can there be too many tournaments?

[Mark Jones]

"
Very well written, and I can concur with this. However, how do we explain the so called "decline" on several bodies of water that have been famous for great fishing?

On a side not, I will confess, I do get tired of seeing so many boats on the river these days. And in a tournament it is really hard to get on anything to fish. Yeh, and I may be whining some, but I am trying to learn to adapt to that. but I do feel like I can't even set the boat down in a tournament sometimes because around every bend or creek there are multiple boats and I am the kind of guy that wants to give people their space to fish...

If you look at most of the fisheries that have seen a "decline" the vast majority of the time it's from an agency spraying vegetation and destroying habitat and cover. It's not tournament anglers.

[RangrSkipr]

We have more tourneys in Texas than probably anywhere in the country. Our fish population is doing well. Hell…Josh Jones has proven there’s an entire class of fish that NEVER gets fished for. Sam Rayburn has had 400 tournaments a year for YEARS…still puts out the fish. I give everybody on the water room and respect…tourney anglers, crappie guys, people enjoying their docks. I don’t think there’s really a problem…at least not around here.

SR is a 114,000 acre lake. If you lived where the majority of fisheries to choose from are 1000 acres or less with 30 fow max depths you might think differently. They just don't recover as well. I'm jealous of those that have convenient choices to fish the large lakes that can at least absorb and recover from the activity. Time to move I suppose

[fishnfireman]

We have more tourneys in Texas than probably anywhere in the country. Our fish population is doing well. Hell…Josh Jones has proven there’s an entire class of fish that NEVER gets fished for. Sam Rayburn has had 400 tournaments a year for YEARS…still puts out the fish. I give everybody on the water room and respect…tourney anglers, crappie guys, people enjoying their docks. I don’t think there’s really a problem…at least not around here.

Can you say Amistad ?

[DennisMH&F]

There is a reason you are getting a range of answers here because the real answer is "it depends on the body of water". We are fortunate here in Missouri to have several large bodies of water that spread out the pressure. In addition, recreational boat traffic is so high during the hot summer months that several of lakes simply can't have large tournaments at that time when potential for fish kills are the highest. While lakes with good habitat can handle far more pressure than we think, there are limits. A smaller lake in our state made the Bassmaster Top 100 several years ago and the tournament pressure exploded. That also corresponded with a few bad spawning years and the lake has not been the same since. As mentioned in a previous thread, guys are adapting and some are still catching good bags but they are catching far fewer keepers and struggling to produce consistent catches.

I think blaming tournament pressure for the decline of a lake can be a little simplistic. As mentioned by several posters, more and more folks are on the water since COVID and these folks keep/kill more fish than most big tournaments. Further, recreational boat traffic changes fish patterns and impacts spawning success too. Finally, and this will be unpopular with some, our climate is changing too. Most of our highland reservoirs were built for flood control and fluctuating water during the critical spawning season can do far more to harm a fishery than all the tournaments in a year. Two or three consecutive years of spring floods followed by rapid draw downs can Require 7-10 years for the lake to recover. Aquatic vegetation is the critical structure in some lakes and if it is damaged by water fluctuation, weed control programs or chemical run-off a lake will suffer far more than from any type of fishing pressure.

[Mark Perry]

"
Very well written, and I can concur with this. However, how do we explain the so called "decline" on several bodies of water that have been famous for great fishing?

On a side not, I will confess, I do get tired of seeing so many boats on the river these days. And in a tournament it is really hard to get on anything to fish. Yeh, and I may be whining some, but I am trying to learn to adapt to that. but I do feel like I can't even set the boat down in a tournament sometimes because around every bend or creek there are multiple boats and I am the kind of guy that wants to give people their space to fish...

Be a trendsetter, do your part and stay home. One less boat on the water.

[MI bassassassin]

There is a reason you are getting a range of answers here because the real answer is "it depends on the body of water". We are fortunate here in Missouri to have several large bodies of water that spread out the pressure. In addition, recreational boat traffic is so high during the hot summer months that several of lakes simply can't have large tournaments at that time when potential for fish kills are the highest. While lakes with good habitat can handle far more pressure than we think, there are limits. A smaller lake in our state made the Bassmaster Top 100 several years ago and the tournament pressure exploded. That also corresponded with a few bad spawning years and the lake has not been the same since. As mentioned in a previous thread, guys are adapting and some are still catching good bags but they are catching far fewer keepers and struggling to produce consistent catches.

I think blaming tournament pressure for the decline of a lake can be a little simplistic. As mentioned by several posters, more and more folks are on the water since COVID and these folks keep/kill more fish than most big tournaments. Further, recreational boat traffic changes fish patterns and impacts spawning success too. Finally, and this will be unpopular with some, our climate is changing too. Most of our highland reservoirs were built for flood control and fluctuating water during the critical spawning season can do far more to harm a fishery than all the tournaments in a year. Two or three consecutive years of spring floods followed by rapid draw downs can Require 7-10 years for the lake to recover. Aquatic vegetation is the critical structure in some lakes and if it is damaged by water fluctuation, weed control programs or chemical run-off a lake will suffer far more than from any type of fishing pressure.

We don’t agree often but this post is 100% spot on

[PowerFish]

Tournament pressure makes bass fishing specifically more difficult. You see a larger amount of tournaments outside of recreational boating seasons so they are somewhat compressed into the spring and fall. Before Memorial Day and after Labor Day. I live at Table Rock Lake and see tournaments every weekend, last week there was several going on with over 850 boats on the water with different organizations. There were no reported wrecks, nobody died and I even went recreationally fishing that Sunday. Yes it was busy, yes fishing was tough because of the traffic. However, I don't think Tournament Fishing itself is detrimental. It boosts the local economies of the area and provides conservation dollars to our agencies that manage everything from Boat Ramps to Bass Populations and how often the shitter gets pumped out.

Living here and seeing it first hand may frustrate me on the water when the bite it tough, but I fish tournaments and believe that it's my job to figure them out, even when it's tough, because it's still take 21+ to win a one day here so they can be caught.

Saw the same at Chickamauga last spring, lake was being hammered and fishing was tough for a lot of people, but it still took well over 20lbs a day to win a multi-day event.

[m.t.hands]

I think Tournaments can be very discouraging to the average fisherman, I remember in the late 70's early 80's bowling alley's on numerous occasions did not have any lanes available for any one except league bowlers, kind of a bummer for kids wanting to enjoy a night out, so I think it could be comparable perception of the non-tournament fisherman

[Ranger62]

Lanier is beat to death 2 or more tournaments most weekends and even during the week. Seems like an ego thing to me but hey I'm just an average fisherman who goes when life let's me.

[MadYakker]

This subject was recently covered by a well known angler who fishes TableRock and Grand a lot (guess who?), so it is a real thing many people are noticing and talking about. I, too fished the BassMaster Top 100 lake in MO (on the list about 8 years ago and only 1000 acres) that got hard and I don't think it recovered yet. The same thing happened when a super big crappie was caught out of it- such that they had to reduce the crappie limit from 30/day to 15/day. The obvious solution is for the bass boat crowd to start to move toward the "Catch, Photo, Release" format of tournaments. There will be less effect on the fish in many aspects- health, mortality, less detriment to spawning and relocation stress. The only negatives will be less "glory photos" and more on-line judges needed to be taught to verify submitted fish along with the catching of cheaters. BUT- if cheaters are put on a list and that list is shared so they will not be able to tournament fish any more- they will be out on their own, and possible off the lake altogether.

[WStorey]

Yes, there will be a tournament on Lay Lake every day now through the end of summer.

[VA Bass]

Be a trendsetter, do your part and stay home. One less boat on the water.

only if you do sir

[rboren]

When I was in my 20’s there were just as many tournaments to fish as they are now. Now fruit jar derbies are another thing. While there are only 10-30 boats in them,there are one almost every day! Most of the bigger trails really try to care for the fish and I don’t believe that they harm nearly as many fish as a smaller fruit jar. Still see a lot of dead or nearly dead fish floating around after one. Also when in was trying to “live the dream” as some on here say most of the competitors were adults that had scrimped and saved to own a boat. Now there are kids from 15-20 still in school or working at a relative low income that have 50-100 thousand dollar rigs. So things have changed in some ways. Are there too many tournaments? Possibly but there not many more than 30-40 years ago. Still fish are doing well. The water is getting crowded but I would say that there are 30 to one more pleasure crafts than they are actual fishing craft including panfish and catfish. Parking lot is proof of this by just looking at the trailers. Everyone has a right to be there I just wish everyone would be a little courteous and think of safety.

[Mark Perry]

only if you do sir

I'm fine with the number of tournaments as well as recreational anglers on the water.

[Dave A]

Be a trendsetter, do your part and stay home. One less boat on the water.

Hell of a thing to say, especially being a moderator.

[TroyBoy30]

yes

[Mark Perry]

Hell of a thing to say, especially being a moderator.

You just never know what someone takes too seriously on here.

[smbass77]

I've spent much of the last two years fishing small mountain lakes that can't hold a big tournaments and dont have guides promoting it on social. The main reason I'm doing this is because it's more enjoyable to me to be on a lake with little pressure where I can run a pattern without being ontop of people or them being on top of me. With covid and more people on the water and the booming economy, everyone is fishing and it's making the big lakes like Guntersville and Chickamauaga not enjoyable anymore. Couple that with social media, the biggest threat to fisheries in my opinion, and some lakes are just beat to death. Example, Chickamauga in the spring has 20 boats in every small pocket.....and that's not enjoyable for me. Now I go to a little known lakes, and don't publicize it on social, and many times I can be the only boat or ine of a small handful of boats on the lake and I can enjoy nature instead of watching boats cut me off on a bank or come in on me when catching a bass. Also, I think there are more anglers out there today that don't have manners. They see pros fishing side by side and they feel it's ok to do so they can win a little $ in a small local tournament.

It will change soon, once the economy turns. Every recession seems to reset thr number of boats on a lake.

[VA Bass]

I'm fine with the number of tournaments as well as recreational anglers on the water.

ok, and I wish there were less at times. same thing in the woods. I guess I may be a little selfish. But I am confessing to that. Are saying that you have never been in a tournament and ran to a spot only to find a boat there and say, "damn, that a@#hole is on the spot. ?? I have said that, and I have likely been that same a@#hole on a spot someone else wanted...so is life bud

[Sabre1]

Yes, there will be a tournament on Lay Lake every day now through the end of summer.

Is Lay holding up under the pressure? When I left Alabama in 2019 it was the same deal with tournaments on Lay (and everywhere else on the Coosa), but I still caught a lot of good fish. I think the Coosa is one of the best river systems in the USA and it gets hammered with tournaments. Now I'm back home in Arkansas fishing lakes that are tough and don't have near the bass population Coosa lakes have.