How does Tournament Fishing Affect a Lake?

[Jleebesaw]

I dont think it has any effect on the actual lake. Unless its someplace that gets a lot of tourneys on it. A few busy days a year aren't going to hurt it. Catch and release. Regardless of what anybody says, I have to think most of the fish survive. I'm sure more bass end up in the grease every year than die in tournaments. 

Big tournaments have pretty big effects on the area around the lakes. We get the elite series up here on the st lawrence. Everybody loves that. Its normally the highest attended event the series has every year. There are many people coming up here for that event. Theres not a lot of hotels around here. Tournament folks and spectators fill the rental cabins, campgrounds, and people rent rooms out for the week. All these people spend some money while they are here and it adds up quick. The tournament is based in a very small town and its huge for the local economy there. It's a big help for nearby towns as well.

            Of course, the small tourneys dont provide that. Theres no big benefit from it so it gives people the opportunity to focus on the negatives. People are pretty negative these days and seem to always have a complaint. If you think about the number fish caught on a popular lake in a given year you really have to admit that a couple tournaments a year aren't going to cause any problems. Ramp congestion is probably the worst part of it. 

     I've never heard anybody complain about ice fishing tournaments. We have hundreds of them every year around here. Every fish weighed in an ice derby dies. Nobody cares. I think the fish mortality issue is a convenient talking point for people who dont like open water tournements for other reasons that dont have any gravity. They dont like all the boats, the speed some of them run their boats, ramp congestion, people fishing their spots, and God knows what else. All of these complaints can be countered with a simple, "it's a public lake". They think if they can convince people that it's bad for the fish, others will start looking down on tournements with them. They dont care about ice derbies because they aren't drinking margaritas and cooking dogs on the dock during them so it doesnt effect them.

[OCdockskipper]

It depends on the lake & what the fishing pressure would be if there were no tournaments.

 

If the lake is a destination of anglers whether or not they fish tournaments, then you would have the same (or near the same) amount of pressure.  In that case, the tournaments do not affect the lake.

 

However, if the lake is not a #1 destination folks choose to fish, but you get tournaments there every week because the tournament trails or clubs don't want to fish the same lakes every time, then yes, it would have a negative effect.