beat his new state record in less than two days. Read more at Wisconsin state fish Wisconsin state record fish broken for second time in a month and Fiancee breaks her partners state fish record in 28 hours.

In 2011 a fishing contest was announced that should get every angler’s attention. Although it began in 2011 it runs through September 2012. The Mustad Hook a Million contest offers anglers the opportunity to pocket $100,000 for a state record fish and $1 million dollars for a world record fish. Find the details at Mustad Hook a Million contest.

AmericanFishingContests.com made news of its own in 2011. The number of contests listed in 2011 totaled over 14,500 surpassing the 2010 mark by 5,000. The number of web site visits continues to increase dramatically as well with a ten-fold increase. More and more people are using AmericanFishingContests.com to find, add or update a fishing contest. From bass fishing to shark fishing, from Alaska to Florida, from noodling to bowfishing, AmericanFishingContests.com is the largest on-line directory of fishing contests in America. Whether you like to fish competitively or for fun, use AmericanFishingContests.com and, find one to attend.

How much ice is safe ice? by donkaldunski

12/12/2011 8:04:08 AM

Ice fishing season is fast approaching or already here in some parts of America. Many anglers are anxious to get out on the ice to try their luck. While the old saying “first ice is best ice” may be true for catching fish, first ice can prove deadly if safety precautions are not followed.

Falling through thin ice can quickly lead to hypothermia. This is a condition in which a person’s body temperature falls below what is needed to maintain normal body functions. Ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit is the temperature at which hypothermia is defined to begin and normal body temperature is usually maintained at 98-100 degrees Fahrenheit. It wouldn’t take long for an angler’s body to reach 95 degrees if first ice isn’t strong enough to support him.

Shivering and mental confusion are the first signs of hypothermia. It can then quickly progress to violent shaking and slow, labored movements. Muscle coordination becomes very poor and walking is almost impossible. Major organs begin to fail and clinical death then occurs. In water near the freezing point death can occur in as little as 15 minutes. Hypothermia

So what ice thickness is considered safe to support an angler? Because there are many factors that can affect the strength of ice there are no guaranteed numbers but, several organizations offer guidelines that should be followed. The Minnesota DNR recommends that ice be 4 inches thick before a person ventures out to go ice fishing, five inches for an ATV or snowmobile, 8-12 inches for a small car and 12-15 inches for a truck MN DNR ice thickness guidelines. The Ohio DNR recommends these same guidelines as does the Wisconsin DNR. The Michigan DNR does not recommend an “ice thickness” guide and cautions that no ice is safe due to a variety of factors. Follow this link to read about what can affect the strength of ice. MI ice safety precautions

In addition to following the safe ice guidelines recommended above, what else can anglers do to help ensure their safety when venturing out on first ice? Always let someone know where you are going and for how long. Always go with a partner, check with local sources for ice conditions, use a spud bar to test ice thickness, wear a floatation device and carry a rope and ice picks. All these precautions can help prevent you from falling through thin ice or help you survive if you do.

“First ice is best ice” has been proven to be true by many anglers and they have lived to talk about it. You can experience the same success if you follow safe ice guidelines and precautions.

First Ice is music to my ears by donkaldunski

12/6/2011 7:57:43 AM

Ice fishermen say that first ice is the best ice to go ice fishing on. The shallower water freezes first and it is simply the first opportunity that ice fishermen have to get on the ice after waiting all spring, summer and fall to do so. The shallower water still has underwater weeds and plenty of food which attracts fish. Fish are still aggressively feeding and your chances of bringing home a nice catch are high.

First ice also produces some magical sounds that are music to my ears. The most elusive and subtle sound is that of ice forming. It’s not the booming, cracking sound heard later in winter when thick ice is expanding. When first ice is forming it can create a faint, fragile, crinkling type of sound. I’ve only heard it a few times but it’s a unique sound that is not forgotten. Now is the time of year when it might be heard. Go stand and listen to a body of water near you and see if you can hear this rare and delicate sound.

First ice also produces another sound that I’ve never heard replicated by man. It is not as rare or faint as first ice forming. In fact it can be made on demand as long as a thin layer of ice is present. You can create the sound by simply tossing stones onto the ice. It’s just like skipping stones in the summer only now the stones bounce across the ice generating an exceptional, enthralling, sound that you’ll want to hear over and over again.

The ping, ping, pinging of stones on first ice is best heard on very thin ice, less than 1/16 inch thick. Once ice reaches a 1/2 inch or more the sound is harder to produce. You can create your own symphony of sound by tossing different size stones and throwing softer or harder. Go find some thin ice and you’ll be captivated by the music that nature’s first ice produces.

Black Friday vs. Green Fishing Days by donkaldunski

11/17/2011 7:58:28 AM

The day after Thanksgiving is generally referred to as “Black Friday”. This is the day that kicks off the Christmas shopping season and retailers are said to begin to turn a profit or are “in the black”. Although I’m not one, many people can’t wait for this day to go shopping so they can take advantage of limited time or limited inventory bargans that are offered.

My alternative to Black Friday is more exciting, less stressful and a longer lasting activity. You could call it Green Fishing Days.
It’s actually the Mustad Hook a Million fishing contest. Participants can win a million dollars if they catch an IGFA-Certified All-Tackle
World Record fish. Anglers can also win $100,000 for a fresh water all tackle state record fish and a $100,000 if they catch a saltwater all tackle state record fish. That is a lot of “green” being offered.
The contest is running now until September 30, 2012. For full details follow the link above.

Besides the large amount of “green” being offered as prize money, green fishing days offers you the chance to be surrounded by green. Green grass, green trees, blue-green water and green fish. I don’t know about you but fishing is a lot more appealing to me than fighting traffic, crowds and waiting in long lines as people do on black Friday. Especially when a $100,000 or a one million dollar fish could be caught. You can also go fishing any day, unlike the Black
Friday specials that are available only one day a year.

How likely is it that you might catch a state or world record fish? Well, just this past summer in Wisconsin, 4 state record fish were caught and in 2010 a world record brown trout was caught.

Black Friday vs.“green fishing days, I’d say fishing is the winner by a long shot. Enter the Mustad Hook a Million fishing contest and you could be catching yourself a whole lot of green. If you’re looking for other fishing contests to participate in, use AmericanFishingContests.com and find one to attend.