Opinions on Tournaments

[xupd48aja]

i am new member so hello
it sounds to me like some of you guys might be kin to aaron martins

[gillman]

what differant does it make if i caught a fish, the way i fish, or if someone fishing a tournament caught a fish as long as they take care of it before he is release. Only thing, I release him right after he was caught, unless I'll going to clean that job, and I do clean a mess of smaller bass some times.Now I know there are things that can be done to help when hauling fish like some ice in the water and so on, and I hope that people are doing these things.

[lil skeeter]

im not sure how many poker players are on this board or corn hole tourney players or anything that a bunch of men/women get together, put some money in a pot and play to win the pot. would it be a good idea to tax the ''money earned'' from those events? i think were taxed enough and dont need to go looking for stuff to tax just because some might not like to participate. i tourney fish, but spend more time fishing for fun. i would rather a bass boat go flying by than to get pushed onto the bank by a rude pleasure boater. those to me are more aggravating than any tournament boat.

[DJD]

im not sure how many poker players are on this board or corn hole tourney players or anything that a bunch of men/women get together, put some money in a pot and play to win the pot. would it be a good idea to tax the ''money earned'' from those events? i think were taxed enough and dont need to go looking for stuff to tax just because some might not like to participate. i tourney fish, but spend more time fishing for fun. i would rather a bass boat go flying by than to get pushed onto the bank by a rude pleasure boater. those to me are more aggravating than any tournament boat.

100% agree with this!

[kc]

Since you replied to my note I guess you are suggesting I don't do good in tourneys and that's why I posted a gripe. That is exactly right - I don't fish tourneys and you couldn't pay me enough to fish a tournament so I never do good in them. I am an avid angler and I would not stoop so low to prostitute my love for fishing and the outdoors to try to make a buck competing with others. I really don't worry what others do except when there are so damned many bass boats on the water flying around in all directions, covering up every point, cutting other boats off right and left, and creating a 45 minute wait at the launching ramp. I have no problem catching fish except when I have problems getting to them or getting cut off from them. And I am a realist. There are idiots is every facet of boaters but when it is tournament time they are out in hoards. In fact I usually become one of those idiots briefly when I get cut off on tournament day...

kc

[kc]

Recreational boats are not participating in organized events. What gives organizations the right to come in and take over a public facility (large tournaments) on tournament day? Maybe tournament organizations need to band together and start buying up land and building their own ramps and parking lots. At what point are there too many boats on the water at one time -- when there are no more parking spaces any where? When the number of boating accidents or shootings jumps up? The biggest problem with tournaments is that the majority of them are on the week ends when most of the other boaters are out and there is no real effort to coordinate tournaments on a given body of water. The smaller tournaments I don't feel are the big problem but sometimes there are multipe large tournaments going on at the same time on the big lakes. Why shouldn't there be an oversight to make sure that won't happen? Because it will inconvenience these organizations so they can't do what ever they want? Why do organized tournaments bringing potentially hundreds of boats to a given public facility at one time have a free reign to do so? This is completely different than the average Joe going to the lake on his own. Fundamentally I have no problems with tournament fishing but it is the growth and sheer numbers of tournaments and boats on the water on the weekends unchecked that has become the problem IMHO...

kc

[bassfishin]

I think many are lumping tournaments into one group whether its 5 boats or 500 and they are not the same. I fish in a small club that fishes many different lakes in Kentucky. We stay in local motels, eat in the local restaurants, pay for boat repairs when we break down and all of the other things the guys that do this for a living do, but winning first place in one of my tournaments won't even come close to covering the cost of my trip.

On the weekend my truck is using up a parking space at the ramp like everyone else that is there no matter what activity they are doing on the water. Many weekends that our club doesn't have a tournament you'll probably still see my truck in the parking lot because fishing and boating is what I like to do with my spare time, same as many others.

Fish and Wildlife manage our resources and enforce laws to protect the fisheries, its their job. Fishing pressure is high with all of the tournaments going on, but tournaments are just moving the fish around to different ramps - they aren't eating them. If all of these tournament anglers started having fish fry's at the end of a tournament then we would have a problem.

There is no fair way of imposing additional fees for tournaments, if you try you just squeeze out the small groups with fewer boats and no sponsors. The sponsor of a tournament may be making something off of their event, but all of the anglers are tax-payers whether in a big tournament or just out fishing for fun; and each has just as much a right to be on the water as any other.

Many Other sports share their facilities with professionals, such as golf. If the PGA shows up they take over completely, its not just a crowded parking area, if your not a pro in their tournament you can't play or even enter from a different tee.

No one; professional angler, small tournament angler, a family on vacation, or even a pleasure boater; purchased a boat to leave it in the driveway all year, so stopping tournaments won't make the parking lot magically empty.

[sglass]

I have been reading all of this for a while and it is time for me to give my opinion. First off I used to fish a tournament every weekend between Wilgreen and Herrington but last year I had my daughter so I only got out about five times without tournament fishing. Yes I do keep bass but only when I need a good mess of fish and only if they are under two pounds or somewhere around there. Would I keep a 6 pound bass or a bass chucked full of eggs?? NO! Would I keep a bass off the bed during a tournament?? YES!! There are ALOT more bass swimming around than what people think. I do agree if I were to go to Wilgreen and keep a limit full of bass every week I went I would def hurt the population or Stoner for that matter. If I go bass fishing at Herrington and keep two or three bass around two pounds once or twice a month am I hurting the population?? Not at all. Now to tournament fishing. How many guys on here have fished a tournament at Herrington during the summer? I have fished many and every time I go the bass boats ARE NOT the problem. It is the drunk a@# people riding up and down the same little area blasting their music from the time you launch up until the wee hours of the morning causing four foot rollers. EVERY time I have pulled out on a ramp it takes a bass boat less than a minute. How long does it take Bubba to get his pontoon out?? At least five to ten minutes. Most of you guys know what I am talking about. Tournament fishing does not hurt the bass population at all. It greatly helps the dock owners (most are struggling right now) and the surrounding community. I for one will go to the tackle shop before a tourney to stock up, fill the Ford and Gambler full of gas, grab a snack and a Gatorade and Mountain Dew and pay my fee's and try and beat some of the best guys around my area. I don't care if I win or not I LOVE the competition just like Poker. The only difference is you are trying to outsmart the fish instead of your buddies. Both involve money and competition. Sorry for the ramble my fingers would not stop typing. Hope this makes some sense.

[kent]

Guess I'll throw my 2 cents in. 1st, tourney fisherman DO spend money at the places they go to. I currently fish Renegade and BFL so I see it first hand. We go to Ky Lake and stay for 3-4 days for each BFL tourney. So, gas to get there and back, gas for the boat, food, lodging, and a trip to the bait shops pretty much every day. I fish the Cave Run div. of Renegade so I have an area pass and we stop and eat before and after the tourneys. So you argument that tourney fisherman don't spend money doesn't hold water with me.

2nd, yes there are plenty of rude tourney fisherman. Everybody hear has seen it before. But I promise you I have seen more rude pleasure boaters In my 37 years than rude tourney fisherman. And a bunch of rude pleasure fisherman as well. I've had more ski boats on Cumberland come by less than 20 yards from me WAY back in a creek than I can count. A bunch of BIG cabin cruisers on KY/Barkley with the bow up in the air, etc,etc. And like I said, people fishin for fun cut me off, move in on me, pass beside me on plane.

3rd, I think if you limit the number of tourneys or size of tourneys, then you have to limit the pleasure boaters and recreational anglers as well. You can't put limits on certain groups on public areas. Tourney fisherman pay taxes and usage fees(that area pass thing again) and launch fees same as everyone else.

I also fish recreationally as well as tourney fishing, don't think i said that earlier. I keep fish from time to time for the table too. I just don't see the tournies hurting the fishing like you think it does. A few years ago FLW started(and BASS now follows suit) using pontoon boats with BIG tanks to take the fish back out and release them throughout the lakes. They put Rejuvenade in the tanks to help with the care of the fish. There have been articles about it in the last couple years. You should check out FlW or BASS website. I'm sure you can find something on there about it. I think the overall pressure that the lakes get is what makes the fishing seem slower. Also a lot of other factors there like weather, water temp, etc. Just enjoy the time you do have out there and be thankful for it.

[yellow20xd]

No... Dan

[gillman]

Chill out guys were not going to be here long, enjoy the time ya have on the water. I'll just happy to have the health and time to go in the monring ,if I get too.

[bullmerc]

I totally agree with many who have responded that we are taxed to death already. I would like to see a huge decrease in the taxes we have to pay BUT this will never happen as long as we have elected officials who are always on the lookout for more ways to waste money.

My point is that if I win a couple thousands bucks playing the lottery or at the race track I HAVE TO PAY TAXES so why shouldn't fishermen who win a couple thousand bucks on a Saturday fishing a "local" tournament?????? I don't tie up public use areas playing the lottery or betting on the horses as these organized fishing/gambling enterprises do.

A few weeks ago I was fishing Barkley for a few days and for over an hour there was a constant drone of boat motors running just after daylight. I normally don't keep up on tournament activity but this puzzled me so I inquired at the marina and they told me there were 2 tournaments being held that had a combined number of boats almost exceeding 500. THIS WAS ON A THURSDAY. So now I asssume that for those of us who try to fish through the week and work weekends are at a loss because we now can't even enjoy our beloved passtime without having to compete against these massive tournaments. I didn't even attempt to fish Kentucky lake, which was where the tournaments we on, because I knew that with that many boats the ramps I like to use would have been OFF LIMITS because of the massive number of tournament vehicles that were taking up all the parking.

AGAIN I am not suggesting that tournaments be outlawed but I am suggesting that more guidlines and oversight MUST be put into place or eventually these organized gambling competetions will dominate all our public waters and make it almost impossible for the casual fisherman to be able to enjoy their hobby.

Without anything other personal observations I would estimate that tournaments have increased several hundred percent over the past 10 years and without some rules set down to control these commercial gambling enterprises the number will increase several hundred percent more in the next 10 years.

When tournament fishing first started there was a sense of pride to fish them and maybe even win something. Now it has transpired into nothing more than a commercial enterprise where winning is all that matters regardless of other peoples rights. With the economy in the shape it is in now there is no way I would compete in any "local" tournament especially the "buddy" one's. Knowing human nature there will ALWAYS be those who will use EVERY MEANS POSSIBLE to assure themselves of a paycheck whether it be imposing on other fishermen or putting pre-caught fish in a basket.

OH, but they use LIE DETECTOR TESTS on some of the winners. I know through my own experience and training that LIE DETECTOR TESTS are useless if someone really wants to defeat them. This is why they are not allowed to be introduced in court. You would be about as well off using a PALM READER to determine one's truthfullness as a LIE DETECTOR TEST when attempting to judge one's honesty.