I was thinking how diehard most of us are and how we celebrate fish species that are often scorned. We should start representing at the annual Eelpout Festival in Walker on Leech Lake. We can put up a huge Roughfish.com base camp and sell decals, etc. Promote the sport and just have a good time fishing for Burbot.

I used to go every year with a group of 15 guys and we made a sectioned plywood floor with 2x4 framing and stretched tarps over. It was huge and awesome. We all brought and slept in lawn chairs and fished and partied. Of corse at Roughfish.com we could focus more on diehard fishing than partying....or both? But every guy up there is there to celebrate Burbot and we could get many new members and help spread the word on all "rough" species. If everyone that could come would donate $5-$10, we would have plenty of money to build the fortress.

I think it would be a great time getting together for Burbot, plus promote the site and our sport more. I've got tools and can help build the camp. It was pretty simple, yet very cool. What do ya think?

Sounds like it would be a lot of fun... just keep throwing salt on my wound of living so far away!

Great idea, that would be a heck of a lot of fun! I plan on going this Winter anyway, so count me in.

Andy- could we start a sign-up? I think it would be cool to do it like the roundup a bit.

There's hotels nearby, plenty of room for campers/fish houses, and if we have 10-15 guys we could all lawn chair it in the big shack. We made plywood/2x4 floor in sections and laid them on the ice (like a puzzle). We screwed 2x4's up every 10 feet or so and went across with them. We then duck taped 2 100' by ? tarps together and stretched it over the top and stapled/taped it all down. We used a small portable fishhouse as the door. It was taped into one wall, and the zip open door was nice to have. We must have had at least 10-15 holes cut into the floor.

It was really awesome and I miss it every year. I've gone a couple times since, but its way more fun with 10+ people hanging, fishing, partying. We could probably get involved with the contest itself somehow? A huge Roughfish.com banner perhaps at the entrance?

I like your thinking about the Pout Fest, Mags. Let's gauge interest and plan on hammering out details in a few months - the Festival isn't until February. In the meantime, anybody else interested in joining Camp Roughfish on Leech Lake?

Steve & I would love to go, but we will have to see how the money situation is. But we will be there if we can, sounds like a blast.

Here's the website for those who arn't familiar with it. It tells times and events and what's all happening.
http://www.eelpoutfestival.com/index.html

I'd definitely be interested. I've never caught eelpout and St. Cloud is only about an hour or so away. Keep me posted!

I doubt I will make it but I may be able to help out with a flag or some way to Identify the group.