ATTN: All Directors, Club presidents, anyone running a tournament

Please register your tournaments on the KDFWR website.
[url]http://fw.ky.gov/tournamentschedule.aspx[/url]

It's free, and only takes a few minutes of your time to report your results.

They will send you every year all the compiled tournament results for all lakes FREE!

This is awsome! Just think how much we can learn about times, sizes, and fish caught. Not to mention everyone knowing what tournaments are going on at certain lakes, ramps and times. If everyone would report this information.

Let me quote a letter from Ryan Oster Bass research biologist.

"This information will be used to build a long-term database that will not only lead to more informed management decisions at your favorite fishing spots, but also provide you with information that will be useful in your next fishing trip."

"Participation in the Tournament Reporting Program totaled 279 black bass fishing tournaments in 2005." This is the highest that have ever made reports.

In 2005, a total of 12,314 bass anglers caught 13,749 bass in registered tournaments in KY (These numbers are based only upon those tournaments that supplied catch information).

The average tournament had a total of 44 anglers, average 1st place weight per 8 hour tournament was 8.12lbs. The year before was 9.9lbs.

The biggest bass caught in 2005 was 8.08lbs from Barkley Lake on 2-26-05.

Let me give you one example that is listed.

Guist Creek: Spring: 6 events, 122 anglers, 90 bass caught, Ave. weight 1.90lbs, 6 over 4lbs, Biggest bass 5.04lbs. Average 1st place finish 8.73lbs.

The list of information goes on and on. This is very informative, helps us anglers and fishery management.

We complain about KDF about why don't they do this and that. Yet a lot of us out there won't do are part to take a few minutes to help.

I want to thank all at the KY Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, for there efforts; and all who reported there tournament results last year!


Justin Hires
Tournament Director
[url]www.USABassin.com[/url]

Good post...

Billy

Redneckshadrap
[url]www.thecreekbank.com[/url]
[email][email protected][/email]

Hey Justin, Great Ideal, You might want to pass this info to your fellow USA Bassin directors, No one has posted the the Rough River Lake Divison on the Fish & Wildlife tournament page.

Thanks, yes I have already told them about it. But, I can't force anyone. Hopefully they'll do there part.

Justin Hires
Tournament Director
[url]www.USABassin.com[/url]

Justin,

Thank you for the kind words concerning the bass tournament summary report that I mailed out to everybody last week. On behalf of the Kentucky Dept. of Fish & Wildlife Resources, I just want to again thank all those tournament groups and directors who actively participate in this program. It is an extremely valuable program both for anglers and KDFWR as a state resource agency.

It is amazing to look at the results of tournament catch data of black bass and compare what anglers are catching to what our sampling shows. The similarities are amazing and the catch data provided by anglers is just as important as our sampling data when it comes to managing these resources to the best of our abilities. We hope that more tournaments participate in the years to come.

Another great thing about the online tournament registration system is that it allows tournament directors to verify if another tournament has already scheduled an event at a ramp that day. You wouldn't believe how many calls I get about multiple tournaments fishing out of the same ramp and the amount of confusion/conflict that this creates. If all tournaments use this website, we feel that it would alleviate some of this conflict by showing registrants who has already registered a tournament on a lake/ramp for the day you are also planning your tournament. As interest in competitive fishing increasing each year, we all have to realize that we need to work together to help reduce conflicts that may occur from both non-tournament and tournament anglers alike.

Again, thanks to all who have participated in the past and will participate in the future. I would like to wish everybody a great fishing season in 2006, and hope to run into some of you at the boat ramp during the season.

Any questions pertaining to the tournament registration or black bass in Kentucky, please feel free to email me or contact me. Thanks again.

Ryan Oster
Kentucky Dept. Fish & Wildlife Resources
Black Bass Biologist
#1 Sportsman's Lane
Frankfort, KY. 40601
502-564-7109 ext 353
[email][email protected][/email]

You're welcome Ryan. Thanks for your hard work, and the great reports that you have put together. I have been doing a lot of reading thru it, and it is great information!


I would like to see if possible; on the website, where a person could click on the reported results. They then could find out right away the catch results. That is after they have been entered. Would be a very nice feature for all anglers; and should give them more interest in the site.

Thanks again,

Justin Hires
Tournament Director
[url]www.USABassin.com[/url]