While all fisherman are "paying their fair share" (sounds like a cliche from inept politicians) there is one aspect of tournament fishing that no one has bothered to point out. Unlike casual fisherman who are there for the enjoyment and possibly some fish for the table the tournament crowd is all about money. They utilize the resources --the fish, the lake, and the facilities to profit from it. Not so much the collective tournament fisherman as only so many are going to come into the money but those who put on the tournaments profit too. I have always felt that tournaments should contribute something more for their dominant use of the resources for profit. That all said I do agree with the previous point that fisherman of all stripes do contribute much to the local economy with their purchase of supplies and services and the larger, organized tournaments will go far in that regard...

kc