Tournament Psychosis

[captbogan]

Originally Posted by bulletbob

ease click one of the Quick Reply icons in the posts above to activate Quick Reply.
a very few folks here might remember one of the great outdoor writers that specialized in salt water fishing. Frank Woolner.
He wrote this once many decades ago,and it made a deep and lasting impression that I never forgot..

"Fishing is supposed to be a contemplative sport,not a competitive sport"..

I have always hated fishing tournaments no matter where they take place.. Up here, the lakes are inundated by hundreds of boats all catching bass that are thrown in a livewell, driven all over a 40 mile long lake at 60 MPH, and then then dumped back into the lake miles from where they were caught, and the day after, there are big dead bass everywhere, and there are tourneys every weekend all spring summer and fall... Tourneys kill thousands of fish that would not have ever been caught...I have never and will never enter one of any kind.... bob

Thanks for noting that, Bob. I do admit that we have always had a pool on board for the biggest fish. Hope that doesn't make me a hypocrite. But the pools are kinda fun and I haven't seen people lose their marbles over it.

I do like fishing lakes and ponds for bass and I really like fishing light tackle for the fight. A lot of times I see the guys winching the bass in, because that's how the pros do it.

[Broad Bill]

Capt,

A pool is a whole different scenario, you're not a hypocrite at all. Pool fish, for the most part, are being retained and eaten, not released hours later with brain contusions from sloshing around in a livewell all day. Worst tournaments, and I'll never understand it, are bass tournaments during the spawn when fish are easy pickings on beds. They should never be allowed. Until fisheries management make decisions for 95% of recreational anglers and the fisheries as opposed to the 5% elitists, this crap will never stop.

And fyi, I've actually seen anglers release pool winning fish to protect trophies that would have won them the pool. May not be a better example of conservation and sportsmanship.

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by captbogan

Thanks for noting that, Bob. I do admit that we have always had a pool on board for the biggest fish. Hope that doesn't make me a hypocrite. But the pools are kinda fun and I haven't seen people lose their marbles over it.

I do like fishing lakes and ponds for bass and I really like fishing light tackle for the fight. A lot of times I see the guys winching the bass in, because that's how the pros do it.

pool isn't really the same capt.. Its in good fun usually, and not what I would call a "competition " as such.. I always enter the pool, but tourneys are different . As you stated, they sometimes breed a level of nastiness and assholism thats unbecoming of sportsmen.... bob

[Detour66]

A pool on a party boat just adds a little something extra to the trip. Most people will go fishing on a party boat even if there isn't a pool. I doubt if anglers would fish a tournament if money wasn't involved.

[captbogan]

Originally Posted by Broad Bill

Capt,

A pool is a whole different scenario, you're not a hypocrite at all. Pool fish, for the most part, are being retained and eaten, not released hours later with brain contusions from sloshing around in a livewell all day. Worst tournaments, and I'll never understand it, are bass tournaments during the spawn when fish are easy pickings on beds. They should never be allowed. Until fisheries management make decisions for 95% of recreational anglers and the fisheries as opposed to the 5% elitists, this crap will never stop.

And fyi, I've actually seen anglers release pool winning fish to protect trophies that would have won them the pool. May not be a better example of conservation and sportsmanship.

I do like seeing that guys are releasing big taug and cow stripers. We try to get a quick weight or measurement and a picture for the pool fish.

I'm more about education than regs. I see that with white marlin, for example --you are allowed to keep but most guys do not.