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| I don't fish bass often but I noticed last night that on the bay of Green Bay, where I do most of my fishing there are multiple smallmouth tournaments before the harvest season opens meaning for the first month and a half the season you may only catch and release. My questing is how is it legal for these tournaments to run a 5 fish weigh in by harvesting and putting these fish in the live well? If a non tournament angler were to do so and get checked the consequences are not good. Why to tournaments get special bias?
Edited by bbeaupre 4/15/2016 7:16 AM
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Posts: 494
Location: midwest | It's absolutely amazing how beat up these fish get during tournament travel in big water such as Green Bay when these "tournament anglers" are driving back to weigh ins through rough water conditions with live wells full of fish. Lets hope with tournament angling that the formats like Major League Fishing continue to take hold and become the future of tournament formats. I also agree that I would love to see catch and release seasons that protect all species during the spawn. Minnesota has taken it a step further and has a catch and release fall season that starts in the middle of September for smallmouths. This is to protect the late fall congregations of deep water fish from overharvest. |
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Posts: 390
| So it is totally legal for them to drop multiple dead fish back, because death is common bouncing around in the live well all day, in the lake during catch and release season just because it is a tournament, wow. Last spring after a club "tourney" I saw about 30 dead/dying bass by the launch and a conflict ensued. If these fish are dead/dying am I allowed to harvest those fish in that case, I know some people that would appreciate the extra food or do I have to let them float....by law?
Edited by bbeaupre 4/15/2016 8:30 AM
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Location: oswego, il | I wonder how old Dave likes them flipping his dock? Think he breaks out the .17 cal? |
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Location: Smith Creek | They aren't allowed to have fish in their livewell during the C&R season. Those fish are bump-boarded, photographed and released. |
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| Oh Heaven to Betsy...such goings on! Methinks thou doth protest too much! For the last four or five years, this musky fever thing has gotten the best of me, and I fish almost no bass events when there's any kind of a musky event anywhere going on. But, before that, I fished the Sturgeon Bay Open Bass Tournament every single year. And, while it pains me to say it, that's probably still the best run, best attended, most professional, biggest money, pro tournament in the state. It's first class in all respects, very careful of the fishery, very little tournament mortality, very willing to delay or cancel a tournament day for dangerous conditions, and.....likely most credited with making Sturgeon Bay the smallmouth fishing capital of the entire United States. So, if you get my subtle post correctly, there are no flies on this event. Muskies are still off limits when this is held, but bass season is open. And, while not always a big Walker fan, our governor wisely made changes to allow culling for these well run events and make Wisconsin a class A bass event destination. Go there sometime and you'll see every hotel packed, every bar and eatery full, lines to by gas and snacks, signs all over town to welcome the anglers and a no-holds-barred dynamic economic impact on the economy- A GOOD THING! We're maybe starting to get there in the musky world...but for now SBOBT is the Grail! |
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Location: minocqua, wi. | ^ totally agree with Marty ...
now, somebody send the same message to the small-town club level ... |
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Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Slime King - 4/15/2016 8:21 AM
It's absolutely amazing how beat up these fish get during tournament travel in big water such as Green Bay when these "tournament anglers" are driving back to weigh ins through rough water conditions with live wells full of fish. Lets hope with tournament angling that the formats like Major League Fishing continue to take hold and become the future of tournament formats. I also agree that I would love to see catch and release seasons that protect all species during the spawn. Minnesota has taken it a step further and has a catch and release fall season that starts in the middle of September for smallmouths. This is to protect the late fall congregations of deep water fish from overharvest.
OFM covers the Sturgeon Bay Open, and VERY few fish die at that one. Excellent release rate, and that's right from the biologists.
We also cover the Bassmaster Elite Series and FLW Tour. They take very good care of the fish as well. So does the smaller but well run North American Bass Circuit.
Careful how you bash tournament exceptions for bass, many Muskie tournaments benefit from exceptions as well. Contact your local fisheries manager for the facts on the impact of tournament angling and how permits are issued.
As to bashing tournament anglers, that's not going to fly here. OFM supports tournament angling overall, and will continue to. If that bothers you, you know how to use your mouse. |
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Posts: 390
| This was no way meant to bash but I am sorry if I am bias. I hate to see unharvested dead fish, and I was curious on how the laws work. I agree with comments on the sturgeon bay tournament I have witnessed the measures taken to ensure safe release and the even spoke to a few of the pros who voiced there concern for mortality. The regulations were just confusing. |
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Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | bbeaupre - 4/15/2016 10:19 AM
This was no way meant to bash but I am sorry if I am bias. I hate to see unharvested dead fish, and I was curious on how the laws work. I agree with comments on the sturgeon bay tournament I have witnessed the measures taken to ensure safe release and the even spoke to a few of the pros who voiced there concern for mortality. The regulations were just confusing.
You were pretty much just asking, no worries there. |
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Location: midwest | I wasn't bashing tournaments, just stating my opinion and what I have witnessed at release points for the fish. It will be interesting to see if the adult population of smallmouth in the sturgeon bay area continue to decline over the next couple years. The average bag weights for that and other tournaments on the bay should answer that without further speculation. |
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