Author Topic: Kyle Janssen Cancer Benefit Ice Fishing Tournament @ Smith Lake WMA (Read 7171 times)

hayman · « **on:** Feb 07, 2012, 12:35 PM »

I just recieved word that the tournamenet is a go. We will be holding it Sunday Feburary 26th. There is pre registration available and that information will follow. Entry is $50 per team or $30 for single person. There will also be a $20 dollar entry for biggest species. Depending on the amount of teams we have we will possibly pay out up to 5 places. We will also be doing a Calcutta the night before of the tournament and refreshments will be available the day of the tournament as will prizes be awarded. Please feel free to spread the word this is for the benefit of my brother who is 22 years old and fighting for his life battling cancer that has spread to his lungs and liver. All money raised that is not paid out will go to help cover medical expences while he is undergoing treatment at UN Medical Center in Lincoln Nebraska. If you have any questions please feel free to email me or give me a call at 308-430-5269

Fishingnerd33 · « **Reply #1 on:** Feb 07, 2012, 01:34 PM »

Will do what I can to make it, will be spreading the word with those I know.

Do you have times figured out?

hayman · « **Reply #2 on:** Feb 07, 2012, 06:28 PM »

We will be having a shotgun start at 8a.m. and will go til atleast 3 and possibly 4 in the afternoon. If anyone is worried about the ice we have plenty here there was over a foot there last weekend when I was there and the ten day forcast looks to be extremely favorable with quite a few nights in the single digits. All of you that know Smith it has some of the best pan fishing in the state so this should be a really fun tournament. I was fortunate for our local wal-mart to donate some nice prizes today and I am working with a lady at Cabellas to do the same and am also working with some people at Sheels. I hope that many of you can attend!!!! I am working with alot of people to get this organized and I cannot thank everyone enough for there generosity and efforts. We will have free will donation home cooked lunch for all envolved that day and possibly serve breakfast to. Everyone if free to register the day of the tournament but it would be helpful for pre registration so we knew how much food to prepare etc. I am also going to have the Niobraha Sportsman Club help and oversee the calcutta and pre registration. Once again if you have any questions please call me or email me at [email protected]

eepks · « **Reply #3 on:** Feb 07, 2012, 06:35 PM »

Is there a fund setup for him for those of us that can't make it but want to help out?

Eric

Uncle Grumpy · « **Reply #4 on:** Feb 07, 2012, 06:44 PM »

I will be there. Found that the wifey taught his sister angie. I urge every one to come and fish the tourney. You will love Smith and maybe catch a MA gill. Might want to separate fish according to specie. Any way good luck with this one..

hayman · « **Reply #5 on:** Feb 07, 2012, 07:05 PM »

Yes there is. Donations can be sent to the First National Bank of Gordon in care of Kyle Janssen Benefit account. If you want you can call the bank at 308-282-0050 or their address is 134 North Main Street Gordon, Ne. 69343
And as for sorting out the species yes there will be a prize for biggest perch, biggest blue gill, biggest crappie, biggest bass, biggest northern who knows if anyone will catch any walleye out of there or not. We also will be giving the participants the options of catch and release on the bass and if they release they will get a 1 pound bonus on their total weight for each bass that they release.

ryno · « **Reply #6 on:** Feb 07, 2012, 08:31 PM »

To those persons running this tourney:
Have you considered doing a catch and release tournament? There would be several ways it could be ran this way. I just hate to see the lake get rapped when every body will be keeping the largest fish (primarily concerned about the gills) for increased total weight and largest fish prize. I'm against traditional tourneys going for total weight and big fish on small lakes when there is no chance of release after weigh in. JMHO and concerned about the future of the lake after a large tourney of this type. A C&R will require more leg work for those appointed officials to take measurements and patience from those entered to get an official to show up for the measurement as well. Its been done before tho....and I highly encourage it to be done here!

gulbranson · « **Reply #7 on:** Feb 07, 2012, 10:06 PM »

Do you have a time and location for the calcutta?

hayman · « **Reply #8 on:** Feb 07, 2012, 11:00 PM »

Ryno,
I am not opposed to catch and release by any means. I am sure that we can work out something if people would like to do that during the tournament as far as a bonus to total weight. This is my first tournament I have ever put on so don't hold it against me if I forget about some details. But we will leave it up to the anglers to decide if they want to catch and release. I will talk it over with the sportsman club that is going to help put it on with me and we will see if we can find a comprobable solution to your concerns about catch and release. I do not want to ruin the lake either but I have lived here all my life and caught those big blue gill by the hundreds over the years. It just has an amazing set of genetics in it for big gills and I have never fished another lake like it. So I to would hate to see that go away or ruined for a few years. I will keep everyone posted on any changes to things as they come up. Most of all I just want everyone to have a fun time and a great day of fishing!!!

hayman · « **Reply #9 on:** Feb 07, 2012, 11:08 PM »

Gulbranson,
We will doing the calcutta more than likely at the country club in Gordon the night before. Probably around 8pm. We did a calcuta for a tournament at Shell lake here a couple of weeks ago and first place on it paid out right at $1000. So the more people we can get involved in this the bigger the payout will be and the more places we can pay. That payout was just with 17 teams entered in the tournament. If I get enough pre registrations I am going to work out a deal with them to do a steak feed and will be talking to the local motels to get a reduced rate for the people that would like to come from out of town. Plus if we get enough people from out of town we will offer to fillet out your fish free of charge since sometime this can be a difficult thing to accomplish for those that travel from out of town.

ryno · « **Reply #10 on:** Feb 07, 2012, 11:25 PM »

Hayman, the most important thing is its for a great cause and a good turn out is most important. I have enjoyed fishing smith since I was in college...and would agree its an amazing gill factory (as well as dink perch $:-\$ ). It has taking some abuse in the past but survived, I would just like to see some conservation of the bull gills. There are a number of options to limit the number of these nice gills being iced during f a tourney. I'm glad to see you are open to suggestions and maybe some others can contribute some ideas. There is no way around having to have several 'officials' to help with fish measuring in C&R tourney. Maybe the game and parks would allow certain individuals to have 4wheelers on the ice to help with getting to people for measurements and recording catches. If nothing else this could be a trial run and future tourneys could be held more frequently with better C&R success.

Sandbilly · « **Reply #11 on:** Feb 08, 2012, 08:36 AM »

The only C&R ice tournaments I've been involved with are the Recycled Fish "On Ice Tour" events.
http://www.recycledfish.org/our-programs/on-ice-tour.htm

Bag limit is 10 bluegill for the tourney at Okoboji and they are released after weigh-ins. Survival of released fish mostly depends on the temp that day and what anglers store fish in. Coolers with lids are much better than a bucket. Very cold or warm days decrease survival rates. On average I would guess 70% of the fish swim away from the release pit. I'm sure some die after that but they have dropped a camera in the area the next day and only found a few dead. Where the Smith tourney runs from 8-3 or 4, survival rates will not be good on released fish. I will send this thread to Teeg @ recycled fish and see if he has any other ideas.

I agree with all of you in trying to preserve Smith Lake gills. A 10 pan fish bag limit/team, 5 for individuals would decrease the impact but it also selects for the largest pan fish to be harvested. Ryno's plan for a measure/release on pan fish is a good one but would take several officials, all of them using the same type of measuring device, a lot of paper work, and not fun on a nasty day with a large field of teams. If the measure/release format is used, I would certainly recommend doing it on the top 10 pan fish/team or you will spend hours figuring totals. The other problem with a measure/release format at Smith is you now force anglers to target crappies. No easy answers.

Think there are 3 teams so far traveling from the Mullen area.

dc

FishRecycler · « **Reply #12 on:** Feb 08, 2012, 09:14 AM »

First off, I want to applaud Hayman for organizing this tournament. He's taking on a lot of work to help out a family who needs helping out. That is just awesome. Everybody loves coming to a party, but it takes someone to throw it - and believe me, throwing the party is a lot of work. Way to go, Hayman!

Props also to Sandbilly, who is one of my all time favorite people and a heck of an ice fisherman. What he said about keeping fish alive is right on.

Back in the day, ice fishing tournaments were all-kill events. In recent years, more and more tournaments and derbies are being operated like bass fishing tournaments with a catch-weigh-release program. We've tried to encourage this with the Recycled Fish "On Ice" Tour (more about that here: http://www.recycledfish.org/our-programs/on-ice-tour.htm).

Having done this tour for five years now, we've learned a few things that I'd propose:

1) Only weigh live fish. This also cuts down on the risk of someone cheating by trying to weigh frozen, dead fish.
2) Anglers can keep fish alive in buckets, bags or coolers. Like Sandbilly said, the highest survival rates will be fish kept in aerated coolers. A little Sure Life will also do a lot of good.
3) Having teams weigh 5 or 10 fish is a good limit. It simplifies everything for everyone.
4) Have a release pit. For those who want to release fish, cut a rectangle in the ice, but don't go clear through. This is done by augering holes close together, and breaking out in between with a spud. Then drill a few holes clear through in the middle of the rectangle. The rectangle will fill with water. Healthy fish that are likely to survive will find their way out. The others will just float around in there. People who want to keep a fish dinner can harvest a bucket of the ones that wouldn't make it.

** Do not just drill a hole and stick the fish down it at the end of the day, and say, "we let 'em all go!" Lots will just be dead under the ice.

I propose making harvest optional. Some people want to keep fish, and that's OK. Panfish are a good choice for selective harvest. Releasing some fish is better than releasing no fish, the most important thing is that the harvest is limited, and the biggest fish are released. That's what protects good genetics and provides the strongest fishery.

Finally, it's less about the impact of that one tournament on that one day, and more about the "ripple effect." We don't want to make a bad name for anglers or tournaments, and doing a selective harvest / live release tournament makes a great name for anglers and tournaments. By holding a catch and release tournament, we remind ourselves and other anglers that we are more than sportsmen, we are stewards.

To that end, I propose that every angler is sent out with a trash cleanup bag. By leaving the lake better than we find it, we truly live out that "steward" thing.

I'm happy to discuss this further, email fishrecycler [at] recycledfish [dot] org.

Great adventures,

Teeg Stouffer
Executive Director
Recycled Fish
www.RecycledFish.org

JohnF · « **Reply #13 on:** Feb 08, 2012, 10:22 AM »

Quote from: ryno on Feb 07, 2012, 11:25 PM

... Maybe the game and parks would allow certain individuals to have 4wheelers on the ice ...

Someone ought to ask Heath (or call G&P) but I believe that it is legal now to use ATVs and snowmobiles on Smith. I know the current regulation PDF and print doesn't state it and I can't find a link to prove it (and it doesn't change anything for me) but I have heard it to be the case. Probably worth chasing down.

hayman · « **Reply #14 on:** Feb 08, 2012, 12:07 PM »

I will keep answering everyone's questions as they arise. Atv's are allowed on the ice of smith as of this year. As for all of the talk of the catch and release or placing limits I am talking to a few people about doing it. It will require alot more people to do it and at this point and time I cannot say if we will or will not offer that option. I think that it is a good thing but I do not want to make it mandatory for everyone so I am thinking along the lines of we would give little bit of a weight bonus for each fish turned back. What do all of you think would be fair for pan fish? A ounce? 2 ounces bonus for each fish turned back? This is going to take alot of work regardless and i do not want to turn people away that may want to come just to catch some fish for their freezer to. I believe in being fair and open so maybe we will require a live well of some sort to keep the fish alive. I know myself personally I have a sock that goes down the hole and works excellent for a livewell. Reguardless we will do our best to make everyone happy and ensure they have an enjoyable time. I am sure there will be more to follow and thanks again for all of your input.

thesleddinfisher · « **Reply #15 on:** Feb 08, 2012, 12:21 PM »

This is what I do to keep fish alive, just in case I don't catch enough to clean and let them go at the end of the day. An aerator is almost a requirement to keep them alive. I use a long bit on my drill that I use for predrilling anchors to drill through all the way for water. Works great for keeping them alive. And I am very exited about being able to use the 3 wheeler now, I missed that piece of information.

Eastwesterner · « **Reply #16 on:** Feb 08, 2012, 04:24 PM »

With the size of that lake. Not huge. If you get 40 four wheelers screaming around, I think it may take away from a decent day on the ice. Just my thought. I fished it before christmas and walked 100 yds. and couldn't find a reason to move.

JAM3S · « **Reply #17 on:** Feb 08, 2012, 05:39 PM »

Too bad Smith is like, 8 hours away from me. Hope you have a great turn out!

Fish-icer · « **Reply #18 on:** Feb 08, 2012, 08:08 PM »

Those fish all look like they are tired of swimming

Uncle Grumpy · « **Reply #19 on:** Feb 08, 2012, 08:31 PM »

Bryce, cant believe you are using a 3 wheeler but after seeing your set up at Walgren got to believe. All of us locals need to promote the tourney. Not just for your self. It is a well worth fund raiser. And any of you that have not fished Smith you are in for a good time with the potential for MA gills and pike to 15 lbs. this year as reported. It also has some nice crappie. Have not had much success with the perch but they are there.

thesleddinfisher · « **Reply #20 on:** Feb 08, 2012, 08:35 PM »

Quote from: Fish-icer on Feb 08, 2012, 08:08 PM

Those fish all look like they are tired of swimming

Looks can be deceiving, they can make a mess from a half filled bucket when its time to clean 'em...

eepks · « **Reply #21 on:** Feb 09, 2012, 05:29 PM »

I think this is a great idea for a good cause. Just remember that you can't please everyone. Don't run yourself ragged trying to please everyone. It's up to each individual to fish how they want.

just my .02

Eastwesterner · « **Reply #22 on:** Feb 09, 2012, 06:44 PM »

Quote from: eepks on Feb 09, 2012, 05:29 PM

I think this is a great idea for a good cause. Just remember that you can't please everyone. Don't run yourself ragged trying to please everyone. It's up to each individual to fish how they want.

just my .02

He's right. Having the rules ready ahead of time is big, also. We can all look and see if it fits our agenda or not.

thesleddinfisher · « **Reply #23 on:** Feb 09, 2012, 10:37 PM »

Quote from: hayman on Feb 09, 2012, 05:58 PM

I have rules and registration forms available as of a couple hours ago. If you would like me to send you one or email one to you please let me know soon. And to all of you that have requested them already I will be emailing them out this evening. Thank you

Just copy and paste into this thread so everyone can see, just a suggestion.

hayman · « **Reply #24 on:** Feb 14, 2012, 06:56 PM »

I think I just got all the emails sent out for people that have requested the rules and registrations. If I forgot anyone please let me know and I will get them over to you asap. If any of you are worried about the ice don't be. We had a good solid 12" there before this last cold snap and we had two good nights of well below zero and single digits before that and low teens since and the extended forcast is looking great. I have spoken to the local motels and they are going to offer a commercial rate for those of you that have to travel or choose to stay overnight. I hope that all of you continue to spread the word of this tournament and we get as many teams as possible. I cannot thank all of you enough and I hope to see and meet each and every one of you. Once again if you have any questions please get in touch with me and I will do all I can to help all of you out.

hayman · « **Reply #25 on:** Feb 15, 2012, 09:35 AM »

Uggg computers!!!! I apologize to everyone. I thought I had everything taken care of this morning but only one of the two pages that I sent out yesterday went through. Everyone got the rules and they were unable to open the second page with the registration form. I am waiting for the lady to send the file back over to me again and I will resend it out. So if I miss you please let me know. I had several people ask about some things so I am going to answer them. This will be a total weight tournament. We are going to follow all game and parks regs meaning that each person is allowed up to 15 panfish. The tournament is going to pay out a percentage of the total entries wich we will determine the day of the tounament because we do not know yet the number of people that are going to attend yet. Plus there will be prizes awarded on top of the cash payouts. There is going to be an optional entry for biggest species of each fish ie perch,bluegill,crappie,bass,northern. To enter this it is going to be an additional 20 per team. But this is going to pay out 80% So if we get 50 teams that means each species will pay out 160 bucks plus a prize on top of it. This isn't mandatory to enter this it is an option. Anyhow I will be getting the form to all of you as soon as I get it sent back to me. Thankyou for your patience

Mr Merritt · « **Reply #26 on:** Feb 15, 2012, 10:52 AM »

Kudos to all sponsering and helping with this most worthy cause. I have helped sponser and organize benefit tournaments with the Bass club I belonged to. I know two things. 1.) Lots of hard work goes into them 2.) You will get better each year you do them.
I am a strong advocate of selective harvest/ catch and release. Nothing wrong with keeping a few tasty fish for dinner and releasing the bigger fish for the proven genetics so the fisheries maintain the quality. Therefore I support your idea of a reduced tournament limit and voluntary catch and release for participants to reduce the impact of your event. Logistics of making this happen are kind of tricky, but best of luck.
Here is an alternative to the on ice livewells pictured above. I found a product called an "Ice Well" by Todays Tackle that is basically a mesh tube with a floating top w/velcro closure to be inserted in an augered hole. I brought in a couple 7" dia. for the store. I think they offer a 9" dia. model as well. I've not personally tried them but they look promising. Anyhow, best of luck for your event!

Uncle Grumpy · « **Reply #27 on:** Feb 15, 2012, 05:12 PM »

I thought I saw the area regs that it is 10 panfish on Smith. Saw it on the sign at the entry. If I am wrong please correct me. My partner and I are planning on being there with the wife along for support.

Fishingnerd33 · « **Reply #28 on:** Feb 15, 2012, 05:25 PM »

I haven't seen that sign before, if anyone knows for sure please chime in. I'm going to be there this weekend, so I'll look and report back if no one else confirms this.

I'm hoping I can swing things next weekend for the tourney, not sure if I can, but a great cause for sure!

IceWolf89 · « **Reply #29 on:** Feb 15, 2012, 06:20 PM »

You can have 15 statewide now there was once a sign there that allowed you 10 from there

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Author Topic: Kyle Janssen Cancer Benefit Ice Fishing Tournament @ Smith Lake WMA (Read 7171 times)