DEAD bass was up after Tourney on KY Lake.

[jcb]

One related issue that I find interesting is that there are anglers who aren't fishing in a tournament who will still put the bass in the livewell and run it around all day, take some pictures back at the ramp (or at least later in the day) and then attempt to release. I don't understand the point of it.

This is the one that kills me as well.

Is there any reason to do this?

[adam7456]

...if those numbers are correct then that means they had a 98% live release rate with a 2% mortality rate.....NON issue!!

You are correct that one isolated incident with a 2% mortality rate will not have any devastating effect on the fishery. The only problem is this isn't a single event. This was a 2% mortality rate by experienced people who knew what they were doing and had the best equipment available to prevent it. I'm showing 18 officially registered tournaments on that lake in June. Besides the Triton tournament how many others will have specialized equipment to revive fish? As I've said all along a single tournament isn't the problem, it is the scale that tournaments have grown to.

You can say it is a non-issue but as I read the various news stories and forums there was at least one person calling for additional regulations because of this single incident. All it would take is one person taking and posting pictures after every tournament to get the public riled up and the legislators would look at enacting more regulations. Public opinion, especially in the day of instant mass communication, is not something to be dismissed.

All it would take is for a tournament to dump their dead fish back in the lake by a marina where they float over to a houseboat owned by an influential person and that "non-issue" suddenly become a big deal.

[tweek]

I fish tournaments in my 1448 jon boat. I have a cooler with an aerator in it for a livewell. I can honestly say that all the fish I have caught over the years have been in good shape when I released them at the end of the tournament. Usually I have to fight with them to get them in the bag to weigh them. Needless to say, I don't know what happens after they swim off, but they all swam away quickly. My point is, if I can keep fish alive will cobbled together equipment, I don't understand why people can't do it in a "Bass" Boat!
I think a big part of the problem is how unwilling tournament fishermen are to help each other out. How many guys have been taught how to properly care for these fish in tournaments? How many of them actually know how to operate their livewell properly? Some tournaments I have fished, most of the competitors are jerks when you try to talk to them, everything is a big secret. Most of them, everyone is pretty friendly. They might not tell you exactly where they caught that 7lb hog, but they might say what they caught it on. At the end of the day, if you see something that someone isn't doing correctly, offer advice. We were all new at this at one time. At the same time, when someone offers advice, whether you listen to it or not, don't be a jerk about it.
By the way, the secret to my cooler keeping fish alive and happy is to add fresh water from the lake about every 30-45 minutes....

Tight lines everyone!

[GeoFisher]

One related issue that I find interesting is that there are anglers who aren't fishing in a tournament who will still put the bass in the livewell and run it around all day, take some pictures back at the ramp (or at least later in the day) and then attempt to release. I don't understand the point of it.

If it goes in my livewell........I'm EATING it..........

I rarely run around a lake with fish, just to show them off.......

Later,

Geo

[Shellkat]

No livewell in my boat, straight on the ice in a chest then a hot oil bath. I never did like hauling my supper aroung dead in bath water for hours before I ate them. Big fish go back the little ones taste better.

[redearhoosier]

Bass fishing went off the rails in two key areas: one being the idea that eating your catch is some how a bad idea. Second, the tournaments/money/sponsors have taken it into a business model.

It's deviated so far from the bass fishing of yesterday and these are key reasons why I personally don't understand the logic behind it. I don't know which is more frustrating, the whole mentality of catch/release/don't eat or the big money tournaments that attract fantastic butt holes. Color me confused on bass fishing in general, but being a conservation minded person, I routinely save them when gut hooked by simply cutting the hook off instead of pulling their guts out.

[sweetwater]

No livewell in my boat, straight on the ice in a chest then a hot oil bath. I never did like hauling my supper aroung dead in bath water for hours before I ate them. Big fish go back the little ones taste better.

When you immediately put fish on ice like that they will be fresher, easier to clean and definitely tastier. I don't think bass are very good to eat and I never put one in the live well for any reason. I usually hold em up for a second to get a good look at them then I'll thank them for a good fight and gently ease them back into the water. Unless they are foul hooked they are not out of their natural habitat for any more than 30 seconds.

[GeoFisher]

When you immediately put fish on ice like that they will be fresher, easier to clean and definitely tastier. I don't think bass are very good to eat and I never put one in the live well for any reason. I usually hold em up for a second to get a good look at them then I'll thank them for a good fight and gently ease them back into the water. Unless they are foul hooked they are not out of their natural habitat for any more than 30 seconds.

If I know I'm planning on harvesting fish, I usually put 2 20lb bags of ice in my livewell. It turns into an ice water bath in about 30 minutes. That Ice water is the absolute best way to keep fish. Throwing them in the crazy cold water kills them pretty fast, and keeps them fresh for when I put them to the knife.

[Moveon]

[QUOTE=GeoFisher;547582]Guys.....this stuff is unreal......simply UNREAL. I've been saying for years that tourneys in this type of weather should be banned.....period.

I had a entire book written about this subject but decided to delete it. What George Said is enough. I agree with him 100% on this subject.

[GeoFisher]

[QUOTE=Moveon;547832]

Guys.....this stuff is unreal......simply UNREAL. I've been saying for years that tourneys in this type of weather should be banned.....period.

I had a entire book written about this subject but decided to delete it. What George Said is enough. I agree with him 100% on this subject.

See, we CAN agree in a few things.

[sweetwater]

If I know I'm planning on harvesting fish, I usually put 2 20lb bags of ice in my livewell. It turns into an ice water bath in about 30 minutes. That Ice water is the absolute best way to keep fish. Throwing them in the crazy cold water kills them pretty fast, and keeps them fresh for when I put them to the knife.

We do the same. We use one or both live wells as fish boxes with ice in them for bluegill and crappie. Our boat has a built in cooler and we used that as a fish box one time without thinking. It turns out the cooler drains it's water into the bilge and the boat reeked of fish smell for several weeks afterwards. All ya gotta do with the live wells is pump the melted ice water out and rinse.

[365allout]

Taking release out of catch and release would be a loss to the fisheries without question. The very small percentage that was lost at that event was offset by the the much higher percentage of fish that were released, returned to enhance the population in opposition to another option, catch , weigh and eat. Keep in mind if a tournament wanted to they could allow double the limit now brought to the scales by allowing the legal limit per angler to be brought in, weigh and fillet. So there is no question the catch and release in a benefit as compared to some other options. Is care needed to be taken in the process, of course but that's old news, debated and decided decades ago. If one wanted to try and reach perfection one could make it law that any fish hooked but not landed, came free, broke line, no matter the reason, that fish could count toward your daily limit and it would without question enhance the fisheries. Now apply it to all species, crappie, cats, whites, hybrids, sounds crazy don't it?