Balsam Lake Pike Ice Tournament?

Hi Guys,

As a member of Muskies Canada, i did present the idea of a catch and keep tournament on Balsam lake.

I wanted to present this idea here to see if this would gain traction.

My Idea:

To fish Balsam Lake, Mitchell Lake, Sturgeon Lake

Everyone keeps their limits of pike even if they do not plan on eating them

Volunteer Fish Cleaning for a Donation service for those who do not wish to keep their pike and bring the fillets to local food banks to serve to those in need (if they will accept them).

Prize table for those who would like to purchase tickets, proceeds of ticket sales to go towards a local charity

Prize table for those who enter their catch and the top x amount are entered into a draw to win a prize, based on total length of limit caught.

*All prizes for the table will be purchased from local bait shops to help them out during the pandemic.*

Either 1 day on a weekend, or a full Friday-Sunday event mid-late february to ensure ice is safe

Goal:
1. to help local charities by either raising money through the entry fees and prize table tickets and/or pike fillets to serve to those in need (if they will accept the donation), and the fee to

2. Raise awareness and put a hurting on the invasive pike populations and help people understand the difference between pike and muskie and the negative impact pike can have on muskies

3. Spread the love of Ice Fishing

Any thoughts or interest? Ive been thinking about this for a few years and would love to actually organize it.

Dmorrs

Sound like great idea. Winner, winner pike dinner. A day/weekend of fishing, and the process goes to local charity. I would be interested in hear more. May have a few more people who may be i terested.

Agreed...great idea. However, this year is a no-go for me with a newborn (so far, no fishing at all and unlikely to get out until maybe a remote chance nearer the end of the season but unlikely). I suspect local food banks may not be too willing to take the meat just in case of hygiene, etc., issues that they can't control but no harm to ask or if someone knows someone who works at a food bank and maybe able to let them feel more at ease with fresh fish meat. Would love to see this happen and continue into later years when I can participate.

Hey Flukes,

This wouldnt likely happen until next year. i will be planning this with a buddy of mine over the next 8 months. Looking for sponsors and everything too.

Congrats on the new born!

Dmorrs

Two problems I see.
1- There is no way a tournament will do anything to control the pike invasion.
2- Making it a keep all fish even though they have no intention to eat the fish would encourage the illegal spoilage of edible fish.

count me and my buddy in and my be a few more of my friends

I don't do ice fishing, but I've passed it along to one of my friends who does it at his family cottage on Jack Lake. I'll let you know if he's interested because he has several friends who are just as avid about hard water season as he is.

That didn't take long!! He responded that he has been thinking about organizing something like this for a while. Won't have a concrete answer for a few days because he's moving from Pickering to Peter Patch tomorrow. I gave him the details and told him to just join the forum and contact you directly.

Fellow member of Muskies Canada - I think its a great idea.

Anything to raise awareness about the invasion of pike and the grim prospect its presents for Kawartha musky fishing.

Have to agree with Woodsman. Encouraging keep and kill of 'invasive' gamefish is futile when it comes to slowing the spread of Pike, and brings out the worst in sportfisherman. While Muskie may be a prized gamefish to some, we cannot artificially influence their space in an ecosystem. Encourage people to eat lawfully caught pike, while releasing Muskies, is the only strategy worth implementing, IMO. I'm not a fan of tournaments anyway.

Usually, not a fan of tournaments but am a fan of encouraging people to eat invasives, even if a prized game fish elsewhere where it's endemic. Messing with the system? Well, that is why we have pike being invasives so that was already done. Maybe the effort won't put much of a dent on the pike numbers but it is the educational aspect that may have a much longer effect (if not for this system, maybe to prevent another invasion by intentional or unintentional introductions by people).
One thing that I have never understood (maybe someone who actually know can answer) is why there are any limits (seasonal closure maybe easier to understand to prevent unintentional fishing of similar OOS species as well) placed on invasive species when the aim is to reduce their numbers? With no limits, it may encourage many more fishers to go and catch and keep invasive pike...which, by the way, is also similar to crappie invasions of many lakes (people tend to forget that species because so many people like catching and eating them).

Okay...makes sense. Understand how something like this needs a good deal of work to get off the ground. And thanks. Hopefully, he will love to fish as well.

@ Flukes I had a call with the relevant rep of the MNR on this. Essentially, they didn't think anyone catches more than 6 pike a day on Balsam, and it takes some work on their part to compile a scientific case for raising the limit.

They said they had pretty much exhausted all means of stopping the invasion. Some sort of net and electric field or something around the locks.

This is a great idea. A Bait shop out my way hosts both an open water and hard water pike tournament on Crowe each year for the pike cull. There isn’t any meat spoilage either. Fish are cleaned and meat is donated. Draws and prizes for both kids and adults. Always a great time. Again, great idea guys and run with it!

@ Flukes I had a call with the relevant rep of the MNR on this. Essentially, they didn't think anyone catches more than 6 pike a day on Balsam, and it takes some work on their part to compile a scientific case for raising the limit.

They said they had pretty much exhausted all means of stopping the invasion. Some sort of net and electric field or something around the locks.

yes, more than 6 is not often, but 2 or more is quite possible. Why is there the conservation limit of 2 then? At least it should be 6.

On the other side those who know spots that hold primarily pike post it here and on Facebook. You may see a dent
I will not give away few spots I fish though.