Talk About A Lack Of Respect...

[Pz3]

What's sad is that we wouldn't even be having a conversation about rules/laws to keep people off the water if people displayed a little class, courtesy and common sense.

 

Chaos Theory. As the population of the world increases everything will become infinitly more complexed.

[Sam]

I need more information about the photo.

 

Is it as J says or is Tharp actually fishing?

 

Usually the spectator boats allow the anglers plenty of room.

 

Bama people are very polite and I do not believe this is a shot of Tharp fishing. I don't see a rod and reel in his hands.

[Sam]

Guys, if you study the picture you do not see any rods or reels and tackle on the boat's deck.

 

I think this is probably a photo of Tharp before he blasts off or on his way in to weigh-in.

 

Just my take on the picture.

[0119]

I almost got to think, why are we surprised at this. There is no such thing as manners in todays American society.  I have no love for pros or tournaments, they (not bass but redfish and tarpon) pros have destroyed my local waters.  But I will never forget getting to shake the hands of VanDam and Brauer at the Classic Expo in Orlando years ago. Genuinely professional men.  Here the locals are smarter. They wait for the tournaments to end and then bombard the release area 12 hours after the tournament!

[nascar2428]

The picture is from Randall's boat.

The guy had 50 boats follow him to the repair site after his breakdown.

I think the photo is misleading in relation to  the actual fishing. There is no way the spectators were that close to him. 

And finally the reports of people fishing right after the pros make a pass without giving them a chance to make a follow up in the opposite direction is a little alarming. But not surprising, we are talking about Alabama and Earnhardt fans.

[MarksHooked]

I'm new to following the tournaments myself, I've been reading their live blog on the website.  It seems to me that if they had some sort of live coverage, there MIGHT be less spectators out there? I noticed they've been playing with GoPro cameras on helicopters, (they even crashed one near Tharp yesterday) If it was possible to have those cameras following anglers around, and had a website where you could pay and flip between cameras and watch, or have that streaming at the event, MAYBE less people would be on the water? Then again I'm sure it's a once in a lifetime experience to be on the water with these guys, and people will always want to do that. For all I know they don't offer that because other anglers could use that as some kind of advantage....again I'm new to all this lol.  But after reading in the live blog that 4 or 5 boats would roll up and fish a spot after someone would leave, that's gotta be detrimental to an anglers gameplan, and as others have said kind of takes away from an even playing field.  

[ww2farmer]

And finally the reports of people fishing right after the pros make a pass without giving them a chance to make a follow up in the opposite direction is a little alarming. But not surprising, we are talking about Alabama and Earnhardt fans.

I was thinking the same thing....LOL

[A-Jay]

What's going on during this years Classic in regards to anglers fishing the spots before & after the competitors is sad.  Agreed it is public water and people can do it, but C'mon man - have a little respect. 

 

I don't know what the best solution for all involved is.  But if BASS feels this is detrimental to "the product" some thing will change.  Perhaps if a community wants to enjoy the benefits received by hosting this event, they will take steps to improve this situation.  If they do not the results could be no show. 

 

I'll add this - I didn't see where there was any problem with spectators during the Major League Fishing Events at all.

 

A-Jay

[jhoffman]

I almost got to think, why are we surprised at this. There is no such thing as manners in todays American society.  I have no love for pros or tournaments, they (not bass but redfish and tarpon) pros have destroyed my local waters.  But I will never forget getting to shake the hands of VanDam and Brauer at the Classic Expo in Orlando years ago. Genuinely professional men.  Here the locals were smarter. We waited for the tournaments to end as then bombarded the release area 12 hours after the tournament!

 

You would love PA. Here they announce what day theyre going to take dog food fed trout from the hatchery and dump them in the creek. Some guys walk a bucket full down then immediately rip em back out of the creek, it does wonders for their ego.

[Jack Fate]

I agree, but the US Open is sometimes played on public courses. However, the course isn't open to the public during the tourn.

They aren't public courses they are private courses. Unless they start fishing privately owned lakes nothing can be done or should be done.  These guys know to expect this, or at least should know. 

[gripnrip]

I'm interested to see Coots take on today.  I think he's out on the water.  

[K_Mac]

This topic always gets strong reaction on either side. There will always be idiots and like A-Jay I don't know the answer. I do know that closing major lakes to others fishing during any tournament would not be something I would favor. Closing a public golf course for a weekend and closing Guntersville, Toledo Bend, Bull Shoals, Lake Erie, etc... to fishing are two very different things. Could some concessions be made? Maybe. Should they be? I don't know. That some can pursue their dream of fishing professionally is a fine thing. It does not obligate me as a sportsman and taxpayer to subsidize that dream in any way if I choose not to.

[flyfisher]

Bottom line is you should not have exclusive access to a public resource like a lake. What people are doing is out of whack but apparently it isn't hurting people's bags as there are some big numbers being pulled out of the lake. 

 

Also the comparison to a golf course is not even close to the same thing, even if it is a "public" course.  

[buzzed bait]

for me the main thing to take away is without spectators these guys are out of a job…. that said, you need to strike a clean balance between them.  seems like a marshall/ranger boat to keep spectators at bay wouldn't be too hard to implement/enforce.  

all the talk about shutting down the lake for an event is so ridiculous i can't even imagine…..  the first day you all went to your local lake to put in and a cop or DNR officer said "sorry buddy closed to a "major" event" you would have a mild heart attack….

spectators shouldn't be the topic at all, but rather those with no class trying to come in and fish behind or on top of these guys we all look up to and for the most part respect….

[Brian Needham]

They aren't public courses they are private courses.

 

US Opens and PGA Championship have been held at Torry Pines, Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, Pinehurst, Whistling Straits. Those are just courses off the top of my head........ you can also play the entire British Open rotation....... and don't forget all the TPC courses......all listed courses you can play off the street, granted you have to make a tee time 6 months or year in advance cause they are busy, but normal average Joe's can play them anytime.

 

just saying

[RMcDuffee726]

That is just sad.

[mjseverson24]

The biggest problem in my opinion is the fact that we have to talk about this at all. If you want to show support for your favorite angler go visit the expo hang out and watch the weigh-in. having hundreds if not thousands of boats on a lake is not good for competition. It really is not good for competitive fishing as a whole. Many of the top anglers make milk runs back and forth to multiple of the same spots throughout a day hoping they will be turned on when they get there, and having these spectators sucker fishing off of the pros spots is just a shame an it does effect the outcome of these major events. Now if the pro is fishing a community hole its fair game. I think with a limited field of 56 boats the classic can definitely be held on some less traveled waters other than G-ville. 

 

Mitch

[camovan]

If the locals are burning spots everywhere then it still seems to me it is a level playing field.  Some event locations are going to have weather related challenges, some will have spectator challenges.  It makes it harder to fish sure, but it also makes it hard to hit a free throw when people are waving flags in your face trying to distract you.  The guy who took the picture seems like he overcame the challenges just fine and the players who didn't are going to be able to place the blame elsewhere if they don't feel like taking the responsibility for their own results.  The odds of a public res closing for a elite tournament are pretty much zero, it could happen but it would cost more than BASS has to spend, they are not the PGA. 

[plumworm]

Hold on a minute, I fish and have fished a whole lot of lakes around the US. The very idea that the "Pro's are on a lake and everyone else should kowtow to them is at best absurd. I don't mean that you should try to fish where they are fishing, but the fact that they are fishing for $300K means that I can't fish on the same lake. That's BS. Too many times I have been fishing when guys fishing a club tourney, or Bfl or a"whatever" tourney have invaded my water with the excuse that they are fishing a tourney and their fishing is more important than mine. Just because you have money on the line and I am fishing for fun does not give you the right to invade my water. And to Randy Howell, a big congats.

[lmoore]

What the spectators are doing is, and always should be, perfectly legal.  If we ever get to the point where I need to check a schedule to see if the local waters are "open" on a day I want to go fishing, it will be a very troubling day for everyone.  I certaintly don't ever want to schedule a "tee time" for fishing.  I also sincerely hope that the few idiots running around don't cause enough of an issue with the pros to ruin certain things for the vast majority of other spectators at events across the country.  The unfortunate thing people always seem to forget: just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

[hookset on 3]

Has anyone even considered that maybe a local tournament Bass angler has fished against some of these Alabama Elite pros in the past? What if you were in a local  tournament,some years back and lost a lot of money to one of these Elite Anglers.

 

Some guys hole jump because of a past grudge with that particular Pro. I have even heard stories of people wreaking a spot that is being fished by someone other than, their favorite Elite Pro.

 

That is scary stuff!

[Lund Explorer]

For 362 days a year, we are bombarded by the fact that these gentlemen are the best bass fisherman in the world.  They supposedly have abilities far beyond any of us.  They tell us that all of that expensive equipment and tackle they are sponsored to use guarantee that success too.    And then we find out that all of that extra skill and all the fancy equipment and tackle is thrown into chaos because they have to put up with what everybody else has to put up with when they get on the water! 

 

This goes on every year at the classic, and even if they could block the public from the tournament's waters during those days, it wouldn't be long before one or more of these superior fishermen would complain that some crappie fisherman caught his giant bass the day, the week, or the month before he could get there.  Maybe its about time that they take off the fancy jerseys, swap out the fiberglass rocket for a tin boat, and spend the day fishing a nearby lake during some else's tournament.  Learn to use those superior skills in way less than perfect conditions.

 

It's either that, or petition B.A.S.S. to hold these tournaments on secret lakes, with no announcements to public or media, and no fancy weigh-in show that might attract a crowd.  I'll bet the sponsors, who are the only real reason for all of this, would be happy!

[basscatcher8]

Someone had a video of them changinTharpe's lower unit at the ramp and when he got done and took off again it was a freakin fleet behind him following him to his spot. I know roumbanis got his spot where he caught that big one on day 1 poached he left it and a guy moved in started fishing immediatly and fred came back to him fishing on it he just drove down around him and started fishing didnt say anything. Its all legal its just not right though. Guys dont wanna do the work to find their own spots and patterns so they would rather go on the bent pole pattern. But from what I've heard Guntersville is known as a bent pole pattern lake.

[Pa Angler]

I'm going to step on some toes here.

 

Once you keep people off the the water for one event every event that comes to town will want to close the water I can't agree to closing the water no matter who's in town but one should give some space to other anglers on the water just as you should in a non tournament day, The idea of a tournament having priority over me and my vacation time is ridiculous we the people have just as much right to the water as they do as matter of fact even more so because a state water is paid for by the tax payers of that state.

 

Tight Lines

Pa Angler

[black94gt50]

I'm going to step on some toes here.

Once you keep people off the the water for one event every event that comes to town will want to close the water I can't agree to colosing the water no matter who's in town but one should give some space to other anglers on the water just as you should in a non tournament day, The idea of a tournament having priority over me and my vacation time is ridiculous we the people have just as much right to the water as they do as matter of fact even more so because a state water is paid for by the tax payers of that state.

Tight Lines

Pa Angler

I totally agree with you, I also agree that people should respect other anglers.

I always respect other anglers, if they are fishing a tournament or not. People should have the common sense to stay back from the pro anglers, if they are spectating, just as tournament anglers shouldn't run in on you if you are setup at a spot fishing.

The biggest problem I have, is the local tournament fishers that get the "local pro" ego and are just rude and disrespectful.