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WALLEYES FOREVER E-NEWSLETTER From www.WalleyesForever.com No. 1: 11-20-06 Fishing tourney dates proposed for 2007 are open for public comment Montana Fish, Wildlife and
Parks is seeking public comment on 2007 open-water fishing contests proposed
for spring, summer, and fall across all seven FWP regions for species
including walleyes, bass, northern pike, perch, lake trout and catfish. Contest participants must
comply with all applicable fishing regulations, including daily and
possession limits. Comments will be accepted
until Dec. 18 by mail to: FWP-Fisheries Division, Attn: Public Comment on
Fishing Derbies, Box 200701, Helena, MT 59620-0701, or by email: npodolinsky@mt.gov . Proposed contests include: Region 1 March 16, April 13 (Fri,
Sat, Sun) : Spring Mack Days on Flathead Lake April 21 & 22: Montana BASS Federation Qualifier on Noxon Rapids Reservoir May 5 & 6: Noxon Open Team
Tournament on Noxon Rapids Reservoir May 19 & 20: Koocanusa Resort and Marina Fifth Annual Fishing Derby on
Lake Koocanusa June 23: Ross W. Merzke Memorial
Fishing Tourney on Whitefish Lake July 7 & 8: Annual Tobacco Valley Rod & Gun Club Fishing
Derby on Lake Koocanusa July 14 & 15: IEBC Bass Club Tournament on Noxon Reservoir July 28 & 29: Tri-State Tournament on Noxon
Rapids Reservoir August 4 & 5: 9th Annual Great Montana "Mac
Attack" on Flathead Lake August 11: Douglas E Crowell Memorial Perch Assault Middle &
Lower Thompson Lakes August 18 & 19, 25 & 26, Sept. 1 & 2, 8 & 9:
Whitefish Jig Fest on Flathead Lake Sept. 28 - Oct. 19 (Fri, Sat, Sun): Fall Mack Days on Flathead
Lake Region 2 Jun 9: Misterpike.com Classic on Salmon Lake, Seeley Lake Region 3 July 14: Livingston Kids Trout Derby at Livingston Lagoon Region
4 June 2: Canyon Ferry Carp Safari on Canyon Ferry Reservoir June 8-10: Loma Fishing Derby on Missouri River June 9 & 10: Tiber Walleye Tournament on Tiber Reservoir June 16: Western Bar Summer Derby on Willow Creek Reservoir June 17: White Sulphur Springs Lions
Club Father's Day Derby on Newlan Creek Reservoir June 23 & 24: Canyon Ferry Walleye Festival on Canyon Ferry
Reservoir July 7: Archer's Den 2nd Annual Carp Shoot on All Fishable waterbodies in Region 4 July 14: Broadwater Rod & Gun Club Walleye Derby on Canyon
Ferry Reservoir August 4: John Arnold Fish Derby on Hauser Lake August 18: Mc's Kids Fishing Derby on
Willow Creek Reservoir August 23-25: Fish for a Cure on Canyon Ferry Reservoir Region 5 August 3 & 4: 4th Annual Fish Contest on Fox Lake, Kersy Lake, Lake Abundance, Long Lake, Lower Aero Lake August 4 & 5: ABA - EMBA Big Horn Lake Invitational
Tournament on Yellowtail Reservoir May 19: Montana Cats.com Yellowstone River Catfish Tournament on
the Yellowstone River Region 6 April 21: Tough Guy Tournament on Fort Peck Reservoir May 18: May 19 7am-2pm Fresno Challenge on Fresno Reservoir June 2: 8th Annual Milk River Catfish Classic on Milk River June 2 & 3: ABA - EMBA Hell Creek Tournament on Fort Peck
Reservoir June 2 & 3: Rock Creek Walleye Tournament on Fort Peck
Reservoir June 9 & 10: Montana BASS Federation Qualifier on Fort Peck
Reservoir June 23: 7th Annual PikeMasters Tournament on Fort Peck
Reservoir July 7 & 8: ABA Fort Peck Invitational on Fort Peck
Reservoir July 12, 13 & 14:
Montana Governor's Cup Walleye Tournament on Fort Peck Reservoir July 21: Annual Hell Creek Ladies Fishing Tournament on Fort
Peck Reservoir July 28 & 29: Men’s Hell Creek Walleye Tournament on Fort
Peck Reservoir August 4 & 5: Fall Classic on Fort Peck Reservoir August 18: Walleye's Unlimited Women’s Walleye Tournament on
Fort Peck Reservoir Sept. 15: 5th Annual Fort Peck Lake Salmon/Lake Trout Derby on
Fort Peck Reservoir Region 7 May 19 & 20: ABA - EMBA Tongue Reservoir Invitational on
Fort Peck Reservoir June 9: Savage Volunteer Fire Dept. Catfish Tournament on
Yellowstone River _________________ Active school fishing clubs are always looking for some help Two
of the most active school fishing clubs in Montana are the North Middle
School Fishing Club at North Middle School in Great Falls and the Laurel
Middle School Fishing Club in Laurel. These
clubs don’t just talk about fishing.
They take kids fishing. Field
trips at North Middle School are held
about once a month during the school year – about 10 trips in all. Club advisor Pat Volkmar
said their fishing area encompasses about a 150-mile circle around Great
Falls. All species are fair game. And the kids end the day with a cleanup of
the area – including about 200 pounds of garbage collected on a recent trip to
Fresno Reservoir. Laurel
Middle School advisor Mark Goyette takes his kids
many miles to enjoy a day of fishing, too, with a recent trip across several
county lines to wet some fishing lines at Castle Rock Lake at Colstrip. This club is also not species-specific, but
endeavors to teach youngsters about all fishing methods for all kinds of
fish. Both
Pat and Mark are always looking for help in terms of volunteers to help
chaperone and teach youngsters about fishing.
They can use some funding to help pay for travel costs. Or if you have any fishing gear you’d like
to donate, that’s always welcome, too. To
contact Pat Volkmar at North Middle School, just click
to send an e-mail to: Pat's
e-mail. To
contact Mark Goyette at Laurel Middle School, just click
to send an e-mail to: Mark's e-mail. _________________ Cooney boat ramps are usable again The North Shore and Red Lodge Creek
Arm boat launches at Cooney State Park are open for full use again after
increased precipitation this fall and an end to the irrigation season.. Boaters and anglers have about
a month to enjoy the open water before it begins to freeze over for the
winter. “I can’t say how the fishing
is, since nobody’s been on the water for quite a while. But with so little
pressure, the fishing may be pretty good,” said Jenny Alexander, manager of
Cooney State Park. All three boat launches at
Cooney State Park have been unusable since late August, when water levels
dropped so low that trailers could not reach the ramps and the lake was
unsafe for motor boats. The Marshall Cove boat ramp on
the state park’s southeast side is still unusable because of continued low
water levels. For more information on launching
boats or Cooney State Park in general, please call (406) 445-2326. _________________ Walleyes Forever forms in Billings On November 9, the active
membership of Walleyes Unlimited’s Billings Chapter voted 26-4 to dissolve
the chapter, acting under the state bylaws of WU with a quorum present and
the appropriate number of officers in attendance. After the chapter was
dissolved, those in attendance then voted to create a new organization –
Walleyes Forever. The new organization
will be dedicated to family-based recreation, working with and promoting kids
fishing, helping all fish species and all fishermen and providing service and
funding to those in need. Officers of the new
organization are: Nathan McClenning, president; Jerry Richardson, vice-president;
Carol Henckel, secretary; and Linda Granholm, treasurer. While 30 members is only a
fraction of the total number of WU paid memberships in the Billings area,
these members did represent the bulk of the members who attend meetings,
volunteer for projects, participate in
activities and work the annual banquets. The split came down to a
difference in philosophies between the new Walleyes Forever group and State
Walleyes Unlimited. Financial matters,
Fish Tales, leadership, emphasis on tournaments and speaking out on behalf of
all fishermen for all fish species were among the differences. In the wake of the formation
of Walleyes Forever, the old www.WalleyesUnlimited.com
website has been shut down and www.WalleyesForever.com
has been created. The new website
plans to continue to support WU chapters in all their activities and provide
news and information for all walleye fishermen. Family memberships in Walleyes
Forever cost $25 per year, with the membership year running from Jan. 1
through Dec. 31. Anyone joining now
will be paid up through Dec. 31, 2007.
For membership information, go to: www.walleyesforever.com/membership/membership.html. At last report, Walleyes
Unlimited was working to re-form an active Billings Chapter. For more information, e-mail WU president
Mike Newton at: mnewton@fisherind.com. The next meeting of Walleyes
Forever will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 14, at the Elks. Regular meetings will be held at that time
on the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. _________________ Roger Larsen Memorial Scholarship
made permanent Before dissolving the WU
Billings Chapter, a vote was taken to make the Roger Larsen Memorial
Scholarship permanent. The $500
scholarship will be given every year – basically forever – to a student in
the sciences at Montana State University-Billings. Roger Larsen was the long-time
executive director of Walleyes Unlimited who died unexpectedly in 2001. He was a great friend of both walleyes and
walleye fishermen and did much to help WU grow and prosper. The scholarship had been given
in Roger’s memory each year since 2001. A check for $10,000 from the Billings
Chapter will now allow MSU-Billings to draw the interest off the account to
award the $500 scholarship each year. After its formation, Walleyes
Forever voted to keep track of the scholarship and provide any additional
funding necessary if shortfalls develop so that the full $500 can be awarded
each year. _________________ And, finally…….. A word
about the Army Fifty-one years ago, Herman James, a North Carolina
mountain man, was drafted by the U.S. Army. On his first day in basic training, the Army issued him a
comb. That afternoon, the Army barber sheared off all his hair. On his second day, the Army issued Herman a toothbrush. That afternoon, the Army dentist yanked seven of his
teeth. On the third day, the Army issued him an athletic
supporter. The Army has been looking for Herman for 51 years. _________________ The Walleyes Forever E-Newsletter
is issued periodically and distributed by e-mail from www.walleyesforever.com. To remove your e-mail address from the
list, just click the reply button on this e-mail and type the words
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