1st annual Fishingdakota.com Ice Fishing Tournament

[iceman]

JAN 19th, 2008

Lake Thompson State Park

1st annual Fishingdakota.com Ice Fishing Tournament.



The format will be 2 man teams.  The species will be perch and crappies and will be a total weight of the 15 biggest fish caught by each team.  There will also be a big fish pot for the three biggest walleyes, so that species will hold its own contest so to speak in the biggest fish caught by individual on their own while competing in the tournament.



They will accept 40 two man teams in this tournament and the entry will only be $30.  The payout based on a full field will be as follows.



1st place team    = $450

2nd place team  = $200

3rd place team    =$100

Largest Perch =  $50

Largest Crappie=$50



Largest Walleye        =$200

2nd Largest walleye =$75

3rd largest walleye  =$25



The largest fish of any of the three species caught by an angler under 16 yrs of age will receive $50



This totals a full payout based on a field of 40 teams.



Also, there will be a calcutta drawing.  For $5, you may draw a teams name from a pot.  If that team places highest among the teams purchased from the calcutta pot, you win the calcutta money.  This makes it interesting because if you are not fairing well during the day, you are rooting for your drawn team to do well.  The calcutta pot would be $200 if all teams take part in it.



The $30 entry per team is based on the early bird entry fee which is due by Nov. 1st, 2007.

The entry fee after Nov 1st until field is full is $40 per team.



If you are interested in entering the tournament, please email fishingdakota@aol.com and they will email you the tournament entry.  You can mail a check with a printed copy of the entry form, or you can fill it out and email it back and pay by paypal with a credit card or paypal account balance.



Following the tournament after weigh in will be a social hour inwhich they have a hospitality tent set up and grill brats and burgers, potato salad, chips, etc..  If you plan to eat, it will be an additional $5 per person.



Many of the folks will be spending the night for a little extra fishing.  They will have some informal contests and side bets for an overnight  fishing party if you choose to do this. 



Some of the more formal rules to the tournament are as follows. 

They do not plan to place boundaries on the lake for the tournament at this time.  As long as they are not having a full blown blizzard, and there is safe ice all around, they plan to open the whole lake.  However there will be a check in and inspection at 7:30 am.  Hard Sides will be allowed but must be ran through inspection the same as the portables.  All hard sides will be ran through first to ensure adequate time to get set up.  All hardsides must fish with the doors unlocked and accessible to all tournament officials during the tournament hours.  The tournament will take place from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm.  Many want to start earlier, but it just isnt feasable to inspect 40 teams in daylight conditions and start any earlier.  It also isnt feasable to fish later than 3:30 and still weigh in before dark.  So it is what it is.  With money on the line, they would like to keep it competitive as well as fair and friendly.  Daylight is the only way to ensure this.



At this point they do not intend to allow driving vehicles on the lake unless there is over 12 inches of ice at the time of the tournament.  It is likely that there will be sufficient ice to allow it, but not guaranteed.  In the event there is not, they will allow atv, sled and foot traffic only.  Keep this in mind when choosing the partner you fish with.  Not everyone owns a 4 wheeler, but almost everyone knows or fishes with someone who does.  A distance of 50 feet from any team must be maintained by other teams.  Also Team mates may not distance themselves more than 50 feet from each other.  So this means if you see another team fishing an area and they are within 50 feet from each other, you may not fish within 50 feet from either team member on that team.



If you are ready to sign up to fish this event, email fishingdakota@aol.com for your entry details and inform them how you plan to pay the entry fee.  An email for paypal payment will be provided if that form of payment is to be used.



If anyone has coworkers or friends not online or not familiar with the site that would be interested in this tournament, print this post and give them a copy...then have them call 605-521-3000 with any questions or to register.  This event is going to be alot of fun, so save some dough and sign up before the nov. 1st early bird deadline or worse yet, before it fills.