What I feel is an alarming trend

[kc]

You can make 300 tournament boats disappear on cumberland. You can make another 300 pleasure fishing boats disappear. That lake is massive and a vast majority of the fish roam in deep water and likely wont see a bait. I fish Green 2-4 times a week most of the year. The tourny fisherman population has exploded the past 5 years and so has the fishing. The number of fisherman has probably increased 10 fold and the average winning weights have probably doubled. If we have a couple bad spawns and the bass fishing drops a deuce most people will swear its due to the tourny pressure. Fishing pressure might make the fish a little harder to catch, but its not gonna kill the population. People go to the ramp after a tourny and see 3-4 dead fish floating and throw a fit but never say a word to the guys out meat hunting thatll keep the 10 biggest bass they catch all day everyday

In days past I used to argue quite vigorously on tournaments impact on the fisheries and although IMO there is no way it is a positive I agree that mother nature plays a stronger hand than fisherman. But I disagree with your comment on meat hunting. I think along with tournament fishing increasing so has the catch and release mindset. I have found most bass fisherman that are "meat hunters" are typically not that great of fishermen and often struggle to put them in the boat in the first place. And whenever there is this tournament vs pleasure discussion it is always where the tourney guys go to counter - blame the meat hunters...

kc

[Z8NITRO]

In days past I used to argue quite vigorously on tournaments impact on the fisheries and although IMO there is no way it is a positive I agree that mother nature plays a stronger hand than fisherman. But I disagree with your comment on meat hunting. I think along with tournament fishing increasing so has the catch and release mindset. I have found most bass fisherman that are "meat hunters" are typically not that great of fishermen and often struggle to put them in the boat in the first place. And whenever there is this tournament vs pleasure discussion it is always where the tourney guys go to counter - blame the meat hunters...

kc

KC,

I could not disagree more with your statement that most "meat hunters" are not great fishermen. I personally know several very good anglers, very talented anglers, that can and do take home a limit of their biggest catch (bass) every time they go out, and they go out several times per week, especially in the spring when many are shallow. I am not speaking of one angler, or two anglers...I am speaking of several. While it is not a practice I support, that is their right. My point is, you cannot tell me their impact on the fishery, by each angler removing 20 - 40 of the largest bass in the lake every week, is any less than that of tournaments.

[Fishin is life]

In days past I used to argue quite vigorously on tournaments impact on the fisheries and although IMO there is no way it is a positive I agree that mother nature plays a stronger hand than fisherman. But I disagree with your comment on meat hunting. I think along with tournament fishing increasing so has the catch and release mindset. I have found most bass fisherman that are "meat hunters" are typically not that great of fishermen and often struggle to put them in the boat in the first place. And whenever there is this tournament vs pleasure discussion it is always where the tourney guys go to counter - blame the meat hunters...

kc

Im not saying tournies are a positive influence on fisheries, im just saying theyre no more negative than meat hunters. If i had a nickel for everytime ive sat there and watched a boat full of amish keep everything they catch (thats a different argument), then id probably be able to go eat at mcd's. They fish live bait on the same spots bass fisherman fish and catch many large bass and put a knife to every single one of them. I know guys that go out 3-5 times a week and keep their 5 best bass for the knife, and thats their legal right. Its also my legal right to keep my 5 best in the livewell, do my absolute best to keep them healthy, and release them at the end of the day. Tournies dont kill fisheries. Mother nature will always balance herself out. As Bassmaster said, i like my fishes chances of surviving better than the guy who puts the knife in em. I go to the ramp after our tournies with my fizzing needle and attempt to save every fish on its side that i can, just wish more people cared enough for me to not have to do that