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Message Subject: I.O.W.A. Circuit-Five Island Preview

Weisman

Posted 4/4/2011 12:08 PM (#97482)
Subject: I.O.W.A. Circuit-Five Island Preview

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I.O.W.A. Teams Prepare for Five Island Lake

By Steve Weisman
I.O.W.A. Publicity Director
As winter loses its grip on the Hawkeye state, teams competing in the Iowa Organization of Walleye Anglers (I.O.W.A.) Team Walleye Tournament Trail for the 2011 season are making preparations for the first qualifier of the season at Five Island Lake on the outskirts of Emmetsburg scheduled for Sunday, April 17.
Now in its sixth season, the I.O.W.A. circuit continues to be a team tournament series designed for the weekend warrior. The I.O.W.A. trail will feature four regular season tournaments highlighted by the State Championship on Oct 22-23 at Prairie du Chien on the Mississippi River.
“This will be our first trip to Five Island. The community of Emmetsburg spent over $1.5 million in dredging and improvements to the lake with the goal of improving water quality and depth. It is a glacial lake of about 1000 acres, and where they dredged, it is now 14-16 feet deep along with several areas dredged to 20 feet. It is five miles long and on average about a half mile wide. This time of year is a great time to be fishing Five Island.”
In addition to the normal four qualifier series with a culminating state championship, the I.O.W.A. circuit this year will feature a series of open events that anyone can fish. “We’re trying to get more anglers involved. We think an open event with a $125 entry will be a good option for this. The regular qualifiers will still be $240 for a two-person team entry.”
In addition to the typical 80 percent payback based on number of entries, sponsorships this year will continue to help provide additional cash and prizes at all events. “We are really proud to be able to offer our teams the awards we do, and it all comes down to our sponsors,” said Higgins.
Lund Boats will offer a $500 Lund Boat Bonus for the highest placing team fishing out of a Lund boat at each qualifier. Several other corporate sponsors are offering special awards: The Humminbird Team of the Year Award, The MinnKota Runner-Up Team of the Year Award, the Wright County Motors $500 cash bonus, the King’s Point drawing for 2-two-night’s lodging at King’s Pointe Resort of Storm Lake and FCIS Anglers Choice Insurance of Forest City is offering a $1000 in cash to the Rathbun Qualifier payout.
Higgins also reflected on the anglers that fish the I.O.W.A. circuit. “We’ve had teams fish this circuit every year since we began six years ago. Plus, this circuit is comprised of many family teams including husband/wife, father/son, brothers, etc. If you want to create memories with your son, daughter, brother, sister, mother, father or grandparents this is the place for you. Anglers will enjoy the implementation of Take A Kid Fishing this season, as we will allow a third young angler in the boat with two person rules in place. I can tell you on a personal note that many of my greatest memories are fishing a tournament with my sons and my wife.”
Higgins also discussed the opportunities with the Cabela’s NTC Championship. “We are a qualifying event for the Cabela’s NTC National Team Championship with five invitations going out to the top four team of the year finishers and the state championship winner.” Going away from the traditional weigh-in process, where fish are kept in livewells throughout the day and then brought to the scales for a weigh-in, the format has now been changed to a catch, measure, photo and release.

Weigh-in procedure changed
Higgins shared the excitement of a new catch, measure, photo and release procedure for this year. “I really feel this is a break through for us on the I.O.W.A. circuit. Before, because of mortality concerns, we had to jam so many of our tournaments before June. Now, through the efforts of our I.O.W.A. Advisory Board and the Iowa DNR biologists, we have developed a plan that expands this time frame.”
Here is how this format will work. All teams will be required to have a digital camera with a memory card and must use the same Judge 33” ruler to measure the fish. At the morning check-in, teams will be given a certain color decal that will go on the upper portion of the ruler.
How about cheating? “That’s probably the biggest question people ask about this system. They wonder if someone could take more than one photo of the same fish. Well the answer is yes you could, but you would be caught and disqualified. A walleye's tail is like a fingerprint and no two tails are the same. At the completion of the weigh-in, our staff will look at all photos and zoom in on any two fish that are the same length,” asserts Higgins.
At the same time, teams will no longer have to decide which fish to keep, It eliminates the slot issue and the culling rule.
“Each team will get to measure and photo all fish caught and select the best six fish for the weigh-in. It will create a more even playing field. Those slot fish and those over-fish can now be measured, photos snapped and the fish quickly released.” adds Higgins. “We will also have a conversion chart so that we can give a weight to each fish!”
The fishing competition itself runs from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The weigh-in becomes a highlight for each team. “For this tournament, we’ll be holding the weigh-in in the Grand Ballroom at the Wild Rose Casino. By the time the teams arrive, the weigh-in will commence at approximately 3:30 p.m. This will be a great place for the public to witness the new weigh-in process,” says Higgins.

The Schedule:
Higgins shared the excitement of the new schedule and format. “I think this will really be good for the I.O.W.A. circuit. First of all, we won’t have to stack so many qualifiers in April and May. Of course, you want to get that early spring bite, and that’s what we will be targeting at Five Island near Emmetsburg on April 17. Then we wait until mid-May before we head to Storm Lake and then mid-June before we head to Lake Rathbun. It makes scheduling easier for both the circuit and for the teams planning their work and personal calendars. Plus, we can now have an open event on the Mississippi River in mid-July, followed by a late September visit to Spirit Lake and East Okoboji.”
To learn more about the I.O.W.A. circuit, check out the I.O.W.A. website (www.walleyepromotions.com), which contains all the rules, registration, schedule, special awards, contact information and sponsors.
Interested anglers can call (515) 571-1085 or email Dean Higgins at [email protected].
I.O.W.A. corporate sponsors include Lund Boats, MinnKota, Humminbird, Berkley, FCIS Anglers Choice Insurance of Forest City, Brightwells Boathouse, King's Pointe Resort of Storm Lake and Wright County Motors of Belmond and Clarion.

2011 I.O.W.A. Schedule:

April 17, 2011 (Q) Five Island, Emmetsburg, IA (Weigh–in at Casino)

May 15, 2011 (Q) Storm Lake, IA (weigh-in at King’s Pointe Resort)

June 11, 12, 2011 (Q) Rathbun 2 day event (weigh-in at Honey Creek Resort)

July 16, 17, 2011 (Open) Mississippi River, Pool 14 Only, Clinton, Iowa

Sep 24, 2011 (Open) Spirit (Saturday) ??

Sep 25 (Q) East Okoboji (Sunday) ??

Oct 22, Oct 23 State Championship Prairie du Chien, Mississippi River
??

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