DEAD bass was up after Tourney on KY Lake.

[MagikSmallie]

1 single tournament on 1 single weekend weighed in approximately 3,800 bass and maybe 100 of them died and were photographed floating in the marina at Paris. That is about 2.5% mortality rate....out of a 400 boat tournament which is rare to have a tournament of that size. I think this issue is waaaay overblown, it is not a problem. I agree the picture of a bunch of dead bass *****...but thousands of bass die all the time every year in every lake for a variety of reasons. Its a non issue in my opinion.

[NKYFISHING]

1 single tournament on 1 single weekend weighed in approximately 3,800 bass and maybe 100 of them died and were photographed floating in the marina at Paris. That is about 2.5% mortality rate....out of a 400 boat tournament which is rare to have a tournament of that size. I think this issue is waaaay overblown, it is not a problem. I agree the picture of a bunch of dead bass *****...but thousands of bass die all the time every year in every lake for a variety of reasons. Its a non issue in my opinion.

Just for the record the 3,800 is pounds not the number of fish that was caught. I personally don't care if only one fish died, its a waste of meat. Maybe if they are going to continue to have these big tournaments they should have a 5 gallon pot of oil boiling and the looser has to filet the dead and have a fish fry for the campground foks.

[MagikSmallie]

Just for the record the 3,800 is pounds not the number of fish that was caught. I personally don't care if only one fish died, its a waste of meat. Maybe if they are going to continue to have these big tournaments they should have a 5 gallon pot of oil boiling and the looser has to filet the dead and have a fish fry for the campground foks.

I said 3,800 bass...That was the number of bass that were weighed in...not pounds...but individual fish!!

[NKYFISHING]

I said 3,800 bass...That was the number of bass that were weighed in...not pounds...but individual fish!!

http://cdn.wideopenspaces.com/wp-con...7102512753.jpg
I guess Frank is wrong??

[MagikSmallie]

http://cdn.wideopenspaces.com/wp-con...7102512753.jpg
I guess Frank is wrong??

Yes, Frank is wrong.

[Shellkat]

If we could just weigh them and set them free like that 77 pound striper I caught yesterday, he was 56 inches long and I caught him on a bubble gum wrapper in a farm pond.LOL

[Devils Horse]

If we could just weigh them and set them free like that 77 pound striper I caught yesterday, he was 56 inches long and I caught him on a bubble gum wrapper in a farm pond.LOL

What color was that wrapper? What flavor bubble gum was it? Wadded up or skin hooked?

[sweetwater]

What color was that wrapper? What flavor bubble gum was it? Wadded up or skin hooked?

It was bazooka bubble gum. You don't have catch the fish, just get close to it.

[NKYFISHING]

Yes, Frank is wrong.

No................. I believe Frank is right and you have second hand info!!!!!!!

[SLP]

I have never fished a tournament so I'll ask. Would it really be substantially less fun to go with total inches instead of total pounds?

Sure you wouldn't have guys picking up and holding their catch for spectators but you could have a giant screen of some sort set up where they would show the pictures of the fish for each contestant with some big graphics off to the side with where the inches totaled and compared to the current leaders. Done up right and I imagine it could even be more dramatic of an event.

Or another question. For the very largest of tournaments with more resources, how hard would it be to get volunteers to ride along in the boats to verify the weight of fish if they wanted to use the traditional poundage method and still could take pictures to display on a big screen.

[fishin350]

You all have deep hooked a fish at some point. If you don't like tourneys don't fish them. I fish a small club for ten years now. I have lost a few bass. They were eaten. I don't like how everyone fishing a tournament is labeled a bad guy. I'm not busting on fun fishermen or meat fishermen. But I have dealt with some idiots fun fishing. Does that make them all bad? No makes the ones acting like idiots. Idiots.

[kc]

You all have deep hooked a fish at some point. If you don't like tourneys don't fish them. I fish a small club for ten years now. I have lost a few bass. They were eaten. I don't like how everyone fishing a tournament is labeled a bad guy. I'm not busting on fun fishermen or meat fishermen. But I have dealt with some idiots fun fishing. Does that make them all bad? No makes the ones acting like idiots. Idiots.

I don't fish tournaments these days - have in the past for fun but just doesn't appeal to me these days and everyone who fishes much knows an occasional fish gets killed by the hook. I surely don't think everyone who fishes tournaments is a bad guy by a long stretch even on the threads where the focus is on the rudeness exhibited by many obvious tournament anglers on tournament day. But this is not that thread. The concern is having these large tournaments ending up killing a significant portion of their catch. Surely there is a way to better manage tournaments to minimize the waste. And I am with you - if a fish dies better to eat them than to let them rot on the bank...

kc