Tourney?

Greetings! I am a volunteer for the Wildlife Prairie State Park in Hanna City (just outside of Peoria) Illinois. I have been given the task of helping organize some fishing tournaments here in some of the land that the Park owns. Unfortunately, I am not very wise in the ways of fishing tournaments. I have done some research online and have looked over the state guidelines for tournaments but am reaching out to whoever will answer for tips, suggestions, ideas, advice and most importantly, things not to do. One major question I have is; where do I find a decent calendar of state fishing events/tournaments? I have been on dozens and dozens of sites promising "tourney calendar", or "fishing events calendar" but have been very disappointed with the results. Some sites had calendars from years past, or "for sale" calendars, or even some that were virtually blank calendars. I just don't want to schedule our event when it could conflict with a pre-existing tourney or event. Any help I can get on this matter in particular would be greatly appreciated. It is my sincere hope that we can establish a relationship that will benefit both your club and the park. I look forward to your reply.
Thanks,
Scott Carlson

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mike Witowski on December 9, 2009 at 9:36am: Scott,
Are you allowed to use boats, and are there boat launches?

I researched your park, and read this @ http://www.wildlifeprairiestatepark.org/visit-todo-fishing.cfm
"Fishing in these lakes will be from shore, belly boats, or portable boats. No boat ramps or road access will be available for trailer launching. Electric motors are prohibited."

I don't know of any lakes that hold successful tourneys fishing from shore. Perhaps others do and will chime in. To understand better, which lake/s are you exploring running a tourney on?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Scott Carlson on December 9, 2009 at 10:32am: Although I cannot say for certain whether we will be allowing boats, it is my belief that it will be allowed specifically for the tournament. It is also likely that we will be using Taylor Lake for our competition which is one that is normally off limits for fishing. This should ensure a well stocked fishing experience. I will happily pass on more information as it becomes available but am still in the beginning planning stages at this time. One major question I have is; where do I find a decent calendar of state fishing events/tournaments? I have been on dozens and dozens of sites promising "tourney calendar", or "fishing events calendar" but have been very disappointed with the results. Some sites had calendars from years past, or "for sale" calendars, or evn some that were virtually blank calendars. I just don't want to schedule our event when it could conflict with a pre-existing tourney or event. Any help I can get on this matter in particular would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Scott

Mike Witowski said:
Scott,
Are you allowed to use boats, and are there boat launches?

I researched your park, and read this @ http://www.wildlifeprairiestatepark.org/visit-todo-fishing.cfm
"Fishing in these lakes will be from shore, belly boats, or portable boats. No boat ramps or road access will be available for trailer launching. Electric motors are prohibited."

I don't know of any lakes that hold successful tourneys fishing from shore. Perhaps others do and will chime in. To understand better, which lake/s are you exploring running a tourney on?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Scott Carlson on December 9, 2009 at 12:03pm: Update - The plan for the fishing tournament is to have a ice fishing (no boats obviously) sometime in late January - mid February. If it goes well, we will be making it an annual event. In addition, we hope to also have a spring and fall tournament which will be allowing boats, and a boat launch with a restriction of trolling motors only. Any other information, questions or advice any of you have to offer are most welcome, particularly any info regarding other ice fishing tourneys in Illinois for 2010.

Thanks,
Scott; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Scott Carlson on December 18, 2009 at 10:26am: Hi all, I have an update for the 1st annual fishing tournament at WPSP. We are a go for February 6th. The tourney will take place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. More information will be provided as it becomes available.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Tim Pinks on December 23, 2009 at 3:52pm: What fish are currently stocked in Taylor Lake? Isn't their a fee to enter the park? How much are you looking to charge for the tourney? Have you tried securing any sponsors? Do you usually have safe ice that time of year? I'm interested in fishing this tournament just had some questions.
Scott Carlson said:
Hi all, I have an update for the 1st annual fishing tournament at WPSP. We are a go for February 6th. The tourney will take place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. More information will be provided as it becomes available.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Scott Carlson on December 25, 2009 at 5:02pm: Hi Mike, our lake contains mostly Bass, bluegill, crappie, and channel cat. Yes, I certainly have been working to locate sponsors but will still gladly follow-up on any suggestions you or anyone else may have. As for safe ice time, as we have never had an event such as this before, I am not completely certain what typical ice conditions would be. However, taking ice conditions into consideration as well as other park issues, I have picked the most logical date. The registration fee is still not finalized however I can tell you that you will not also have to pay park admission to participate in the Tourney.

Tim Pinks said:
What fish are currently stocked in Taylor Lake? Isn't their a fee to enter the park? How much are you looking to charge for the tourney? Have you tried securing any sponsors? Do you usually have safe ice that time of year? I'm interested in fishing this tournament just had some questions.
Scott Carlson said:
Hi all, I have an update for the 1st annual fishing tournament at WPSP. We are a go for February 6th. The tourney will take place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. More information will be provided as it becomes available.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Scott Carlson on January 12, 2010 at 8:23am

Hi Everyone! The details have finally been worked out and Wildlife Prairie State Park will be having its First Annual Ice Fishing Tournament on February 6th at Taylor Lake right across the street from the park. It starts at 8am and goes until 1pm. One thing definitely worth mention is that the lakes out at the park are rarely open for fishing and the particular lake that this event will be held, Taylor Lake is fished only a few times a year by Boy Scouts and a couple of special interest groups. It is well stocked w/black crappie, large-mouth bass, channel-cat, bluegill, and red-eared sunfish (I am unsure about musky). There will be a cash prize for the largest fish caught in each of these categories as well as the grand prize for the biggest fish over-all. I have attached both our info flyer and the registration in the hopes that you or some of your club may be interested in attending. The second page of the registration also contains the rules which go over some of the things allowed or not-allowed for the event. You can also find info and registration on our website at http://www.wildlifeprairiestatepark.com/ If you have any questions at all please feel free to contact me with a reply.

Thanks,
Scott Carlson

p.s. do you know of any online calendars that we may be able to post our event on?

Attachments:

2010 Ice Fishing Poster.pdf, 928 KB
Ice Fishing Full Registration.pdf, 525 KB

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Permalink Reply by Sean Landsman on January 12, 2010 at 4:38pm: I don't believe there is an online "calendar" to all tournaments taking place within Illinois. Lots of tournaments (any species) are run at local club levels where you might get less than 25 boats participating, and by lots I mean LOTS. You will probably not be able to avoid scheduling a tournament without conflicting with another, unless you create an ice-fishing tournament as you have. Best thing to do is try Googling fishing clubs - bass, muskie, crappie, catfish, etc. - and see if they have tournament schedules. They likely WON'T in the winter, but may as the season progresses and fishing season nears. You can also look at club sites or tournament trail sites and gauge which weekends will likely hold a tournament by simply looking at old tournament schedules. For example, the Illinois Bass Federation's website shows that the last weekend in March has had a tournament at least the last two years (I just took a quick glance) so I'm willing to bet they will have another that same weekend in 2010: http://www.ilbassfed.com/opentrail.htm

Good luck with your endeavor. Looks like a terrific wildlife park! Kudos for volunteering your time!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Scott Carlson on January 12, 2010 at 10:38pm

Thank you so much for your comments Sean. I appreciate all the advice I can get. The tournament is definitely scheduled for February 6th and will be from 8 am to 1 pm, I really hope that you will be there.

Thanks,
Scott

Sean Landsman said:

I don't believe there is an online "calendar" to all tournaments taking place within Illinois. Lots of tournaments (any species) are run at local club levels where you might get less than 25 boats participating, and by lots I mean LOTS. You will probably not be able to avoid scheduling a tournament without conflicting with another, unless you create an ice-fishing tournament as you have. Best thing to do is try Googling fishing clubs - bass, muskie, crappie, catfish, etc. - and see if they have tournament schedules. They likely WON'T in the winter, but may as the season progresses and fishing season nears. You can also look at club sites or tournament trail sites and gauge which weekends will likely hold a tournament by simply looking at old tournament schedules. For example, the Illinois Bass Federation's website shows that the last weekend in March has had a tournament at least the last two years (I just took a quick glance) so I'm willing to bet they will have another that same weekend in 2010: http://www.ilbassfed.com/opentrail.htm

Good luck with your endeavor. Looks like a terrific wildlife park! Kudos for volunteering your time!

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