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Posts: 136
| A small but interesting piece of MN outdoors history.
Times sure have changed. Nowhere is this more evident than with the Twin Cities Chapter’s Muskies Inc. Frank Schneider Jr. Memorial Tournament. The first tournament was held forty years ago. Back then it was known as the Muskies Inc. International Tournament. There were no Muskies Inc. chapters – only one group that has become Chapter 1. Back then there was a division for kept muskies. Back then when a good muskie was released by a contestant everyone thought that person was nuts! Back then you could fish all night. Back then under a hundred people participated in the tournament.
To appreciate how this event has changed it helps to look back at its humble beginnings. The first tournament was held in 1967 the weekend after Labor Day. Tournament waters included seven lakes that are part of the Cass Lake chain. Today the tournament is still held the weekend after Labor Day, but it has grown to include twenty-one bodies of water in the Cass Lake, Leech Lake, Longville, and Bemidji area of northern Minnesota.
When the tournament started there was a Weight Division and a Good Sportsman Division for fish released. In the early days few fish were released and the muskies harvested were kept on ice until the Sunday awards ceremony. By the time the sixth tournament was held, the number of fish released surpassed the number of fish kept and eventually the Weight Division was dropped. Today, the event is a total release tournament and every fish goes back in the water following the Muskies Inc. catch and release philosophy.
In the first tournaments the Weight Division and the Good Sportsman Division each had a Lund boat and Balco trailer as first prize. The boats and trailers were donated by the companies involved. Today, each angler who registers a legal-sized muskie is entered in a drawing for the Grand Prize, typically a boat, motor and trailer package. The days of donations on that scale are long gone. Today the grand prize must be purchased by the tournament committee.
In the early days fishing started on Friday half an hour before sunrise and lasted until noon on Sunday. You could fish all night if you wanted to and some did. Today, because of the pressure of so many other tournaments and DNR recommendations, tournament hours are from 7 am to 7 pm on Friday and Saturday and 7 until 10:30 am on Sunday.
Tournament hats given to each contestant are a long-standing tradition of this event. When first introduced, the hats – usually a bright color – served as an aid in identifying other anglers in the tournament. To register a released fish, a contestant had to have it witnessed by a contestant from another boat. With the bright-colored hats it was easy to spot a potential witness. Today, fish may be witnessed by an angler in your boat, but contestants are required to submit a photo of themselves wearing their tournament hat and holding the fish.
For many years the tournament included Friday night hot dog and bean feeds at the four corners of the tournament area; Walker, Cass, Federal Dam, and Longville. As the tournament grew the logistics of planning gave way to two feeds. Eventually, due to lack of interest the Friday Night Feeds were cancelled.
In 2000 the tournament was renamed to honor Frank Schneider, Jr., a long-time Twin Cities chapter member who dedicated his life to improving fisheries and promoting fishing and other conservation efforts throughout the state of Minnesota. Muskie fishing in Minnesota would not be what it is without Frank. He did a lot of work on behalf of the state’s fisheries and sportsmen and women with the Minnesota legislature.
Frank was a big supporter of the tournament and always participated. In 1978 he almost won the tournament. At 9 am on the first morning of fishing Frank was casting into the bullrushes on Rice Lake. When a fish crushed his bait he knew he had a big one. After weighing in at 32 pounds, 6 ounces it looked to be the winning fish until Dave Shafer caught a fish with only a half hour left in the tournament. Dave’s fish outweighed Frank’s fish by two ounces. That fish was the last one Frank ever kept. However, he never lost his love for battling a big fish just as he never lost his love for a good political battle.
On September 7th when the 40th Frank Schneider, Jr. Memorial Muskie Tournament kicks off, it will serve as a symbol of the changes that have taken place within Muskies Inc., muskie fishing in Minnesota, and the attitude towards preserving a quality fishery throughout North America. This tournament has maintained the legacy of a commitment to improving the sport of muskie fishing.
While many things about this tournament have changed throughout the past forty years, many things have remained the same. The tournament is still held the Friday, Saturday and Sunday after Labor Day. Contestants are still invited to a noon banquet on Sunday before the Awards Ceremony. Many, many door prizes are still awarded to contestants on Sunday. And most importantly, proceeds from the tournament continue to help the Twin Cities Chapter in its efforts to protect and promote muskie fishing in the state. At the Awards Ceremony the Twin Cities Chapter will issue a check for $3000 to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Today, the Frank Schneider, Jr. Memorial Tournament has grown to be one of the worlds largest muskie tournaments including 21 lakes with upwards of 650 contestants annually. It has become a tradition among anglers who participate. Many of them have been fishing in the tournament for years.
The 2007 grand prize package is a Triton 202 with 115 hp Mercury motor. The tournament is open to all with reasonable fees – $30 for junior contestants and $70 adults if purchased before the tournament. Tickets can be purchased on line at www.twincitiesmuskiesinc.org/tournament through August 30. They can also be purchased in person ($75 adults) on Thursday, September 6 in Walker at Reed’s Family Outfitters, and in Longville at Jerry’s One Stop.
Join us this year for the 40th year of this event.
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Posts: 2384
Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot | Just needed to make a correction. The 202 Triton will have a 115 Suzuki 4 stroke instead of a Merc. Just a miscommunication with the mfg. | |
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Muskies Inc. Frank Schneider Jr. Memorial Tournament