Now y'all know bass tournaments don't hurt fish.Remember that very well. Rip rap by Paris Landing Marina covered in dead bass. Sickening.
Now y'all know bass tournaments don't hurt fish.Remember that very well. Rip rap by Paris Landing Marina covered in dead bass. Sickening.
not to mention "artificially" stocking and displacing LMB.I will also add this...
... if any group of anglers has an incentive to take care of the fish, it's the guys at the highest levels like the Elites. Dead fish do them no good.
I remember last time the Bassmaster Classic was at Guntersville. They took every fish weighed in back to a state hatchery (or some place like that) and kept them for a period of time before releasing them back in the lake. I think they only had 3 dead fish. Pretty impressive.
If any damage is being done to fisheries, some of it may be from every single weeknight derby that occurs on about every single lake in July & August. There's often dead fish at nearly every single one. Carrying around the fish for 3 hours in a hot live well with poor circulation is rough on them. I do my best to take care of them. Not everyone has the same mentality.
I like competing in them, so I can't complain.. but our lakes are getting pressured soooo much from all of the little tournaments.
There were 253 boats in a tournament on Cherokee Lake last Saturday.I will also add this...
... if any group of anglers has an incentive to take care of the fish, it's the guys at the highest levels like the Elites. Dead fish do them no good.
I remember last time the Bassmaster Classic was at Guntersville. They took every fish weighed in back to a state hatchery (or some place like that) and kept them for a period of time before releasing them back in the lake. I think they only had 3 dead fish. Pretty impressive.
If any damage is being done to fisheries, some of it may be from every single weeknight derby that occurs on about every single lake in July & August. There's often dead fish at nearly every single one. Carrying around the fish for 3 hours in a hot live well with poor circulation is rough on them. I do my best to take care of them. Not everyone has the same mentality.
I like competing in them, so I can't complain.. but our lakes are getting pressured soooo much from all of the little tournaments.
Cooler water temps, bass have a chance to survive.I will also add this...
... if any group of anglers has an incentive to take care of the fish, it's the guys at the highest levels like the Elites. Dead fish do them no good.
I remember last time the Bassmaster Classic was at Guntersville. They took every fish weighed in back to a state hatchery (or some place like that) and kept them for a period of time before releasing them back in the lake. I think they only had 3 dead fish. Pretty impressive.
If any damage is being done to fisheries, some of it may be from every single weeknight derby that occurs on about every single lake in July & August. There's often dead fish at nearly every single one. Carrying around the fish for 3 hours in a hot live well with poor circulation is rough on them. I do my best to take care of them. Not everyone has the same mentality.
I like competing in them, so I can't complain.. but our lakes are getting pressured soooo much from all of the little tournaments.
I agree 100%We can talk about fishing pressure, tournaments, carp, livescope and limits, but grass is the ultimate equalizer (for largemouth). The best lakes in the South have ample grass. Any time one of these lakes sees a downturn its almost 100% because of lack of grass. When a lake starts to improve, its because of an increase in grass. Santee Cooper is going through it right now. Its in a "downturn" because of a decrease in grass. The Big O down in Florida. Same thing. Spraying the grass hurt that lake for a couple years. Grass is coming back. Fishing is getting better. . If a lake has grass, all other factors have minimal impact. Guntersville is the prime example. That lake gets absolutely pounded by tournaments and has for years but it continues to turn out EVERY single year. Because of grass.
We are seeing it on Kentucky lake. Haven't had grass in 8-9 years. Once the grass comes back, it will be one of the top lakes in the country again.
grass will not come back on ky lake until the grass carp are gone. the floods scoured a lot of it but the successful grass carp spawn finished it off. there are a lot of 4 foot grass carp in the lake. since the drought i have seen some grass but it pretty much disappears once the water comes backs up.We can talk about fishing pressure, tournaments, carp, livescope and limits, but grass is the ultimate equalizer (for largemouth). The best lakes in the South have ample grass. Any time one of these lakes sees a downturn its almost 100% because of lack of grass. When a lake starts to improve, its because of an increase in grass. Santee Cooper is going through it right now. Its in a "downturn" because of a decrease in grass. The Big O down in Florida. Same thing. Spraying the grass hurt that lake for a couple years. Grass is coming back. Fishing is getting better. . If a lake has grass, all other factors have minimal impact. Guntersville is the prime example. That lake gets absolutely pounded by tournaments and has for years but it continues to turn out EVERY single year. Because of grass.
We are seeing it on Kentucky lake. Haven't had grass in 8-9 years. Once the grass comes back, it will be one of the top lakes in the country again.