Opinions on Tournaments

[bullmerc]

Does anyone other than myself think that bass tournaments are becoming to many for our public waters???????

Seems in the past 5 years there has been a MEGA increase in the number of tournaments being held. On some lakes there are tournaments being held every day of the week from ice out to Christmas.
With this massive increase in tournaments there also seems to be more obnoxious individuals who fish them. I haven't heard but I am sure that with our economy in the shape it is in that cheating is also on the upswing.

Everyone praises tournaments for bringing money into the local economy but if data was compiled I firmly believe that tournaments bring in very few dollars as compared to families who come to the area for a vacation. Tournament anglers are there for ONE REASON and that is to spend as much time as possible on the water. They will not shop in the local stores or attend the local tourists attractions. Gas, food and lodging is about all the tournament angler will buy while in the area and this is if the tournament is a professional 3 or 4 day event. The one day tournaments bring very few dollars into the local economy because they don't spend the night, they will bring their own food and ususlly they will have purchased their gas prior to their arrival.

Another aspect of tournaments especially in the spring is what happens to the TRANSPLANTS???????
Say for instance I catch a male off a bed in Barkley and haul him 60 miles over to Kentucky lake to release him after weigh-in and taking for granted that he will survive will he re-establish another nest and spawn again in Kentucky lake or will he be lost to the cycle for the year. What happens to the fry/eggs that he was guarding prior to being caught????? Times this by several thousands and many fish will be lost to the lake directly or in-directly. I know causual anglers keep fish to eat in some instances which removes them from the cycle also but most of the professional anglers target these spawning fish while the causual angler takes whatever is available.

I have heard the argument many times that Kentucky and Barkley are so huge that tournaments have no influence on them. If you consider the amount of acerage that is actually "bass friendly" you would see that their massiveness is deminished considerably.

Both lakes (Kentucky and Barkley) are full of undersize bass right now and that is good but this is because 4 or 5 years ago the lake was extremely high for an extended period during the spawn which caused a record spawn. With these fish's reckless abandon they will be whittled down very quickly and very few will reach the 15" size limit much less trophy size.

A lakes health and it's ability to self support depends of many factors which we have no control over. A couple years of bad or non-existant spawns and the massive tournament pressure our lakes is getting now and we might just see our lakes get to where there are few catchable fish remaining. This can happen before we know it. I remember a time back in the late 90's and before the massive tournament invasion that the numbers of bass were getting so low that the 14" and eventually the 15" size limit was placed on the lakes. And this happened simply because there was a poor spawn for 2 years.

What I would like to see is that there be ovesight established on the tournaments being held on our public waters. Tournaments in Kentucky is a free-for-all. There is very little if any oversight by anyone in authority. We need to establish a system as other states have that makes the sponsors of the events liable and to obtain permits and pay fees to hold the events. With our state in an economic shambles it would seem an intelligent move by the state to garner funds from every source available. Make the tournaments abide by rules as any business must because that is what they are.

[mhall]

Oh Lord you have opened the pervibial Pandoro's Box, brace yourself!

[PRO V LE]

Hold On tight!!! I see a train wreck about to happen.

[Bobby Headrick]

I fish tournaments. Yes to a point I do agree that there are too many at times, seems every Tom **** and Harry club has tourneys, these local tourneys probally do not bring a lot of $ to a comunity per say as that locals who live close by fish them, but these guys do by gas, food, baits etc to fish these. Also I fish the KBFN qualifers, we always have several boats and for the most part we all stay in Hotel rooms at least 2 nights maybe more, we have to but local gas as we do run out, we eat at local reasturants, we but tackle from local shops, we spend lots of money whever we go. We take extra care with the fish. Fish will relocate, they have been tracked before. Also all major circuts like the KBFN, KBF, Renagade, fishers of men etc. HAve rules and guidlines we must follow. Just remember that all sportsmen and women pay for fishing and hunting and yes tourneys do bring in much needed money to some places.

[ironhead70]

wow !!!!!!!

[Duayne]

I got my pop corn and soda at the ready.. LOL

[cra97]

I fish quite a few tournaments myself, so I am as guilty as the rest of those you are speaking of here, but I am NOT probably in the majority when it comes to agreeing with you. I think there ARE TO MANY tourney's going on now! I have only been fishing these waters for a couple years now and I cannot believe how many events go out EVERY weekend. We are definately doing damage, in my humble opinion, to the prosperous fish population here in KY. I would rather they cut back on the number of events and increase the number of boats per event, to be honest. The high number of events being held each week cuts down on the entries into the events as well, and to me this hurts the tournament anglers as well. Do not get me wrong here, I do NOT think they should be done away with (tourney's), but I would love to see something even as progressive as ONE event per lake per day. Would that really kill the fun we tourney fisherman have? I have yet to fish any event on a weekend when there were not multiple, and sometimes that means like 5-7, events going out on the same body of water on the same day. This may not seem like a compromise, but I doubt some of the people who fish these "smaller" events would fish against the "big boys" (in other words those they think are to good to beat and thus fish events they do not on those days) and thus it would cut down not the OVERALL number of boats fishing the tournaments as a whole. I think this is a small, but first, step in the right direction.
I hate to see what has happened to a place like T-ville over the last 20, or so, years happen to more lakes in KY. The way I understand it, and I may be off here, T-ville used to be a "Trophy Lake" at one time, but now you can't catch very many KEEPERS, let alone "Trophy" fish. Most events I have seen take less than 12-15 lbs (and that's the MOST I have seen, generally 10 or so will get it done) to WIN. I was told it used to be common, or at least no unusual, to catch 5-7 lbers there. If someone comes in with a 5 lber now I am one of the MANY looking to see it and that's a shame in my opinion. This is just one example and I am sure there are many others people could point too but I have not been here long enough to point any others out right now.
I don't know if this thread will be "appreciated" by many, nor my response, but I would like to see some changes from where we are now. Thanks for sharing your opinion and I look forward to reading the responses this will draw.

Rob Appleby

[artcarney_agr]

I really don't see why there is so much concern. On any given day there are plenty of bass boats out fishing. The only difference is that a tournament concentrates them to a single ramp.

Tournaments are nothing more than a group of guys putting their fishing skills against one another. It's a form of competition and recreation. If you want to play the game, good deal - if not, then don't be trying to downplay them.

[bassmaster]

OK here we go. Let's leave the above conclusions to the experts. I'm certainly not one of them but I do tournament fish (20 + years) and before that I bassed fished as much as I do now. Only thing was then I kept them and ate them. I found this study online so check it out. http://www.bamabassfishing.com/article3.html
Tim
bassmaster

[ironhead70]

here is what i think the problem is the ky fish and wildlife ask everone who is putting on a tourney to sign up on there web site and then at the end of the season to report their data of fish caught, then when the report come out and we see were the most and biggest fish was caught we all sechelude tourneys there that is why we r seeing more tourneys on some of these lakes, willisburg was ranked up there high last year i was down there a few weeks ago and talk to the guy there at the shop he said there has been more touney already this year then he has had in the past, i think the problem lies with the ky fish and wild life and their report not that it is a bad thing either, people just want to catch fish and have a good turn out and good weight so they r flocking to the lake with good reports based on that report IMO

[offdtop]

Pickwick Lake outta florence Alabama, they only allow so many tournaments a year and when their schedule is full move on elsewhere - no exceptions.

JMO - Tournaments or not there is still going to be guys coming and going, the impact financially for hotels,restraunts, guides, mom and pop grocery stores, bait shops is great and you know people who this helps and really it keeps doors open more times than not. When you live on or near a lake that people consider their "vacation destination" whether tournament or not, I'll give you this - Go to Lake of the ozarks in Missouri and try to comfortably bass fish during the day, the waves from the monster boats keeps that lake rolling and dangerous, in fact the only tournaments had in the summer months have to be held at night. the lesser of the two evils is....... still evil.

Obnoxious people? I can deal with that, but drunk people in 28 to 40 ft speed boats - no, the way jet skiers are becoming more brass - no, a ski boat roaring just to the edge of a no-wake area and doing a 180 and roaring out with no skier - definately not. We as sportsman have to chose our battles and the one to me is safety, safety and safety. We get people acting responsible by a show of force from our water patrols and no tolerance to "unsportsmanlike" behaviour will go a long way. How many times have you seen - Wakes in a no-wake, jet skies jumping wakes too close, fisherman flying on plane to close to a couple guys out crappie fishing a creek channel, these are all people REPEAT all people of all kinds, weekend warriors, just everyday guys out for fun , all of which shows little to no respect.

If it effects the fishing population changes will be made, as long as we continue to see 29lb sacks weighed in - I don't see changes in lowering amount of tournaments in our near future, so we can write to some of the clubs and ask them to tighten their competitors conduct while on the water and implement "no-tolerance". I fish tournaments off and on and I thoroughy enjoy them - It is 2 of the great ironies

Man against Man
Man against Beast (fish)

[Tim_T]

I fish quite a few tournaments myself, so I am as guilty as the rest of those you are speaking of here, but I am NOT probably in the majority when it comes to agreeing with you. I think there ARE TO MANY tourney's going on now! I have only been fishing these waters for a couple years now and I cannot believe how many events go out EVERY weekend. We are definately doing damage, in my humble opinion, to the prosperous fish population here in KY. I would rather they cut back on the number of events and increase the number of boats per event, to be honest. The high number of events being held each week cuts down on the entries into the events as well, and to me this hurts the tournament anglers as well. Do not get me wrong here, I do NOT think they should be done away with (tourney's), but I would love to see something even as progressive as ONE event per lake per day. Would that really kill the fun we tourney fisherman have? I have yet to fish any event on a weekend when there were not multiple, and sometimes that means like 5-7, events going out on the same body of water on the same day. This may not seem like a compromise, but I doubt some of the people who fish these "smaller" events would fish against the "big boys" (in other words those they think are to good to beat and thus fish events they do not on those days) and thus it would cut down not the OVERALL number of boats fishing the tournaments as a whole. I think this is a small, but first, step in the right direction.
I hate to see what has happened to a place like T-ville over the last 20, or so, years happen to more lakes in KY. The way I understand it, and I may be off here, T-ville used to be a "Trophy Lake" at one time, but now you can't catch very many KEEPERS, let alone "Trophy" fish. Most events I have seen take less than 12-15 lbs (and that's the MOST I have seen, generally 10 or so will get it done) to WIN. I was told it used to be common, or at least no unusual, to catch 5-7 lbers there. If someone comes in with a 5 lber now I am one of the MANY looking to see it and that's a shame in my opinion. This is just one example and I am sure there are many others people could point too but I have not been here long enough to point any others out right now.
I don't know if this thread will be "appreciated" by many, nor my response, but I would like to see some changes from where we are now. Thanks for sharing your opinion and I look forward to reading the responses this will draw.

Rob Appleby

Taylorsville was impunded when I was 16 and since we lived 25 miles from it we fished it wuite a bit. Was it a better bass lake when it was first impounded? Yes, but it was never I trophy lake. In my experience it was never common to catch 5-7 pound bass there, just like it is not common anywhere esle in the state.

The biggest problem I have seen with Taylorsville is that it gets a lot of pressure, from both tourneys and recreational anglers. With it's proximity to Louisville, Taylorsville is always going to get a lot of fishing pressure. Now I wouldn't mind seeing a limit on how many tournaments could go on in a day, but more for safety reasons on a small lake like T-Ville than for any other reason.