2nd annual Big Chip fish fest

[walleyemaxx]

Hi everyone,

Here are details of the 2nd annual Big Chip fish fest to be held on Fathers day June 20 as published in the Saywer County Fecord

The second annual Big Chip Fish Fest will be held on Father’s Day this Sunday, June 20, at The Landing Resort on Highway CC. It will be held rain or shine.

All are invited to participate in the event. Anglers can begin fishing early. The event site opens at 8 a.m. A delicious family-style shore lunch of largemouth bass and northern pike cooked to perfection will be served starting at 11 a.m. There will be hot dogs and side dishes, too.

The first 125 children 13 and under with "I Helped Stock Walleyes" buttons will receive a free rod and reel combination. The "I Helped Stock Walleyes" button is $5 per person and includes the meal. There will be raffles all day, with the grand prize drawing at 4 p.m. There will be demonstrations on fish filleting, clean boats/clean waters, fighting invasive species and other topics.

Button holders donating northern pike 18 to 30 inches or largemouth bass 14 to 18 inches for the fish fry will receive a free raffle ticket. No other fish will be accepted.

Proceeds of the Big Chip Fish Fest raffles and button sales will be used to help restore the walleye fishery through stocking of extended-growth walleye fingerlings.

Grand prizes (need not be present to win) are: first and second, $500 in Mohawk Carpeting from Hayward Home Center; third, Tahitian pearl necklace from Anthony Jewelers; fourth, Knight Shadow 50-caliber muzzleloader; fifth, Northland Custom Rods walleye rod; sixth, hand-held GPS sponsored by CFAPOA; and seventh, underwater camera sponsored by LCFRA.

The Big Chip Fish Fest is sponsored by the Lake Chippewa Flowage Resort Association (LCFRA), Chippewa Flowage Area Property Owners Association (CFAPOA) and Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal Conservation Department, all of whom are working to restore a healthy walleye population on the Chippewa Flowage.

“Our walleye fishery is on the verge of collapse due to consecutive unsuccessful spawning seasons and a corresponding increase in largemouth bass,” the sponsors said. “Our walleye fishery can recover by targeted stocking of extended growth fingerlings and by selective harvest of legal-size largemouth bass. High populations of largemouth bass and walleyes cannot coexist in the same body of water.

Smallmouth bass do not impact the walleye population. Catch and release of smallmouth bass is strongly encouraged.”

Contributors to this year’s Big Chip Fish Fest are Tiger Musky Resort, Treeland’s Walleye Challenge, Treeland Resorts, Deerfoot Lodge and Resort, Chief Lake Lodge, Jenk’s Bait & Tackle, Johnson’s Resort, Pat’s Landing, Schultz’s Restaurant and Bar, Chippewa Motel, Chippewa Pines Resort, Chippewa Shores Resort, Daggett’s Resort, Deer Run Resort, Dun Rovin’ Resort, The Landing, Mystic Moose Resort, Oak Shores, R&R Bayview Resort and Restaurant, Shady Nook Resort, Tanner Wildes Guide Service, Timberlake Lodge, Barker Lake Lodge, Golden View Resort, Indian Trail Resort, Maytag Coin Laundry and Reeder’s Recess Resort.

Anybody who atends, please post a report of the festivities, Thanks.

Walleyemaxx

[walleyemaxx]

Any body who attends this event, please post a report of the festivities. I'd like to hear from a particiipant how things went instead of relying on the news mediia. Thanks.

And HAPPY FATHERS DAY to all you Dads. We should have more than just one day a year, don't ya think??

Walleyemaxx.

[MCR_at_BigMusky]

The event and day were really nice, although we only spent a little bit of time at the Landing when we bought our pins. We caught a bunch of crappies, some small bass, and had a couple of northerns in the live well, but the kids didn’t want to leave the swimming island at 4:00 so we released them. We also had another bonus release on father’s day, my son was happy to net his first musky :)

PS. Thanks for this post; we wouldn’t have known about the event otherwise

[walleyemaxx]

Hi MCR,

Nice report, and excellent pictures. Thanks for sharing. Good to see the kids out fishing.

Keep up the good fishing, and please feel free to share your fishing stories with us.

Walleyemaxx

[walleyemaxx]

Hi everyone,

Here's the story of the Big Chip Fish fest held on Sunday June 27 as reported by the Saywer County Record

The second annual Big Chip Fish Fest held Sunday, June 20 drew a crowd of anglers and eaters to The Landing on Highway CC.

The Chippewa Flowage was just six inches below the normal summertime full pool elevation of 1,313 feet, said Neil Kephart, Flowage lands manager for the Department of Natural Resources. That level is “perfect,” he said. If it was at full pool, there would be shore erosion, he said.
Bright, sunny conditions made fishing more difficult. Fishermen brought in 50 northerns 18 to 30 inches long and 42 largemouth bass 14 to 18 inches long to be filleted and deep-fried for festival-goers.

Approximately 1,100 buttons were sold at $5 apiece. The buttons allowed festival-goers to go through the food line, and the proceeds from the button sales and raffles will go toward raising and stocking extended-growth walleye fingerlings into the Chippewa Flowage.

“The support of the community was remarkable,” said event committee member Barb Czarnecki. More than 100 businesses and individuals donated prizes and goods, and volunteered the day of the event, she mentioned.

Between 450 and 500 people attended and ate. All 125 rods and reels were distributed to children 13 and under.

“Guests at the event found it to be very family friendly, and master of ceremonies Gary Hessel was so enthusiastic, his contribution was invaluable,” Czarnecki said.

Grand prize raffle tickets to all of the Chippewa Flowage Area Property Owners members and drew a tremendous response, with buyers not needing to be present to win, Czarnecki added. Bucket raffles at the event were very popular.

The Big Chip Fish Fest is sponsored by the Lake Chippewa Flowage Resort Association (LCFRA), Chippewa Flowage Area Property Owners Association (CFAPOA) and Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal Conservation Department, all of whom are working to restore a healthy walleye population on the Chippewa Flowage.

Sounds like it was a huge success.

Walleyemaxx