FISH LAKE PERCH TOURNAMENT

[bulldogslc]

Anyone else interested in the Fish Lake Perch Tourney on Jan. 21? I've never fished that lake nor have i ever ice fished before, but I'm definitely interested.
[signature]

[SBennett]

I am already signed up.

Go, it is definitely a blast!
[signature]

[bulldogslc]

Nice! I didn't see anything a registration fee....is it free to register?
[signature]

[gmanhunter]

Yes it is free. Its a lot of fun too. Just keep in mind there are over 1,500 people who show up to it. Just remember to be patient and kind to your fellow fisherman. There are times you are fishing next to others in tight places.This is its third year, and if you want to see a little bit of what your in for, watch some of the videos on you tube. The guys who put this on do a great job, and the prizes are some of the best out of any free tournaments that I have ever fished in.
[signature]

[SBennett]

Everything gmanhunter said is correct.
I might add, do not be late because parking can become difficult.
My wife and I took our camper down early last year and camped right by the lake, it was awesome. This year if weather permits I am going down two days early and staying until sunday afternoon.
Another note of caution, many will bring family members who do not respect the proper 'techniques' and etiquette of ice fishing. Most of the fishing is in 8-20 fow. Just expect when you catch fish you will get neighbors that will move in on you way too close. Worse yet, the football/frisbee/ice skates/etc will come out and in that shallow of water your fishing will slow down.
My advice, do whatever it takes to put distance between you and anyone else.
The Forest Service and the UDWR deserve huge kudos for this exceptional event.
[signature]

[PBH]

[quote SBennett]
Another note of caution, many will bring family members who do not respect the proper 'techniques' and etiquette of ice fishing. ...you will get neighbors that will move in on you way too close. Worse yet, the football/frisbee/ice skates/etc will come out and in that shallow of water your fishing will slow down.
My advice, do whatever it takes to put distance between you and anyone else. [/quote]


I guess my advice to Bennett is to remember that this is a fishing derby that attracts a ton of attention. If you are trying to put distance between yourself and anyone else -- THEN THIS IS THE WRONG DAY TO FISH!

This is a fun tournament. It is a family friendly tournament in which people should expect a large social atmosphere. If kids (and adults!) are tossing a football or frisbey, or out enjoying some iceskating, I would recommend to join in on the fun!
If people notice you catching fish and they start to encroach on your area -- they are doing it because they aren't catching fish! Instead of being a Scrooge, help those people catch some fish!

Again, this is a fun event with a large crowd of people. If you want solitude, don't go to the Fish Lake on perch tournament day.

I think I'll take a football this year and toss it with my brothers while the kids fish.
[signature]

[bulldogslc]

Thanks for the advice...we're thinking of bringing down two teams (since there will be 4-6 of us) and none of us has done a lick of ice fishing before. Any other expectations? What is a respectable distance from other fishers. I'm as mindful as I can be to other anglers, but is the etiquette for ice fishing different from summer time? Is there just one hole allowed per team or do each angler use their own? And more importantly.....I need advice on how to catch fish! Ha ha! Once again...thank you for all the advice and details. - Cheers
[signature]

[SBennett]

Fish Lake is an amazing place just not to fish but to just be there. FL is in my top 3 favorite places to wet a line.
Catching perch is easy as long as you stay in the weedbed( milfoil) that rings the entire lake. The milfoil is an invasive plant that grows from the shoreline to about 20' depth of water.
Ideally, finding a open pocket in the milfoil is ideal and not difficult. There are roughly 4.5 million perch in FL and if you don"t get bit within a minute just move around slightly till you find a pocket.
Have you been to FL before?
Using Kastmaster/ice fly droppers is guaranteed. A Swedish Pimple and even a 1/8 ounce jig will work.
Take some waxies or worms to ice your first fish but then switch over to a strip of fresh perch belly and you are going to catch plenty.
[signature]

[SBennett]

P,

You are highly educated and respected for all you do.
Calling me Scrooge because I choose to fish for reasons different from yours is un-called for.

Have a great day, Bennett
[signature]

[Jedidiah]

I'm the first to argue for respecting space but at this tournament it's just not going to happen. There's been over 2000 people on the ice for this thing before and they're all on the 60-80 foot wide ring of milfoil around the lake.

bulldogslc, if you don't already have an auger you should get one, it's really just a friendly derby but if you don't have one you might have a hard time getting someone to punch holes for you. Always put the cover on your auger when not in use, they are incredibly sharp and will slice through multiple layers of rubber/clothing without much effort at all. If you forget and the worst that happens is you have someone make a pair of waterproof boots non-waterproof, you'd be lucky.
[signature]

[PBH]

[quote bulldogslc]Thanks for the advice...

none of us has done a lick of ice fishing before. Any other expectations? What is a respectable distance from other fishers.
Is there just one hole allowed per team or do each angler use their own? And more importantly.....I need advice on how to catch fish! [/quote]

This is a fantastic opportunity to introduce ice fishing to people who have never done it! You'll get a ton of advice from others, so compile it all and use what you want. Throw the rest away! here's my advice:

A. Look for all the other anglers, then go join them! There are multiple reasons why they will be in the areas they are in, including: good fishing, ice safety, access, advice, football, socializing...

B. You may have multiple holes per person. You can legally fish with two rods. I'd make sure to have 5 - 6 holes that I can rotate depending on where the fish are biting.

C. perch at Fish Lake are easy. As mentioned previously, fish in or very near the weeds. At Fish Lake, the weeds grow out to about 20 - 25 feet of water, then end. If there is snow on the ice, then watch to see where all the other anglers are punching holes, and drill some of your own at around the same distance from the shore. If there is no snow on the ice, you'll be able to see exactly where the weedline ends, or where there are holes in the weeds. Tackle: use anything small and tip it with meal or wax worms. You can also use perch as bait at Fish Lake -- so that is an option as well. Cut up a perch into small pieces and tip your jig / lure with some of that. Again, anything small will work.

D. Augers. You do not need to spend a ton of money on an auger. You can pick up hand-drill augers for reasonable prices. They work great as long as the blades are sharp. NEVER bang the blades on the ice -- as tempting as it might be for beginners to do so, never, ever, ever, try to bang those blades to start a hole. Just place the blades on the ice and start to turn. With sharp blades, they will cut easily through the ice. The fastest way to dull your blades is to bang them on the ice -- this will turn a fun day of fishing into a painful day of drilling.

Also, in years past, there have been plenty of other people, as well as the DWR, that are more than willing to punch holes for people. There should also be plenty of abandoned holes that you could fish if you have no other way to punch a hole.

E. If someone gets too close to you, offer them a cup of hot chocolate, or maybe offer some advice on what the fish are biting -- maybe offer for them to use some of the holes you are not fishing in. Don't be a scrooge!


Finally -- make a sacrifice to the wind gods so that the wind does not blow. With no wind and a sunny day, you can sit on the ice in shirt-sleeves and have a wonderful day. If the wind blows, make sure to secure your gear! Don't leave kids sitting in a tent or sled that isn't anchored properly, or you just might end up losing them!
[signature]

[wagdog]

SBennett gave you some great tips. The key is to take some bait to catch a perch or two and then cut that sucker up for bait. You'll catch more perch, rainbows, and splake on that perch meat. I had good luck using a variety of lures the last few times I hit Fish Lake through the ice. I used everything from small ratfinkee style lures with a Kastmaster as a flasher to larger jigs tipped with perch meat. Perch colored lures worked well for me as well as most anything pink or white. The perch hang around the weeds but a few will venture out into 20+ FOW where the rainbows cruise through. I've found splake at that same depth but for the most part they seem to hang out in deeper water. I caught splake consistently on one trip at 40-55 FOW. A flasher or fish finder is your friend. Good luck.
[signature]

[bulldogslc]

Awesome advice guys! I send my utmost gratitude and respect. I'm glad this tourney caught my eye as a ice fishing noob. I really appreciate the tips as well. I will be printing everything out and studying them, so I'll look like I know what I'm doing. I found a $20 used hand auger that I'll take somewhere to see if they'll sharpen the blades and keep an eye out for a cheap shelter. I'm really appreciative of all the help y'all have offered and I hope to see ya out there! - Cheers
[signature]

[PBH]

[quote bulldogslc]I found a $20 used hand auger that I'll take somewhere to see if they'll sharpen the blades and keep an eye out for a cheap shelter. [/quote]

Save the $20, and the additional money you'll need to replace the blades. Just go to Cabelas and spend $50 on a new (with new blades!) hand auger:

http://bfy.tw/8vJA

Sportsmans Warehouse has them for $50 as well.



shelters. People love them. You see them everywhere. But you don't need one. Again, much depends on the weather -- if the weather is nice, why in the world would you want to hide in your shelter?? If budget is an issue, I wouldn't waste a dime on a shelter. I'd go enjoy the outdoors!

That brings up rods too -- many people like to use "ice fishing" rods. I don't. I use the same rods that I use the rest of the year. I don't know why I'd use anything else. Also to consider: lake trout. I sure wouldn't want to have a 20# lake trout take my ratfinkee tipped with a wax worm on a mini-icefishing rod!

You don't need special gear to ice fish. Just use what you already have. Steal your kids toboggan to haul your gear, and sit on a bucket. If you enjoy it (ice fishing) then you can start buying more specialized gear (shelters, flashers / sonars, propane augers, ice fishing chairs, side-by-side with track conversion kit....)


KISS
Keep It Simple, Stupid.
[signature]

[bulldogslc]

Now that's sound advice....and thank you for the budget advice as well...the shelter is probably a no deal. I'm just keeping an eye out if I can find one dirt cheap. It was just to try and keep Mama comfortable. If she's happy and having fun, then the more I can drag her out the lake [cool]
[signature]

[SBennett]

Bulldog,
If you live near Riverton feel free to drop by my house one night.
I have a heated shop and I have my gear and a shelter set up you can check out if you like.
I have been ice fishing for perch since the late 80's and I am a cheapskate and can show you what has worked for me at Fish Lake, Deer Creek, Jordanelle, Yuba, Starvation, Oneida, Utah Lake, Mantua, Bear River, Pineview, Cascade, Echo, Jordan River, etc., you get the idea......
[signature]

[SBennett]

Bulldog, I will make you a sweet deal....
I will give you some perch stuff for free if you promise to leave your football at home and attend the Fishing Tournament to actually fish.
[signature]

[bulldogslc]

I live in SLC so I might can swing that...not until after Christmas though...I'm working 12 hour days 7 days a week keeping track of UPS trucks until then. I may take you up on that afterwards
[signature]

[bulldogslc]

And you got a deal SBennett....I really want to catch some fish and I'm more of a soccer fan anyways
[signature]

[SBennett]

Let's get together after Christmas.
P.S. I lived in Britain for a few years. Those 'footballs' aren't allowed either, j/k.
I actually don't have a problem with footballs.
My problem is the humans that squeeze up to someone catching fish, then can't catch fish, then get out the football but not moving away from the guy originally catching fish. That is the breach of fishing etiquette I was first referring too.
If a guy is seriously interested in catching fish, my auger and tacklebox are open for his use.
[signature]