TX Tourney Trails Need Change

[Catt]

I think we are refering to resident tournament anglers & cart7t is refering to Missouri anglers.

[Matt Fly]

I think a Tournament Director needs to be smart enough to make changes as needed to address that "special lake".

   Heres the question I asked my self.

Did the limit cause the stress?   or is it the "time of the year", mother nature causing the stress?   did the angler use everything he could to ensure best conditions in the livewell?

       Catt,

      Didn't Paul Elias have to put Nadiene in a well by herself due to bleeding bad from crank bait in the gill on day 4 on Falcon?

     If the Co boater had been there on Day 4, that wouldn't have been possible?  Even with both anglers having 3 fish limits, there wouldn't have been the option of using one well for the sick fish.   

     BASS took lots of critcism, yet when they took corrective measures for doing away with co anglers, they took more grief for fixing the issue.

      Now using one well as an ICU for a sick fish will always be possible.   

Trails have changed and are trying to change, its time for anglers to take more responsibility for taking care of their catches.   

   Seems like everyone stepped it up except a few anglers who still fail to take all the preventive measure to ensure proper conditions in the well during stressfull conditions.

 

 

    

   

    

[SkeetyCCTX]

Lets just all do our part to continue to get better!  This includes anglers and organizers!  We represent a brand and it is much better to police ourselves than to let things go and have someone else step in and impose restrictions!  Nobody should be happy untill every fish swims away as healthy as it was when caught!

[Glenn]

Cart7t - in our state,  you must have a permit to run a tournament, which costs $$ depending on size of the tournament.  Also, organizations are restricted to 7 tournaments a year; bodies of water can only have a total 2 tournament weekends per month held on them; and if the mortality rate is over 10%, the tournament is OVER.

All -

That last part is, I believe, the most beneficial rule I've seen in eons.  There's only a handful of states that have such a rule, but I feel every state must have them!  You want anglers to do better at catch and release?  Implement that rule and you will notice an immediate difference!

[Catt]

I like that Boss 

[SkeetyCCTX]

Cart7t - in our state, you must have a permit to run a tournament, which costs $$ depending on size of the tournament. Also, organizations are restricted to 7 tournaments a year; bodies of water can only have a total 2 tournament weekends per month held on them; and if the mortality rate is over 10%, the tournament is OVER.

All -

That last part is, I believe, the most beneficial rule I've seen in eons. There's only a handful of states that have such a rule, but I feel every state must have them! You want anglers to do better at catch and release? Implement that rule and you will notice an immediate difference!

That is exactly the kind of steps that I would like to see taken in TX.  I would be complety happy and 100% supportive of a law/rule like this in our state.  However, I just think that we as tourny anglers/organizers should just start implementing it ourselves, just because it is the most ethical way to do things!

My main problem with the way tournies are run in TX is that there is way too many of them concentrated on just a few lakes.  This might affect me more than others because my home lake, and my 2nd lake, are 2 of the most tournament fished lakes.  Choke Canyon and Falcon!

By limmiting the amount of Tournies on each lake, I garuntee that the quality of each tourny would go way up!  Plus, I think it would add alot more fairness and spice to the trails.  There are lots of awesome lakes in tX that never hardly get fished and I think people would be surprised to see how many lakes in TX would actually give up 25 lb plus sacks! 

Great example, I would like to see it happen here!

[Wesley]

in our state,  you must have a permit to run a tournament, which costs $$ depending on size of the tournament.  Also, organizations are restricted to 7 tournaments a year; bodies of water can only have a total 2 tournament weekends per month held on them; and if the mortality rate is over 10%, the tournament is OVER.

That last rule is indeed interesting, do they calculate it by the number entered times the limit of fish and take 10% of that as the line? I dont know if I could support that change or not though.  I dont much like being punished because a few people can not keep some fish alive. 

A fee for tournaments wouldnt be a bad idea either.

Limiting the number of tournaments on a particular lake? I dont see that going down very well and I would be steadfast against it. 

[Glenn]

It's the percentage of total fish caught.  And trust me, you don't want to be "that guy".

[RichF]

First off, I am a Man of almost 30 yrs old! I grew up on Padre Island saltwater fishing since I was a kid and later moved to bass fishing during my College years. I began College in 2001, and have been hardcore bass fishing since then. That is 9 yrs! So, dont judge who I am, or my experience! I have not finger pointed any of you personally nor have I made foolish judgements of who you are!

As for me wanting drastic shakeups, what are you talking about? All of the the things I ask for are simple and can be done without much money or stress on anyone. Im not asking for anyone to bend over backwards. Just do a few little things that will make are sport better. The only drastic changes that will occur are in the numbers of fish that we see caught.

Next, if you have not seen the declines in these major tourny lakes, than you abviously do not fish them on a regular weekly basis. I have been fishing Choke Canyon weekly for many years now, and any of the long time regulars will tell you the same thing, overall numbers are way down and fishing is tougher! Are there other factors involved? Yes, but that doesnt mean that we can help what we can!

Furthermore, if you do not think that there are signifigant fish kills because of tourny stress , than you are being very naive! You dont have to visually see fish floating! Remember, many fish suffer injuries that arent noticeable to us, such as broken jaws from improper handleing. It may take some time for these fish to slowly die due to their injuries. On a large lake like TB, Falcon, Amistad, or even Choke; you will not notice fish dieing at differnent times! But, it doesnt change the fact that they do!

Im not a tree hugger or activist, I just like Bass fishing and dont want to see it ruined. Yall should be the same way, this is nothing to get worked up over and defensive about. Lets just work together and try to make things better. Whats wrong with that?

I agree with you skeety. The changes you are suggesting are in now way "major shake ups." I fish tourneys in northern NY so a lot of them involve smallmouth. So many fish are caught in over 30ft of water in the summer time and a lot of them die. Changing tourney times would be a great idea. We don't even have any scheduled in oct or nov, when tons of fish can be caught shallow. Also, how is changing locations and having a 3 fish limit a "major shake up?" Bass angling is my life and seeing fish die hits me pretty hard. These are small things that could absolutely help decrease fish mortality.

[SkeetyCCTX]

Yes Rich I know, but for some reason a large population of Tourny anglers get real bent out of shape when anyone tries to hold them more accountable for keeping fish alive and overall conservation!  I really dont understand it at all!  You would think that all tourny anglers would be huge conservationalist!  However, many are the furthest thing from it.

Personally, I think its just out of selfishness that they get so defensive about suggested improvements!  They dont want anything getting in the way of "their good time!"  The ironic thing is that a little sacrifice at the begginning will lead to better fishing in the long run!

This is just another perosnal opinion of mine, but the other group of tourny anglers just dont take the time to notice or care!  These are the same guys that pull up on you and cut you off, or wake you as they speed by dangerously close to where you are fishing.  I call this the "new generation" of bass fisherman.  These are competive guys that used to play highschool or college sports and picked up bass fishing later in life as a way to fullfill a competitive need.  They were not taught proper outdoor/water etiquette by a father or some other mentor when they were younger.  They just went out, bought up alot of expensive equipment, and started hitting the water.  They have no idea how to act out there and try to apply the rules of the city to boating and fishing.  This is why they have no problem pulling up within casting distance of you.  Or, why they just blast out of a fishing whole while others are still fishing!

The sad thing is that these type of guys dont even realize what they are doing and how they are effecting others.  They are just focussed on their own little world!  When On the water I feel it is our responsibility to pay attention to other boaters and anglers, so to not ruin their time!

Anyways, I am just talking in General and am not pointing out anyone speciific.  I dont know anyone here and am not trying to lump anybody into the category I spoke of!  Just a generalized opinion so dont get too worked up!

[Glenn]

Please conserve exclamation points. 

[RichF]

I understand. I've fished with a lot of guys like that. I've also fished with a lot of really good guys. It's easy to get worked up when it comes to issues like this, especially when all of us on this forum are avid anglers. Heck, I got worked up yesterday when my buddy's dad wanted to keep some of the crappie we were catching through the ice! Anyway, I'm sure the majority of us here have conservation in mind so let's all try to keep pushing forward and continue to improve on our tournament and recreational fishing experiences.

[Matt Fly]

What trails and tournaments are the ones you speak of?

Lets get all your facts out there.

Bass Champs isn't a factor, team tournament with two live wells to use and they educate their anglers, plus give them live well additives before the tournament free. Then of course, you don't have alot of options in south Texas.

And live well crowding is only a issue on a handful of lakes that are individual tournaments that have co boaters and one well per each angler.

Please, post the number of anglers and trails you speak of, its easy to post facts, you have tournaments and results because you fished them as you said.

Bass n Bucks, Champs, Media, BLT, and allot of others are TEAM trails with 5 fish in two live wells. Not an issue.

Whats your facts for calling a lot of us NAIVE?

Seems to me, until you post some fact on what TX Trails have issues, your just strirring the pot.

Skeety, that Anchor Marine Big Bass Event on Choke isn't a Bass Champ event in the first place, its hosted by Anchor Marine, Bass Champs just facilitates it for Anchor Marine.

I said team events and your experience is a hourly weigh-in BBS tournament and you talk about limits and your fishing a one fish per hour tournament.

By the way, you said BC has 5 divisions, its only been 4 for ever. South, Central, North, and East.

So you called me a liar cause you fished a Big Bass Splash event when I clearly said the team touranment trail was given free product.

If you really fished Bass Champs team trail back then, you'd have known that and you would of met Tony and Lane.

I did post the link in an old thread where it said they gave free product to all entries at registration, by the way, I got free product in the North as well.

Ignorant, lol, you don't even know a Bass Champs team event over someones elses event.

That shows your tournament knowledge of trails in TX. There isn't one single large trail in South TX that holds 7 events in your neck of the woods. Thus why you CAN'T name one and why you didn't.

Talk about fish tales and whoppers.

I'm beginning to think when you posted on one thread, you said two years tournament fishing, on another you said 3 years, I'm begining to think its been an hourly splash event maybe once or twice.

[Glenn]

Keep it civil guys, and on topic.  Making this personal is the quickest way to ending this thread.  Capice?