Sad day for KY anglers

[thebassman30]

This is unbelievably poetic! I can't tell you how many times I've been disrepectfully treated by a tournament fisherman. Recently, during a BFL in April, I was in a small pocket...only big enough for two boats. South KY, opposite the LBL. Dave this was the Wednesday after you were catching some 6-7 lbers schooled up in creeks on South KY. Anyway, back to my story, it was about 1 p.m. and these guys where watching us sticking fish. The jumped around us, fish the entire bank, main lake point, boat dock, until they came back into the pocket with us...past us...then chatted us up. They were from Florida and said they were fishing the BFL.....like that makes it okay! We could'nt even turn around till they left....like being check'd by the warden.

One other post I saw had it right. There are always going to be people (fun fisherman or tourney) who make bad decisions out of desperation. It boils down to a little respect out on the water. The great thing about KY is that you can have several tournaments or (great fisherman) on the lakes and still go find fish that you'll have to yourself. If you're on a lake like Barren River, there is no place to go. They'll just roll up on the same point your on, cut you off, go between you and the point, etc. Amazing and when calmly asked "What are you doing?" they say "I'm prefish'n for a tourney or "I'm fishing a tourney" like that makes it okay. Bottomline and my point is that good fisherman DON'T have to do this. So I got to believe that if your whining about this type of pressure you aren't going to win anyway and your just bitter. It's very sad if this coverage gets any air time, because the locals don't deserve it. That is a special place for us and we love the people down there.
Mark

[LarryG]

I have had the same story many times, do you mind we are fishing a tournament. BS!!! I got there early, didn't wait for a blast off, and am a rec fishermen,90% of the game fish are returned right then and there. Bass fishermen are getting bad raps, and more and more of them deserve it. They are almost getting as bad as water lice[jet skis].

[LarryG]

And another thing, think they wont be back to a lake? Not all fishermen are bass orientated, some dont give a hoot for them, yet they get muscled out of spots, almost ran over, and looked at like circus freaks because they aren't bass fishing.Its called fishing tackle first.

[Fishin_4_Fun]

The waypoint marking works both ways, elite anglers marking locals, and locals marking elites. How are the elite anglers so sure that the ones marking their points are in the BFL, and are going to be on their spot the next day anyway. Who's to say they weren't recreational fishermen who marked spot to fish next week, next month, next year, or whenever. The elite anglers who have discretely found several schools of fish, in practice, and have saved a few spots for the last couple of tourney days will do ok anyway. The elite angler who marked a locals spot to catch fish, and doesn't have any other places to catch fish will by crying about someone "stealing" their spot.

[Swift1]

Being on the water quite a bit I see uneducated , disrespectful, uncaring people all the time, whether it be tournament fishers or just out fun fishing . Its really sad the way our society is decaying. I see it more off the water than I do on the water, people pulling out in front of other people not caring if it causes major accidents...Its the "I got to get mine mentallity screw the rest". Pretty sad but I guess its the "new" American way.........and its only getting worse.

[Col Forbin]

Dave hit the nail on the head, there aren't really any secrets on this lake. I have heard to some of the local guys refer to places as my ledge, and it is usually the one that sticks out like a sore thumb on map. Everybody that fishes takes notice of others around them, regardless of the level. Don't think that if I see Terry Bolton's yamaha wrapped boat sitting on a ledge that I am not going to give it a try later, I will. But I won't approach it with him on it, I will wait until later that day or the next. I won't GPS it either. I would rather get my map out and try to figure out why he is sitting there. If he, or any of these guys, were concerned about it being a secret, they would not be practicing in thier wrapped boats - pretty much a giant name tag.

I heard several of the elite guys griping this week about the BFL going on. 99% of them were co-anglers, most of the pro's don't really mind. I talked with KVD last night, and he said he didn't mind at all - it was going to put everyone at an equal disadvantage - so it isn't going help or hurt him any more than anyone else. I guess it is easy to stay positive when you are kicking everyone's butt.

I think it is going to be neat to see the bags weighed from both tournies. I would be willing to bet that there is a bigger bag in the BFL. I will put a handful of these local guys up against any of the elite guys on this lake. I have heard from people of all levels of fishing that teh LBL BFL is the most competitive division of tournaments in the country. Many of the FLW pro's say it is easier to do well on tour, than to win an LBL BFL.

[Bragger]

In my experience as a recreational fisherman, tournament fisherman are rude and disrespectful of any and all people in there way. If someone is following them to mark there spots.....so what.....it is not illegal. If they don't come back....I'm glad. But trust me, they will be back and they will try to run you over chance they get! If they see you catching fish, believe me they will move onto your spot within feet of you and will not show you any respect.

I know not all tournament anglers are this way, but in my experience the majority are! I'll tell you what is sad. The way recreational anglers are treated is sad. I have no sympathy for the tournament anglers.

[smuckey41]

it is all about respect. i see it to much everywhere people disrespecting each other. it is a shame. i fish the kbfn and local tournaments to. and in both i have ben cut off and it makes you mad actualy realy mad just like in a car. it is like being at the store and your about to grab a peace of gum and somebody grabs it before you. take a step back look around and see your at a gum store and that wasnt the last peace. it is respect. i would love to be down there and watch them and take my 5 year old son so he can see the guys he has ben watching on t.v. since he was born. mark some spots there on and bring him back and fish them another time and even go find or own spots and fish a little let him get some autographs and see it all in real life other then on t.v. but my wife is working and no baby sitter for the other 3. he also fishes tournaments with me to he loves this sport. we teach or kids to have maners and respect for people. so we need to practice what we preach. treat people how you want to be treated show respect and the world will be a better place. i fish to get away from the bull crap of every day people and society and now it is starting to carry over to fishing it is pretty sad.

peace, love, fish,and rock n roll

chuck

[Jbyrd]

HA HA what a joke to even start this thread. THE 'ELITE' as they are called get most of their "spots" from other people.They have people fishing the spots they are going to on the next lake or get spots from past events , and then just punch the points into their gps. "ALLMOST" I did say almost all the BIG name pros do it. Talk to some of the lesser known elite pros and see if what I say is true.......The leader of this event is notorious for that in the elite circle......yea they still have to execute but it is like most decent fishermen anybody can catch them if you can find them!!!!! Don't start running down someone for marking a spot on a PUBLIC WATER on the lake where THEY LIVE because some VISITOR might get his feelings hurt. How many times have you fished a weekend event and some one is on a spot you want to fish.You deal with it and go somewhere else.. Because you know about it doesn't make it yours. Chances are someone showed you or told you about it....

[PROANGLER746]

From what I seen and heard those pros get thier info from people like us ...the locals and then use their ability to read the lake and hit the spots. If the pros or whoever want to talk and carry on then let it be and let our professionalism speak for itself. The 1% who want to screw it up, let them dig their own hole and I do believe, what goes around comes around.

[bassin_bug]

This is unbelievably poetic! I can't tell you how many times I've been disrepectfully treated by a tournament fisherman. Recently, during a BFL in April, I was in a small pocket...only big enough for two boats. South KY, opposite the LBL. Dave this was the Wednesday after you were catching some 6-7 lbers schooled up in creeks on South KY. Anyway, back to my story, it was about 1 p.m. and these guys where watching us sticking fish. The jumped around us, fish the entire bank, main lake point, boat dock, until they came back into the pocket with us...past us...then chatted us up. They were from Florida and said they were fishing the BFL.....like that makes it okay! We could'nt even turn around till they left....like being check'd by the warden.

One other post I saw had it right. There are always going to be people (fun fisherman or tourney) who make bad decisions out of desperation. It boils down to a little respect out on the water. The great thing about KY is that you can have several tournaments or (great fisherman) on the lakes and still go find fish that you'll have to yourself. If you're on a lake like Barren River, there is no place to go. They'll just roll up on the same point your on, cut you off, go between you and the point, etc. Amazing and when calmly asked "What are you doing?" they say "I'm prefish'n for a tourney or "I'm fishing a tourney" like that makes it okay. Bottomline and my point is that good fisherman DON'T have to do this. So I got to believe that if your whining about this type of pressure you aren't going to win anyway and your just bitter. It's very sad if this coverage gets any air time, because the locals don't deserve it. That is a special place for us and we love the people down there.
Mark

I was fishing a spot on Cherokee and a fisherman ignored the fact that I was about 20 ft. out in the water fishing a bank. He ran right between me and the spot I was fishing. I just kept on chunkin' across his boat and over his head. He asked what in the h--- I was doing. I said, "I'm still fishing the same place I was before you ran in front of my boat." You'll just have to duck when these hooks go over your head. I fired the lures hard and fast and he ducked a few times, cussed, and took off.

[MASBASS]

Well I do not know what happened, I was not there. I heard from a friend that this was happening, OR SAID TO BE HAPPENING, last night. I am sure this happens, if it happened, every lake they fish. I am also sure that the pros did their own GPS of local’s spots during practice, but I am sure they would not say that.


I guess what I am trying to say is this as a friend told me and it took me a while to figure out what he was saying "IT IS HARD TO CATCH ANOTHER MANS FISH". I have spots on Nolin I like to fish, I have certain bait I use on those spots, I can tell most people the spots, give them waypoint info, give them the same jig and in most cases it is still hard to catch the fish. It is just a fact of fishing.

This is totally my way of thinking. The Elite pros are pros, they are men and women just like you and I, The only difference is they have worked hard to get where they are because they love to fish. They have the knowledge from thousands of hours on the water to find and catch fish. I totally applaud them for that, but as for me that is as far as it goes.

I would much rather listen to Dave Stewart sit and talk about what to try, what to look for on Kentucky and Barkley or sit and talk to Beachum and Long about Nolin and Rough, or Kevin Snyder talk about the win at Hamilton than any of the pros. Now if I could say ok, KVD, Rick Clunn or Shaw Grigsby come on down here and let's fun fish on Nolin today I would really enjoy that, but I would not waste my time to follow them in a boat on any lake to watch them fish any Tourney on any lake.

They are not going to tell you anything and if you believe they are I am sorry to burst your bubble. They make their living this way, they may tell you they lure they are using (they have too for their sponsors); they may tell you they are fishing a long point or a hump. They may even tell you they are fishing a stump on the end of a certain point. But they are no going to tell you everything or they may not be able to win the next one.

Instead of watching them every Saturday morning, fish your local lake that way you may learn something that you did not know. Go to Kentucky and book Dave for a day, promise you will learn more than watching the pros on the TV. I do watch the Saturday morning tourney once in a while, if it is raining or I happen to be at home in the house while it is on I think I have seen three so far in 2008 and it is enjoyable to a certain degree but I have never and will never drop everything I am doing to watch it that is just me I guess, I have more important things to do, I know I am never going to fish at the pro level do not even care too. I like the competition of tourneys but I love to fun fish even more.

I guess what I am saying with all of this is ESPN, B.A.S.S. and the pros have got everyone believing in them so much and on such a high pedestal that if and I said IF someone or 20 different people GPS their locations every time they stopped they brought it upon themselves with all of the publicity and such so you will spend your money on a certain bait, a certain GPS/Sonar, rod or reel or what ever it is. How many Sexy Shad has KVD sold just by winning a tourney on it, how many do you own? I am not bad mouthing anyone or anything I am just saying this, it is their job, they chose it and most people buy it because they said it or used it. If they are truly professional as they claim then they would have done what KVD stated he did. Anticipated the BFL and other local tourneys and prepared for it is all I can say and stop their whining. I know I am such a bad boy!