Quote Originally Posted by Hlleonard View Post
Nobody can convince me that tournament fishermen don't do more damage to the bass population than the guys that take fish home to the supper table....I have never read anything that says" the best way to keep your fish alive and well is to haul them around in the livewell for 6 or 7 hours before you release them"...fishermen who don't do the tournaments and don't want the fish for dinner release them as soon as they unhook them.....nobody eats as many bass a year as there are that die in the tournament fisherman's livewell.
I enjoy the excitment of tournament fishing but I must agree with your statement. Its a double edge sword. We love to return the fish so someone can enjoy catching the same fish another day, but we don't love them enough to forfit winning money or what ever the prize... which is a hypocracy in itself. This year I bought a place at the lake and have fished more than I have in years. I still love the excitment of fishing, but I do miss the compitetion of tournament fishing at times. I did not win many tournaments, so money was not a factor, but it was still exciting. Some companies buy land to grow trees cause they cause so much polution.. maybe fishing clubs do a lot for conservation because they know they are going to kill some fish! Who knows but it sounds good!