You actually think fish being temporarily taken out of a lake are going to affect a 20k acre lake? Would you rather it be 5 times more with regular tournaments? Think about the number of bass per acre alone and even 1500 bass will make no difference at the end of the day. With most people not harvesting bass these days it may even help.
I moved to Short Pump from Florida. When I lived in Short Pump is was country. Not the same today. My buddy owned a SHELL OR TEXICO gas station in Ashville. Great fishing partner we would stop he would gas the boat and SUV and off to Lake Anna.
I did my second tournament this year, took a respectable 9th out of 75 boats. It was fun but way too much work. My first was at Lake Anna.
Bass are amazing and the majority will go back to where they were caught. I saw a study on that. Mortality rates can happen just from catch or release. Maybe Pa has it figured out by not permitting tournaments during the spawn.
So as a non tournament player I just don't see a big concern. I only caught one striper and I think it was in Lake Anna, maybe.
I will be headed to SML the last weekend in June. In addition we will be looking for a place to retire in the future. I have a cousin that lives in Stanton.
Big Bass Tour says "We don't get defensive" .Originally Posted by Big Bass Tour
To answer your question .... I have been fishing this lake for 40 years, seen the good and bad cycles of the fishery. Years ago the bass population seemed to be better off, with higher numbers and more quality fish being caught. As the years passed and the lake became more popular, more and bigger tournaments were happening at SML. Sure it's good for the local economy around the lake to have these events come to the lake, hotels, restaurants, and local stores welcome the influx of new business. Whether it's your tournament, the Anglers Choice trail, BFL, Bassmaster Opens, or any other tournament that comes here, there has to be some impact on the bass population. You are right that your group or any other group has the right to hold events here, but your group is the one that catches the most grief because it is by far the largest one held on Smith Mountain Lake. I have never seen anyone with knowledge that specializes in fishery biology say whether fishing during the spawn does or does not damage the fishery. I realize this is a business for you and your tour, if the fishing quality drops you will just move on to another lake, but we live here and will be fishing here for a long time.
I am one of the out of staters referred to that was introduced to SML by the BBT. I cannot come the weekend that the BBT will be there this year, so I am planning to come down and fish one of the previous two weeks instead, because I enjoy SML that time of the year. I'm curious if my trip to the lake and use of the lake concerns you as well?
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Maybe you all should petition your state to make changes. PA HAS a closed season during the spawn. Tournaments are prohibited. In fact you can not fish spawning beds. I think the actual wording is you can not keep casting into a visible spawning bed in an effort or attempt to catch bass. If you catch a bass it must be returned immediately, no holding it up for photos etc, it has to go back into the same spot asap. So even the locals don't add to the pressure during the spawn.
It's a good time in Pa to go after Muskie then Walleye that comes in about a month prior to bass.
If you think fishing during the spawn hurts this just might be the way to go. You really can't fault anybody for doing something that is legal just because you don't like it.
Lol nobody is saying they are against bed fishing, or even tournament bed fishing. I do it just as much as the next guy. But when a tournament organization consistently comes to the same lake year after year deliberately during the spawn to draw as many boats as possible I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask them to switch up the dates every once in awhile. But they’ve made it very clear that they will have no part of any angler’s input, but rather become defensive and provide tournament statistics as “facts” to show that their format doesn’t hurt the spawn.
If there was a 20k acre lake in PA that drew 400 boats EVERY YEAR during the spawn would you be concerned even justttt a little bit?
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Me? No as long as something is legal then it's fair game for everyone. That's the way it works and should work. When you start making exceptions that is when someone can ban something you like but they don't.
If you like fishing the beds and it is legal to do then any one should be able to do the same tournament or no tournament.
But then again our state kind of ended any argument about fishing the spawn.
I think you and the handful of other complainers keep missing the point. While our event may be the largest in terms of attendance, it has the actual fish numbers impact of smaller events. Again, we aren't being defensive by reminding you of the math. If you make a point and we make a counter point showing you the contrary, that doesn't make us defensive it makes us data focused.Big Bass Tour says "We don't get defensive" .
To answer your question .... I have been fishing this lake for 40 years, seen the good and bad cycles of the fishery. Years ago the bass population seemed to be better off, with higher numbers and more quality fish being caught. As the years passed and the lake became more popular, more and bigger tournaments were happening at SML. Sure it's good for the local economy around the lake to have these events come to the lake, hotels, restaurants, and local stores welcome the influx of new business. Whether it's your tournament, the Anglers Choice trail, BFL, Bassmaster Opens, or any other tournament that comes here, there has to be some impact on the bass population. You are right that your group or any other group has the right to hold events here, but your group is the one that catches the most grief because it is by far the largest one held on Smith Mountain Lake. I have never seen anyone with knowledge that specializes in fishery biology say whether fishing during the spawn does or does not damage the fishery. I realize this is a business for you and your tour, if the fishing quality drops you will just move on to another lake, but we live here and will be fishing here for a long time.
This^^^ . Come fish our lake and visit, just don't stay too long and stick too many fish.
Where is your proof for this?
You’re basically assuming that the amount of fish weighed in = the amount of fish caught that day. Those are the only facts you have. Just because someone went and weighed in a 5 pounder doesn’t mean he didn’t catch multiple 3.5 pounders before that.
2022 Skeeter ZXR20
Yamaha 250 SHO
Probably a stupid question, does SML seasonally spawn that late compared to Kerr & Gaston? I think last year there was a late spawn due to the never ending cold fronts, at least down here in on the Chick/James, but I've fished Kerr/Gaston and the spawn was already done in mid April.
2018 Bass Cat Lynx w/Suzuki 250SS.
No sir, we don't assume anything, we know that there are fish caught that don't make it to the scales, either released immediately or later but our rules related to livewell limits and the fact that it's a one fish tournament mean a large percentage less are caught, held and culled than would be in a five fish event and they spend far less time in livewells throughout the day. Secondly, in your scenario, a 3.5 in our format would likely come to the scales, as it's on the border for a paying fish for some hours at SML. That data is above in the links I provided if you care to review.
And I think people are also forgetting that in a typical Anglers tournament or BFL that people don't stop fishing when they catch 5 fish....you have 200 boats with 2 anglers catching as many fish as possible and only keeping there best 5 or more in The BFL format and riding all of those fish around all day as well. And I would be willing to argue that those tournaments in the dead heat of summer have just as large of an impact when you look at the huge number of dead fish floating at the dock. And also the large number that are swimming around belly up that were caught deep and die from swim bladder issues because they were not handled correctly. Fact of it is that fishing of any kind will have some impact on the lake, but with proper fish care and a well run tournament that impact can be kept to a minimum. And I personally think that the major tournament trails that come to SML do a very good job of doing the best they can to minimize the impact to the lake.... Anglers, BFL, BASS, and yes the Big Bass Tour. I hope they all continue to vist SML and welcome any other major tournaments that bring a higher level of competition and keep the local economy and resources in mind!
How many fish get weighed in at the BBT on SML 500-1k? SML is what 20k acres.... How many bass do you think live in the 20k lake?
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