Far to many tournaments on our lakes and it is hurting our lakes their need to be a limit on how many tournaments are held on these lakes. Does anyone else agree it's got crazy with the amount of tournaments! Wildlife needs to have a limit.
Far to many tournaments on our lakes and it is hurting our lakes their need to be a limit on how many tournaments are held on these lakes. Does anyone else agree it's got crazy with the amount of tournaments! Wildlife needs to have a limit.
Which lakes are ruined?
I have said for years that people who run these big tournaments should have to pay a fee to help restock the lakes.
Virginia, does studies on the James and chic river. I have never understood during spring spawn as how catching a fish in the chic and weighing in at the James helps the fry? It does not help the fishery.
Just thoughts and discussion...
I get it and the optics are not pretty of all these fish being brought to the scales but the real threat to our lakes is localized growth affecting water quality, fishing tournaments don't even move the dial if we are talking about real long term affects.
We put boat wipe down chemicals in the lake, bait sprays, color dyes, Armor-All on those trailer tires. We have guys with Dawn in squirt guns to clear pollen off beds. Most use lead sinkers which is measurable affecting bald eagles.
Tournaments may contribute a small facture but the real threats are to our water quality. It is simple as long as the water quality stays good we can restock fish or maybe one day parts of the lakes are sanctuaries during the spawn to help populations. Those are easy fixes the hard ones are the ones where we use a rag/water and wipe up a mess at home rather than a Swiffer that is full of chemicals, ends up in landfill and enters the ground water eventually getting into our water table.
But with tournaments all these things are multiplied
We put boat wipe down chemicals in the lake, bait sprays, color dyes, Armor-All on those trailer tires. We have guys with Dawn in squirt guns to clear pollen off beds. Most use lead sinkers which is measurable affecting bald eagles.
Also, it is well known a female snatched off a bed, kept in a live well with chemicals for 4 to 5 hours or more and returned to the water 40 miles from her bed has a very limited to no chance of ever spawning that season. And to much of that she will become what they "egg bound", something that happens to fish and may die as well. It usually has no happy ending.
I have also fished where they are having tournaments and a majority, not all act like you are in their way, like you should just go home until they are done, really pisses me off and that usually doesn't end well either
Restocking fingerlings has little chance of success in most fisheries. The bass population at all lakes would be better served by proper handling on the water and at the weigh-in and reducing or eliminating hot weather tournaments. The science is unanimous on the subject of delayed mortality during hot weather. Large fish are also disproportionately affected by livewell and delayed mortality all season. Whether this mortality affects the quality of bass fishing at individual lakes, relates to the unique characteristics of the fishery. Some lakes have to more affected than others. My concern, at all lakes, is the loss of large quality fish which are a precious and valuable resource not easily replaced in the short run.Originally Posted by wstutts
I love tournament's myself but to you can't go to any lake March to June that doesn't have a tournament on it on the weekend usually more than one and that every lake. Just because you see a few big bags at the top doesn't mean the fishing is fine. I just personally think they need a brake a couple weeks each in spring.
I know several circuits that do not host tournaments in mar,April or may cause of spawners being on beds and it has help in ways you can’t believe.
Oh I am not saying that tourney's make no diff but you will never see a tourney responsible for a 100,000 fish kill like has happened due to low oxygen levels from contaminated water. Jordan has tested over and over again for high levels of nitrogen and phosphates that is 100 % form fertilizer runoff upstream. Also in the Neuse.But with tournaments all these things are multiplied
We put boat wipe down chemicals in the lake, bait sprays, color dyes, Armor-All on those trailer tires. We have guys with Dawn in squirt guns to clear pollen off beds. Most use lead sinkers which is measurable affecting bald eagles.
Also, it is well known a female snatched off a bed, kept in a live well with chemicals for 4 to 5 hours or more and returned to the water 40 miles from her bed has a very limited to no chance of ever spawning that season. And to much of that she will become what they "egg bound", something that happens to fish and may die as well. It usually has no happy ending.
I have also fished where they are having tournaments and a majority, not all act like you are in their way, like you should just go home until they are done, really pisses me off and that usually doesn't end well either
12-50 million fish killed in the Neuse river basin from contaminant runoff.
https://thefishsite.com/articles/mil...in-neuse-river
Last edited by old4runner; 04-07-2022 at 09:40 AM.
yall better start lobbying at the capital building instead of wasting your time on the keyboard...
Tournaments aren't going anywhere...
their are NO more tournaments on a given year NOW than there was 20 years ago...
Guntersville
Chicamagua
Lake Fork
Occochobee
St Lawrence River
do you guys think the only tournaments there are the PROS? sorry , but no...
Sterling 22XS / Mercury Pro XS V8
No more tournaments now than 20yrs ago lol!!! What rock you living under!!
Unfortunately azzhats are everywhere and some of them fish.I have also fished where they are having tournaments and a majority, not all act like you are in their way, like you should just go home until they are done, really pisses me off and that usually doesn't end well either
+1
Fortunately we live in America where doing legal stuff is ok.
Last edited by cattdaddy; 04-07-2022 at 01:43 PM.
So was voting for Bidan look where that has got us!
LoL and Amen to that.
Biden doesn't fish
So do you think the folks that fish tournaments would stay home if not a tourney day? All those boats just parked? People that fish tournaments would be fishing anyway. People do not get into fishing to tournament fish, it is something most discover once they start.
See I think they would fish anyway so there is no diff in the number of boats launched. Also fewer tournaments has nothing to do with how we knowingly put chemicals in the lake due mostly to vanity.
Last edited by old4runner; 04-07-2022 at 05:58 PM.
I know a fishing biologist named Bill Anderson did a seminar or spoke at one at bass pro shop in spfd about 15-20 years ago. I was there and he said then taking a fish off the bed more than 500 yards will STOP that female from dropping her eggs on a bed. They will just drop them in the middle of the lake most of the time. We stopped fishing tournaments during the spawn for our club of 50 boats. Then many other clubs did the same thing. Now Lake of the Ozarks and Table Rock is almost back to what it once was. People not thinking taking a bass off the bed doesn’t hurt has to be the stupidest people living. I was once that person until that seminar not I refuse to catch bedding fish period.
Btm Line is ALL boats are harming what’s going on eating away at the banks. This area of NC I can’t believe the conservation department ( wildlife department here ) does not build habitats for fish meaning big rock piles or dropped trees in 30’
it feels like NC is defiantly behind the times. Yes you got big fish, that’s a fact. But a good lake gives you 30-100 fish a day not just a few people getting 30 lbs or so and others blanking. This IS ONLY MY OPINION
