I disagree that guys only bitched on here about certain issues. We motivated a good number of fishermen on CTF to speak out on certain issues, including: motor boat fuel tax, more funding for CO's, and Sunday hunting.
There are links to some of the efforts in this forum:
Our efforts worked. I've gotten feedback from the DEP and others and know that we raised some eyebrows.
As much as I view CTF has a reports board and place to have fun with fellow fishermen, I also realize we can use it to get behind certain fisheries issues.
However, and this is a big however...the number of fishermen on here are only a tiny fraction of the fishermen in the state. Fishermen as a group need to do something more...
I've been saying it for a while. I think we need one group to unify all fishermen to show the politicians just how many of us there are and how much money our sport contributes to the economy:
I swear if I were single, no kids, I'd do what I could to help form such a group and lead the charge. Nothing would give me more satisfaction. Unfortunately, I'm spread so thin now between a baby, family, work and everything else, that I just can't put forth the time and dedication to do it right. But, I'll always do what I can to help preserve, protect and promote fishing via CTF.
#675109 - 07/04/0602:01 PM
Re: Tournament Fishing in CT: Act now or sit home and only watch them on TV
JROCK
Member
Registered: 06/27/02
Posts: 639
Loc: southbury ct
Pski let me ask you what would happen if you had a small tournament or a "hat tournament". Lets say ten boats, and did'nt file for a permit. what can they do, would they go after the guy who is charge or all the guys who participated. Not that I'm saying we should do this, but if the state starts taking permits away from us it may lead to it.
Candlewoodlakeguideservice.com 203-948-5054 Stop by my Facebook page and say hi!
Have any of you ever had your heart set on a day of fishing, and go to the spot you planned and there were no parking spots because of a tournament? These rules are set in place to protect everyone's rights. DEP Inland Fisheries does everything it possibly can to be fair and appease everyone, anglers and tournament directors. Bill Foreman, the man who handles all the tournaments at the DEP, is a great guy and goes above and beyond his duties to make everyone happy. He goes out of his way daily to try to get more parking spots permitted for directors, and make tournaments possible when there are otherwise problems. Bill Hyatt, the Director of Inland Fisheries is also a great guy who does whatever he possibly can to appease tourney directors. Maybe it would beneficial for someone to contact Boating about parking regulations, because like Dusty said, it IS Boating that controls parking. Also someone wants to know what would happen if they checked to NO box for catch and release, well the answer is- nothing. You are allowed to keep your daily limit which is six fish, and even though it is a tourney, you are still allowed to keep your limit. As for the conditions of launches, again, someone should contact Boating and alert them to the problem. But remember that you'll catch more flies with honey than vinegar. And FYI, the folks in Hartford do not take the "path of least resistance", seriously. That may be what it looks like, but that could not be further from the truth. All tourney participants and directors should feel grateful to have Bill Foreman on their side, because that is what he is-on your side. As for the wakeboarders, everytime there is a disruptive incident, I would report it to Boating. It is not that Fisheries is "limiting permits" for no reason. If a permit is not given, it could be a few reasons: there could already be a tourney there using all the parking spaces (a tourney app which was recieved before yours), It could be a bass management lake and Fisheries does not allow exemptions in July and August to protect the health of bass. That is another issue which people seem tho have a problem with. All of the regulations that the DEP puts into effect are there for a reason. Bass management lakes are in the process of improving their bass populations. These small little tweaks that the DEP has made, in the end, actually provides all anglers with better big game fishing. I hope any info. I've provided has been helpful. Any other questions I may be able to answer, or find the answer to, just PM or e-mail me.
I'm not a freshwater guy, but I'm curious, for the most part, are these tournies volunteer run low profile events or big money, big business, high stakes affairs?
Maybe what you need is different rules for recreational versus commercial tourneys?
#675112 - 07/04/0609:46 PM
Re: Tournament Fishing in CT: Act now or sit home and only watch them on TV
JROCK
Member
Registered: 06/27/02
Posts: 639
Loc: southbury ct
Gerg, you make a valid point. I remember reading in the Danbury News Times where they printed there were something like 150 or 200 tournaments a year on candlewood. Now that may be, but it is very misleading. Maybe 15 or 20 are big turnouts. One more thing, I've been seeing more d.e.p. officers at the candlewood ramps and they are pretty friendly towards anglers. I to agree the dep is on our side.
Candlewoodlakeguideservice.com 203-948-5054 Stop by my Facebook page and say hi!
Believe it or not, the majority of tourneys throughout the state of CT usually have from 5-20 participants. There are not all that many commercial tourneys, maybe the FLW which is going on now at the CT River is the biggest(with the most publicity) this year. The amount of tourneys at Candlewood is absolutely crazy!!! It's the biggest lake in CT, and one of the best fisheries in CT, loaded with huge SMB, LMB, and Walleye. I'm really surprised that the ramps aren't in worse condition. People come from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Mass., and R.I. to fish this lake. The supervision is quite consistant, so I wouldn't attempt any illegal tourneys on this lake (or any other). It could cost you your ability to recieve permits. Usually a 10 man tourney isn't a big deal, and if the lake or launch you want is occupied, someone at Inland Fisheries in Hartford could give you a list of what's available for that day and what may be more productive fish-wise. With a fax machine, you might even be able to get a last- minute touney approved in a few days (depending on the lake and launch and please don't quote me, I can't make any promises). I will also personally go out of my way to try to make it happen. I love to fish myself, so I understand the NEED. People who don't feel this way about fishing just don't understand.
#675115 - 07/10/0604:23 PM
Re: Tournament Fishing in CT: Act now or sit home and only watch them on TV
Get'R Done
Member
Registered: 07/16/02
Posts: 156
Loc: Bagram, Afghanistan
Wished D.E.P. would have been at the Squantz ramp yesterday afternoon for our weight in. What a mess. You would think that these people decided to come off the water at the same time as our weight in on purpose.
How about this, DEP put up a sign at the ramps stating that, "There is a permitted tournamenet taking place from this ramp today. The weight in time will be "????". Expect heavy ramp traffic during this time.
Get'r'done, I ran into that issue at Lattins last year. There were 3 total clubs trying to pull out as well as 6-7 boats/jet skis. It was a total mess. Our tourney ended at 3:00 and I didn't get my boat out of the water until 4:15 or something.
The bottom line with government having been involved in politics for more than 20 years is the squeaky wheel gets the grease. They DO take the path of least resistance as someone else already mentioned.
You can see it in the recent post concerning the mayhem at the Lake Housatonic ramp over the July 4th weekend with people taking up all the parking for boats with cars and one guy parking a minivan across 3 boating spots! No tickets issued, no minivan/cars towed. They didn't want to start a riot. So it's ok to violate others rights and the regulations in place if you represent a threat or would appear ready to cause havoc.
It couldn't be clearer, we do need to continually advocate for out rights, in whatever way possible or soon we'll have none!
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