Another Unlicensed Tournament Caught at West Boggs

[MikeAxsom]

Park Rangers at West Boggs cited another unlicensed fishing tournament on Saturday, April 28, 2007. Rangers located the organizer of the event during a weigh-in after having received information from other anglers that were participating in a licensed tournament the same day. The unlicensed event was being held by a club from the Marion County area of Indiana which is affiliated with the Indiana B.A.S.S. Federation Nation. The person organizing the event was in possession of a copy of the property’s 2007 tournament regulations, and offered no plausible excuse for his actions. He was barred from the property for one year, and advised that his presence during that time will result in a charge of trespass. The club was also barred from participation in West Boggs tournaments during 2007 and 2008. Once again, we thank the dedicated and contentious sportsmen who participated in the licensed tournament event that day, and especially those that took the time to report the illegal activity that was taking place.

West Boggs has a long history of offering a quality tournament experience for a wide range of groups that participate in approximately 40 licensed events each year. The failure of other groups to know or follow the same rules the licensed groups do is something that is increasingly viewed negatively by legally operated clubs that deserve better from fellow anglers.

[lov2fish]

Mike, sure wish ya would post their names and add a little more embarassment for their actions. Rules are rules and should be followed by all.
My wife and I along with a few other friends will be @ Boggs the weekend before the 4th. of July for some camping fun. If have time, swing in and see us.




Ray Rigby

[bkehl]

I sure hope the Federation National has been notified about this clubs actions.

[MikeAxsom]

Mike, sure wish ya would post their names and add a little more embarassment for their actions. Rules are rules and should be followed by all.
My wife and I along with a few other friends will be @ Boggs the weekend before the 4th. of July for some camping fun. If have time, swing in and see us.
Ray Rigby

Ray, I will look for you that weekend. On posting people's names, I am considering actually having a running list of all violations put on our own website, but that will also have to be run past our legal beagles. On this group, I will tell you that if you look at the Indy area and think about a club which is named for a community a little north and west of Indy proper, you'll be very close to knowing who was involved.

I have not made this an issue with either for the two new groups that were formed from the breakup of the BASS industry. In the past two weekends we have caught clubs affiliated with both sides, so neither of them seems to be more or less involved than the other. My hope is that both groups read these posts and take some steps to write some consequences for such activity into their own rules. As all resource managers get better educated to the issues, I think the future of the tournament industry will hinge on the ability of the groups to police their own organizations. If they can’t or won’t, the time will come when tournaments will become increasingly less welcome everywhere. I know that no one likes increasing permitting fees, but the more we have to have Rangers out there to keep renegades off the backs of the legitimate activities, the more it is going to cost everyone. And the more it costs, the more friction there will be between organizers and managers; and cooperation will suffer.

[skeeter sf150sx]

Mike,
I think it is great that rules are made and enforced. However I just wish the money being made off the all the tournments being held at our public waters would be invested back into stocking the lakes or enhancing our tournament waters. I know the last tournament I attended at Monroe the DNR officers were there to get their money for ramps fees and they sure let us know about all the off the limit areas and that we would get a minimum $500 fine being in one. And then at weigh ins our tournament director let all the bass anglers know that he spent 3 hours the night before picking up 2 bags worth of trash and then he had to go out and buy straw to cover up all the mud where the shelter house was and even sanded graffitie off tables. When lakes charge large fees to hold tournments they don't relize that need to show something for the fees. At least welcome the anglers by cleaning up areas that are to be used ( bathrooms & wiegh in area) The state charges fees and it only discourages Indiana anglers from fishing home waters and haveing tournaments in home waters. People don't relize that Indiana is the worst state when it comes to sport fishing. They need to take a page form KY,AR,TN,or MS. My Club never pays any fees when have small tournments out their lakes. Just my 2 cents - Don't mean to offend anyone I Know your trying.

And by the way those are some nice boat docks at patoka newton stewart ramp. But of course the Got2loveit tournament director was responsible for raiseing the money and getting the permission to install them. Not the STATE as what most people believe. Where is the $ going? Hopefully not to those DNR people sitting on there ace at the boat ramps. We could fire them and just add that fee on to all the other state fees when we get our lisence for our boats & Trailers. I would rather see more game wardens - I have been fishing public waters for 7 years and have never been checked for a Fishing lisence, but I get checked for that little ramp sticker every time I go to Patoka or Monroe. What gives? Are our trailes hurting that ramp that have been there since the lake was built? surely it is paid for?

[skeeter sf150sx]

Come on guys what are your thoughts. I am not the only one thinking this am I?

[MikeAxsom]

Skeeter sf150sx, I normally don’t reply here anymore to people who appear to want to attack resource managers over fees, but you seem to have some honest concerns, so I’ll share my perspective.

First, West Boggs, which is the subject of this thread, is not owned and operated by DNR. It is a county park property. While the fishery itself is managed with assistance from DNR, the tournament policies here are local ordinance, not state law; therefore are enforced by Park Rangers but not Conservation Officers. The state officers are often here enforcing game and fish laws, and state boating laws, for which we are very grateful. Your comment about never being checked for a fishing license does not sound like you have visited here, because the local ICO’s check those often.

I will not try to answer the questions about what tournament anglers get for their money on DNR properties; and I am not even sure what those fees are these days. But here it is necessary to obtain a permit from the parks department to hold any type of tournament. When applying for a permit, organizers pay a $10 0 fee for holding a money tournament. The fee for each angler fishing in a tournament is set and collected by the organizer that holds the permit and we do not get involved in that aspect of tournaments. But those entry fees and payouts are what separates money tournaments from points-only tournaments, and makes the former a commercial activity under our regulations. Clubs holding a points-only tournament do not have to pay the $100 fee, but still are required to apply for and obtain a permit. The department will only issue one permit for any given day.

It is a mistake to think there is a special fee for fishing in a money tournament at West Boggs. Anglers fishing tournaments here pay the exact same boating and park entrance fees as everyone else and are subject to the same local and state regs. That they choose to also give money to enter into a contest being staged by a person who holds a commercial tournament permit is a voluntary thing on their part. Having the privilege to legally conduct that commercial activity on the public property, as the only such activity on that given day, is what the permit holder is paying for. It is the theft of that privilege that makes un-permitted tournament operators unwelcome to both managers and the operators that try to do this right.

[lov2fish]

Skeeter, I think you have a legitimate question, but it doesn't apply to Boggs. It is a county owned lake/park unlike, Monroe,Patoka and other state owned lakes. I think the IDNR is making great progress in the right direction but it takes time. The lake pass for instance. Before they created it some of the boats @ Monroe and other larger lakes only paid the one day $5.00 per day fee and than kept their boats in docks on the lake and skirted paying anymore money the rest of the year, or they would launch through the week and pay nothing. Now they get caught without one and they get a fine. It is starting to even out and everyone is being held accountable for use of the water.

As for Tournaments? I believe we should have to pay to play. I think the new teired system for permits with the IDNR is fair. Yes we all use the water, fishermen and recreation boaters alike, but we are the only group who uses the resources in the lake and we should be held accountable for the management of the fishery. Some of the Tournament directors are starting to be aware of issues and are addressing it accordingly. Bill @ the Got2Loveit has probably got some of the best rules concerning creel limits and penalties for weighing of dead fish. All Tournament directors can learn from Bill.

You have to remember, the IDNR was a good ole boy network for so long it will take some time to start seeing some progress. Under the last three Democrat administrations the IDNR was not an important branch of Government and was treated as such. Money got tight, the IDNR paid the price for it through budget cut's and programs hacked or abolished. I ain't real fond of some of Mitch Daniels idea's, but he is atleast keeping the IDNR off the chopping blocks and is letting the head of the department run it accordingly. They're has probably been more changes this year concerning fish management and creative budget ideas than there has been the last 10 years combined.



Ray Rigby

[skeeter sf150sx]

Thanks for the response. That at least enlightens me a little bit. I think West boggs is a great lake to fish however I have only fished there maybe 4 times in my life. Mainly because they just don't have many big money tourneys there. I didn't relize it was a county lake and it makes total sense the steps you take with the permits and all. I believe the DNR charges $10 or $15 a boat.
Anyways thanks for the response Mike - I have to try to learn something everyday.

Ray - I just wish the DNR would use the Bass and Crappie tournaments to help stock super bass and Crappie in our lakes instead of all these Walleye, stripers, and others which is great don't get me wrong but bass and crappie tournaments is what brings $ in to the community. Evansville tried to Got2loveit tournment to come the riverfront. Bill met with them and found out there just wasn't much for them to offer.
thanks
Matt is my name by the way.