For those of you that are not aware, the Houghton Lk. and surrounding areas are putting on the Find Wally and friends deal again! I'm not affiliated with this other than i'd like to get one or more of the tagged fish to turn in..lol.... But i guess the deal is that they have 30 tagged fish between Houghton, Higgins, and Lk. St. Helen. If you happen to catch one of the tagged fish you turn it in for a chanch to win $50,000. This is the 3rd year and i guess the closest anyone has come was a guy from Flint last year who caught a crappie in St. Helen ( I think ) and won a $50 dollar gas card ( again, I think ) But i just moved back to St. Helen and plan on doing some major fishing on this lake if my back will let me, and after i get a new trolling motor! ( I smoked mine on the 4th thanks to all the damn millfoil weeds we now have here) I do have a gas motor, but i want to have a back up way of getting back to the launch if god forbid something should happen to that..... I screwed up my back and dont think i could row back to shore!!!!!!!!!! But like i said i was out there on friday and caught some real nice eater crappies with no tags, I also caught a few nice pike and bass but i did'nt think to check them for tags before i threw them back[pirate][pirate][pirate][pirate][pirate] ( dumb A[shocked][shocked] ) I fished in the first lake the whole time concentrating on the edges of the WEED BEDS when i could find the edges..lol.... Hopfully i can get back out there with in a week or so and see what else i can come up with.... BTW, I was pitching small jigs with gulp minnows and white power grubs, the smaller the jig the better!!!!!!!!!!! Let me know how you other guys are doing here and the other lakes if possible..... Thanks Hammer
[signature]
I thought there was a time limit on catching the taged fish , I'll research it and find out for shure .
Houghton is just a hop skip and a jump away for me .
One
of my co-workers fishes it regularly for crappie , another just kayaks around on the lake.
Walleye fishing is going strong out on the bay 15 keepers in 3 hours the last time our group went out .
No tags though , maybe I'll give houghton a try , money' s money [cool]!!!!!
[signature]
The time limit is until the 15th of march 2009 then the money give away will be held at the maple valley resturaunt in april from what i understand. I think one of the web sites is houghtonlakefishing.com. I know theres a better one with more info but i guess i didn't save it like i thought i did... go figure....
I got a new electric motor yesturday and i'm hoping to get my daughter on the water today sometime...... Hopfully the weather keeps holding the way it is right now... Franks just sold the Endura 46 i was going for the day before so i was " forced" to buy the 50 lbs. I only have a 14 ft boat so it should work really well. Hell, i might be able to water ski with the kids in the boat with it....lol I'll let you guys know how i did.....
[signature]
well i hit St. Helen last night and got my ass handed to me by my daughter. She caught 12 of the 15 total fish we caught last night but it was a blast and now she is definitly addicted and she even got me up this morning wanting to go but it was raining and i got alot of things to do around the house today.. But no tagged fish were caught on our little excurtion! But i just read in the paper that the first tagged fish was caught in Houghton Lk near the weed beds. It was a rock bass taken on a dark green tube bait. The guys name was Wally something or other go figure. He says he going to come back and try to catch more tagged fish!
[signature]
Do they have a list of fish that were released ?
[signature]
thats a damn good question? I never thought to look into that, but i will thats for sure. I do remember something about lymans website saying something about "come on in and see what else is left" or something to that effect i beleive. after the artical i found about the guy catching the first marked fish of the year. I might even give my buddys from Houghton Lk. a call. I lived there for a few years while i attended Kirtland and did alot of fishing on that lake. I have got ten times the marks on my gps and hot maps on that lake then i have on lake st. helen, and i damn near grew up on this lake, but alot of it was shore fishing as a kid and renting a boat when i had the cash. I will get back with ya.
[signature]
ok, i just got a little more info from a buddy of mine in Houghton Lk. Most of the tagged fish in Houghton Lake will be walleyes. Lake St. Helen are mostly blue gills, and Higgins is Trout. Hopefully i'm not minimizing my chances at the $50'000 by telling you guys this little tid bit of info...lol... so be it, just remember my name when one of you guys win, i wll take cash, check, table scraps, anything you want to throw my way will be accepted!!!
][
][
]. Oh yeah, if you get a tagged fish you automatically get a $50.00 gas card to make it home on or use it to come back up in April to the maple vally resuraunt where you pick the envelope that will contain the check of $1,000 to $50,000. Good luck all
[signature]
If I win I will be sure to send you a stuffed easter egg.[:p]
is this one of them you have to be pressent to win events?
[signature]
anything you throw my way would be all good by me, depending on what the egg is stuffed with....lol
I'm pretty sure you have to be at the deal in april at maple vally. I think you have to pick an envelope to get your check. Supposedly theres one envelope that contains a 50000 dollar check in it. But if you catch a tagged fish they do give you a $50.00 gas card to get back there with....lol... Hell i was just in HL today, unfourtunitly not fishing like i wish i could have been, but they even sell shirts at wally world that say " where's wally, and wanted dead or alive" and things like that. I was in a hurry and didn't check them out but they caught my eye when i was waddling through the store as at high speed. I hate the place but its the only place that had what i needed damn it!!!!!!!!!
[signature]
[url "http://www.visithoughtonlake.com/walleye.html"]On May 24, 2008 Big Wally III and 18 of his closest friends were released into Michigan’s Other Great Lakes - Houghton Lake, Higgins Lake and Lake St. Helen. These tagged fish are waiting for you to catch them. Each fisherman catching a tagged fish will receive a $50.00 gas card and wins a place in the finals for a chance at $50,000 in April 2009 at Maple Valley Restaurant. This contest is open to anyone holding a current Michigan Fishing License. Just bring your tagged fish to Lyman’s on the Lake in Houghton Lake, Korbinski’s Marine in Prudenville, Malcomb’s
Tacklebox in St. Helen or the TeePee Motel and Restaurant in Roscommon for verification and you will be entered in the finals for a chance at $50,000.00.$50,000.00 prize will be awarded based on selection of two matching envelopes out of 20. Minimum prize payout will be $1,000.00. Each tagged fish caught during the season will win a gas card donated by a local merchant as designated by the tag number on the caught fish. By catching a tagged fish you will be automatically entered into the grand prize draw off to be held at Maple Valley Restaurant in April 2009. Each lucky fisherman will be given a key. One key will open a treasure chest containing 20 envelopes. Two matching envelopes must be drawn to win the $50,000.00 grand prize for the lucky angler. Minimum prize in the treasure chest will be $1,000.00, dinner for two at Maple Valley Restaurant. Complete contest rules are available by sending an e-mail request to: visithoughtonlake.com. [/url]
[left]Here’s the Rules:
1. Go fishing on Houghton Lake, Higgins Lake or Lake St. Helen between May 24, 2008 and March 15, 2009.
2. Have a great time with friends and family while enjoying a great fishing experience on Houghton Lake, Higgins Lake or Lake St. Helen - Michigan’s Other Great Lakes.
3. If you happen to catch Big Wally -- the tagged walleye or any of the other tagged fish - take him or one of his friends to Lyman’s on the Lake in Houghton Lake, Korbinski’s Marine in Prudenville or the TeePee Motel and Restaurant in Roscommon for verification.
4. Any one disobeying the rules will be disqualified.
5. Entry Fee: there is none.
6. State of Michigan Fishing rules will apply.
7. All decisions relating to the fishing contest by the Houghton Lake Area Tourism Bureau will be final.[/left]
[signature]
thanks bassass, thats one of the forms i saw, but there is another one stating there are 30 fish in all and this one states 18!!!! Maybe its the one from prior years that havnt been caught yet!
[signature]
No clue but I know its gonna be hard to win a gas card LOL .... good luck
[signature]
I've hit lake St. Helen twice since my last report. The fish have been very active and aggressive. I've really been fishing for blues and crappies but i did switch over to walleye for a little while yesterday morning after i noticed i was over one of my marked holes on my gps. I mannaged to get 3 keeper eyes and had two more throow backs out of that hole. When they shut down i went back to blues. I was using small slurps, 1\16 oz jigs. I did best on grey\black heads with white \ grey bodys, but every thing was working. I managed to bring home 29 nice blues, 3 crappie, and 2 perch with the walleyes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My friggin hands are sore from all the scaling and filleting last night........... I clean my blue gill a little differant than most people so it takes me a little longer but i have no bones so i dont have to worry bout the kids!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry no pics but i always seem to forget untill after they are cleaned........... oh yeah, no tags either damn it, i was realling looking forword to that gas card.......lol............ til the next time Hammer
[signature]