Over $130,000 in prizes and payouts for this years 3DAY event! Registration info here: https://bigbasstour.com/tournaments/...-lake-virginia
Over $130,000 in prizes and payouts for this years 3DAY event! Registration info here: https://bigbasstour.com/tournaments/...-lake-virginia
Not tossing this out there to troll whatsoever; but rather as a head's up, in sincere hope that the promoter might keep in mind the following for this event in the future. There's a significant and growing constituency of Virginia and SML anglers who are viscerally opposed to the timing of this particular tournament. This is during prime spawning time on SML -- and it's my understanding that biologists/SML anglers/stewards (not sure whether or how DGIF might be involved) are highly concerned that the tournament's heavy fishing pressure during the spawning window has had/will have material adverse effects on SML's LMB fishery. To wit, nothing like 500 boats bed fishing on an extremely fragile lake/fishery for 3 days straight to give pause to the hundreds of regional anglers and several constituencies who/that are investing heavily in the longer-term prospects of SML.
Balanced against these concerns, however, is the region's sincere appreciation of the tourism and publicity drawn by tournaments, in general -- so, it's not a we vs. they scenario, whatsoever (aside - my 8yr old son and I would happily participate during other appropriate dates, as it's a fun event)... However, there is sincere concern regarding its timing, which the promoter should consider going forward -- large-scale LMB tournaments during this time window bring a very high risk of impacting the fishery. There are active discussions about this event on other forums -- and, rightly or wrongly, opinions have been expounded to the effect that no one running the big bass tour events on SML really cares about the fishery as much as the draw of folks... Hopefully that's not true; but, I suspect that unless the timing changes voluntarily, there will be legislation proposed this year to prohibit tournaments taking advantage of critical spawning times. Again, nothing disparaging intended, and thanks for considering the concerns.
Their record number of boat entries says otherwise. go somewhere else with your cryingOriginally Posted by Greywalls
2004 Ranger 521vx Yamaha 250 SHO
Haven’t done one of these in a couple years when did it go to 3days
We've always responded to any questions/concerns with raw data and have been open to discuss. Our results are easy to find, as are the number of fish caught and weighed during our event. To put it simply, anyone who wants to examine real numbers and impact will see that our event, due to our one fish format, actually has less overall impact than the majority of five fish events held on the lake in March, April and May. Additionally, we've been attending the lake for 8 years now and we have the stats to review annually related to the overall numbers of fish caught and the average weight for that time frame.
While we understand the profile of our event makes it the easiest to throw stones at, the simply fact is we have far less impact in the one weekend a year that we are at SML than all of it's day to day angler traffic and additional tournament angling pressure during the spawn. That's fact, NOT opinion.
Here's the last four years results for anyone interested. Also, we have moved the event date around within a 3 week period over the last eight years.
2018 SML Date April 29th & 29th Results here: https://bigbasstour.com/results/2018...-lake-virginia
2017 SML Date April 8th & 9th Results here: https://bigbasstour.com/results/2017...-lake-virginia
2016 SML Date April 23rd & 24th Results here: https://bigbasstour.com/results/2016...-lake-virginia
2015 SML Date April 25th & 26th Results here: https://bigbasstour.com/results/2015...-lake-virginia
To wrap this up, we respect every fishery that we visit, SML included, our one fish format is fishery friendly and we go to great lengths with our tournament fish care as well. Anyone fishing our events for the last decade can attest to that.
We believe facts are important when discussing things like this, and related to our event, we have them.
Last edited by Big Bass Tour; 01-12-2019 at 05:57 PM.
Constructive response. Personally, I'm disappointed to hear that someone who lives nearby and presumably enjoys the lake year round would write off my note as "crying." My only concern is with making SML one of the top bass and striper fisheries on the East Coast. 42yrs old, and I've seen the ups and the downs on this lake. I deal with laws and regulations for a living, and simply intended to pass along the fact that folks smarter and more well heeled than I are concerned about the fact that 500+ anglers will be catching and displacing at least several hundred large breeding females during a 3day event. This isn't MLF, with CNR. Do you really not appreciate the issue? BBT does -- they posted helpful info. C'mon man.
Thank you. Good info.
If the Big Bass Tour was not here that weekend then it would be Anglers, BFL or another big event that has 150 to 200 boats with at least one five fish limit, and more if speaking about the BFL, plus anglers out practicing for several days at least. So either stop all tournament fishing during the spawn or lets move on to a new topic.
The Big Bass Tournaments are extremely well run and great for our local economy. I hope they continue to visit SML every year.
Funny how you didn't hear all the talk when the BASS and FLW had their larger events here during the same time of year but for some reason every year you seem to read at least one of these threads about the BBT. And for the record I wish they would bring the BASS and FLW events back as well.
I wish they would come either pre spawn or post spawn. Regardless of the fish care now its 3 days of tons of boats sight fishing. There is no tourney close to that pressure, just got the F1's state funded by VDGIF...but the spawn still isn't a problem to BBT
John 16:33
2016 Tracker Pro Team 195
2016 Mercury 150 Four Stroke
Wow ... You really think that this event doesn't have an impact on your local fishery?
The majority of the anglers aren’t locals. A lot of them are even out of staters, they don’t care about the fishery. I brought it up with BBT on their Facebook post and they got extremely defensive. It’s all about dollars and sense.
2022 Skeeter ZXR20
Yamaha 250 SHO
We don't get defensive, we respond with actual numbers and data as we did above. We track the numbers of fish weighed in our events and weights and provide them. We do care about the fisheries we visit and that's the reason we have a one fish format and manage our fish care practices. The simple facts are that our events have less impact than a standard five fish event that would visit any lake at ANY time pre-spawn, spawn or post spawn. Our numbers of fish weighed and temporarily displaced simply aren't statistically significant enough to have any real impact on a fishery regardless of our timing. Anyone suggesting otherwise is ignoring raw data.
Additionally, we would say that your statement about tournament anglers either local or non-local is fairly off base. It's been our experience that tournament anglers care a lot about our fisheries and taking care of the resource and do more from a conservation standpoint than the average angler but that's just my experience.
Last edited by Big Bass Tour; 01-13-2019 at 10:43 AM.
I would like to see a response from a biologist from the game department about the impact of this tournament. All of the numbers and data provided above just shows fish were weighed and the size of those fish.
This tournament? You mean all tournaments right? And all legal angling pressure and legal rights to take a limit of fish and its impact right? Surely you're concerned with ALL of it if you're FOR the fishery correct?
I wish it was pre or post spawn. I’ve seen people sitting on a spot all night just waiting to pull a fish off a bed as soon as they get a text.
Again, to be clear, you see someone sitting on a spot and automatically assume they can actually see the fish and in the event they can see it, you're automatically assuming they actually catch it and bring it to the scales? Look we get the argument people are trying to make but it's based largely on conjecture. The facts are only a 1/3 of the entire field fishing in our event brings even one fish to the scales and in most of the events over the last 8 years they weren't actually able to see the fish and the timing of the spawn was likely over or hadn't begun.
The math simply doesn't play out to support anyone's argument. We have less impact and weigh less fish than events a third of our size. It's a big fish format, but we only see a small percentage of actual big fish (hint, they're hard to catch). They ride in livewells less, they have less stress, are back in the water faster, there's less of them caught, and on and on.
Not one of the people commenting on this have actually studied any of this or have anything other than an opinion to share and most often it's without even the basic facts that we can provide.
Regardless, we are looking forward to the event and seeing the silent majority that actually enjoy it and are happy it's on SML each year. See everyone soon!
Not assuming at all ive sat there and watched it happen. Not saying its not fair just saying I don’t have time or money to prefish tournaments. Just saying that y i do t fish anymore. I don’t think this tournament has anymore affect on bass than any other tournaments
We get it, everyone has their reasons but in a one fish format it only takes one bite and pre-fishing has VERY little to do with your success or failure in a big bass event. Our event is comprised of only weekend anglers and most of those cashing checks have not pre-fished a single day. We can't recall a single tournament winner at SML or any of our other events that caught the grand prize winning fish by looking at it, other than maybe our Florida event.
In Pa bass fishing is closed during the spawn and bass tournaments are not permitted. With that said I know the locals fish the heck out of the spawn. So they catch as many bass as they can take photos and release them. So in the end what is the difference.
I personally don't think tournaments have a large effect on the bass. They are well run and there are more bass taken by locals that end up in the frying pan, in season of course.
When I lived in Short Pump, Va I did a lot of fishing at Lake Anna. I can remember a lot of fishing was done during the spawn by locals.
Hey, Fx20 - I used to live in Short Pump, too, prior to moving back to my hometown (circa 2002 - 2015). Nice to meet you.
You had mentioned, "So they catch as many bass as they can take photos and release them. So in the end what is the difference." I think that's a good point -- all lakes are probably heavily fished during the spawn, and I suspect that a vast majority of the fish caught are CNR'ed within the vicinity of catch. Personally, I've done the same, and see no huge issue when care is taken -- it's been established that uninjured fish released where caught do, in fact, get back on their beds/guard their beds in short order.
BUT, the concern here, and the distinction I make as to your point, is that when spawning bass are caught, transported to weigh-in and then ultimately released at that remote location (i.e. OTHER THAN IN THE VICINITY OF CATCH), the displacement thwarts the success of that year's spawn, with respect to those fish and their progeny. If that process is interrupted with any significant scale, the consequences start to show in future year classes -- it's not an overnight effect; the quality of the lake today largely was determined by the choices we made and the management that was undertaken 5 to 10 years ago (just as the lake's future quality years ahead is driven by today).
No one is worried about the several hundred big bass being caught, per se... To that point, I, personally, wouldn't care whether every angler in a tournament elected to take their catch home for the frying pan rather than to the weigh-in... That's why creel limit regs exist... The concern, or at least MY concern, is that any tournament of any significant size that displaces spawning bass risks hurting what the lake will amount to a few years down the road. Nothing more to it. Plenty of lessons to be learned from the ups and downs of the striper fishery at SML, too.
IMHO, the best change that could be made to any tournament on SML that happens to take place during the spawn would be to adopt a "catch and photo-submit" rule, with anglers then being encouraged to release at the place of catch (unless creeling/taking home in accordance with regular DGIF regs). Everyone would win -- anglers still have fun and compete, promoter still enjoys a successful event, region still realizes economic benefit... AND no risk whatsoever to fishery.
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