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| Anon,
Where did anyone say you must use your name we simply asked why you don't use your name? You will not get banned from this site simply because your opinion differs... in fact this has been a very intelligent, well mannered conversation....unlike on past boards where the posts were removed. If someone feels strongly on a subject they usually put the name behind it. I ask again are you affiliated with the MN tournaments in any way? I guess it really doesn't matter but I wonder why you have picked the PMTT and not other tournaments.
www.justwondering.com
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| Hi everyone, new member and first time user on this board.
While I do not fish the PMTT, I am a pro-tourney guy and also an MI member. But above all, I am a Sportsman who believes in getting as many people involved in our sport as possible. Tourneys help facilitate this.
Mr Anonymous, I am surprised at your last thread. Think about the money trail that Mr. Worrall pointed out and if you are correct that a small percentage of the funds collected thru Wallup-Breaux excise taxes on tackle and license revenues go to Muskie stocking, then it stands to reason you would want more people involved spending MONEY on TACKLE, LICENSES, ETC, to help Muskie stocking. Seems to me PMTT participants and anyone new getting involved in the sport because of the interest that big money tournaments garner, would be spending money on tackle and licenses in that state to help the local fishery. So what if the promoters of the tourney are middle men who may not be contributing to the resource. The world is full of middle men who produce a service and take a profit. Its free enterprise! But these same promoters bring us the tourney participants who do spend money in a given state and in-directly make the contribution. The fishery needs them! Remember individual sportsmen groups, especially MI, are too small to do it alone.
We all share a common denominator and that is Fishing; not just Muskie fishing. In this regard, through the Wallup-Breaux act and License sales (heck, even the panfisherman must buy a license and a small % of that helps Muskie fishermen) we are all helping each other. This is the only source of funding besides individual contributions that the DNR receives. No direct tax payer dollars so in a way, we Sportsmen are on our own. Why are we arguing; we should be uniting!
Look forward to chatting more with you.
Tony
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| Brian,
Mr. Anon #2, I believe? Sorry, starting to get confused by all the Anons.
Glad to hear you were amused by my comments but I assure you that was not my intent. Merely pointing out facts and to elaborate upon the merits of the Wallup-Breaux act and license fees that ALL ANGLERS must pay. I do not know the % of the excise tax dollars or the license fees sold in any one state that go strictly to Muskie stocking. As this fish is far less popular than other game fish among the angling community as a whole, I agreed with you and said it was probably low. That reinforces the point that more anglers buying licenses and tackle adds more funds to the fishery and proportionately, to the Muskie fishery. Whatever that % may be.
MI is a wonderful organization and has done alot to pioneer C&R and probably does more than any other private group to add to stocking efforts. Again, I am a member. But their stocking efforts are not the sole reason for the Muskie fishing success that is enjoyed today. The majority of the money needed to do this by the DNR is obtained mainly from the license fees & excise taxes on tackle that we spoke about earlier. Think about the revenues collected by the sale of licenses in the State of MN for example (many of them non-resident at higher rates) compared to dues and donations for stocking by MI membership nationwide. We are talking about millions of licenses compared to a stagnant MI membership of around 6500 anglers. Don't delude yourself into believing that MI is the only reason we enjoy what we do today. It is the collective fishing community of millions of anglers that helps out our meager numbers of Muskie nuts.
But all this aside, what I am really hearing by reading all the anti-PMTT posts is that Big Money Tournaments are bad; For Fun Tournaments are ok and this controversy seems to apply to waters in Minnesota. However, if the PMTT would give something to Minnesota Muskie stocking, then they too would be ok. Sorry, but I am sensing some selfishness here from certain folks merely guarding their home waters and looking for some kind of toll to be collected above and beyond what the DNR deems fit.
Tony
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| Just one thought on DNR dollars and muskie management (and I'm staying MILES away from the rest of this stuff, thank you very much [;)] ).
This number is a year or so old as I recall, but the DNR spends maybe 2-3% of the fisheries budget on muskie management. Before anyone gets up in arms over the low number, consider the return on investment there - Mille Lacs, Bemidji, Miltona, Big Detroit, Alexander, the Metro waters, Vermilion, and the other lakes around the state that are 'new' muskie lakes that came to be as a result of the management program, not to mention improved managment on natural muskie lakes like Leech and Cass. The DNR has doubled the number of muskie lakes in the state on a shoestring. Compare that number to the trout and salmon program, which takes a much larger percentage of the pie, and serves a much much smaller section of the angling public, the MN muskie program is a freaking bargain.
Something to keep in mind...
Cheers,
RK |
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| Cart in front of the horse here, guys. The tournaments out there give back to the resource if they want to, but in no way are required to in Wisconsin or Minnesota.
FSF, the entry money from the anglers is what they are fishing for ( their OWN money, kinda a rip, isn't it?), the tournaments are there to promote muskie products and 'make money' for the organization, and are a business, plain and simple. Conservation funds are raised from the money collected from entry fees in most cases, so the anglers pay for that, too. Just the way it is. If the Tournament businesses are run poorly, the anglers don't fish them, and they fail.
Fishing is where it is today because of the industry and businesses that promote, develop, and market the products you as muskie fishermen use. I am not stating this because I am in the business, I am stating this because it is a FACT!
Tournaments are a vehicle for the anglers, boat builders, tackle builders, rod builders, and others in the business to promote the sport, and their particular interest in it. Football existed in a form for hundreds of years, too, but the Packers are a product of the industry that has grown from what used to be a bunch of guys kicking a ball around in a field. If you play football, or are a fan, which would you rather have....there is the 'philosophical' angle.
Industry, promotion, and the average angler are all interconnected. Whether you buy your gear at Wallmart or a specialty shop, you have taken part in the machine that is the fishing industry, and paid you taxes that go back to the fishery, too.
By the way, I was a judge in the Cass Lake Event this year, and felt Mr. Hartman ran a very classy event, with AMPLE care for the fish, and for the fishermen. There were enough judges in my opinion, as several times I headed for a radio call at 65 MPH in my grid to find a judge from the next grid already measuring the fish. Just my experience there, at that event. |
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| Geeeze, Anon, that's too bad...look into Ditech.com, they may be able to help.[:bigsmile:] [:bigsmile:] |
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| That IS fortunate. I make sure of the same thing, personally and on a corporate level. The company I work for has strongly supported Muskies Inc and other groups financially and in other ways for over 25 years.
I support projects like the Pewaukee Lake Telemetry study, stocking and other efforts, fund raisers for Muskies, Inc, etc.
I speak for many clubs and at shows over the year, and last year split the speaker fees I charged between the Milwaukee Chapter of Muskies, Inc, and the Ashton Fund. Didn't come out to millions, but I still felt good about it.
I was at a Rollie and Hellen's Muskie Tournament where the tournament director gave the DNR a very nice check for return to the area resources, and have seen the MWC do the same to the tune of many thousands over the years with walleye tourneys, so this is not a unique concept at all.
I also have seen the Anglers at the Christian's Lakeview Inn Kevin Worrall Memorial event dig into thier pockets and give individually up to hundreds of dollars ( matched by the event!!) for the Kevin Worrall Memorial, which goes to the Ronald McDonald Charities.
Overall, Muskie anglers, whether they are fishing in a tournament or not, are pretty generous folks!![:)] |
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| #97 I like Muskies Inc. Tournaments just as much as I like the PMTT. |
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| Brian,
Geeeeeeee why don't you say whats on your mind. I don't mean to offend you or others but I have a feeling you don't like the tournaments or is it the P.M.T.T. you are angry about. I have not figured it out.
If minnesota does not want to give a permitt they won't give it and thats the bottom line, If a permit was obtained falsely I am sure they would revole it.
I think there has been way too much said in the form of speculation and permits and who gets them and how.
I certainly don't believe that any laws were broken knowing they were doing it.
I guess the dead horse is still going to whipped on.
Don Pfeiffer
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| Not to worry Don...from the looks of it, there is most likely a whole corral of Circus Ponies just waiting to be spanked! Now hand me a stick.....[:0] [:sun:] |
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