I was challenged earlier this year by a volunteer who was checking for invasive species about my conscience in hosting fishing tournaments. As someone who cares deeply about the shape of our waterways and the life that lives in our lakes, this has been somewhat of a crossroads for me since I began bass fishing. I feel that I have made great strides in fish consciousness as a tournament director.
Three years ago, we dropped to a 3 fish limit from the typical 5 fish limit most bass tournaments allow. Although many teams were not a fan at first, this not only kept less fish in the livewells, but allowed a higher percentage of our teams weigh limits and be competitive for the prizes offered. Now the teams that didn’t like it so much are ok with fishing for quality rather than quantity. After all, you can still CATCH as many fish as you want. Just bring your best three to the scale.
Another change we brought about this year is turning one of our tournaments into two four hour sessions. This keeps fish in the livewell for shorter periods of time. We will also be using tubs of water as holding tanks for fish while anglers wait in line, reducing out of water time for the fish. Finally, as a personal choice, we pinch the barb closed on EVERY hook in our boat, allowing for easier release for the fish.
I find that of all the types of fishing tournaments out there, bass fishing is the most humane and considerate of the fish. The technology in the livewells on the boats keep the fish healthy even when caught early in the day. 99% of the fish are released alive and unharmed. The multitudes of over 5 lb. bass in several of our lakes is proof these fish live to be 5 – 10 years old! Many of the big fish have been caught over and over again.
Catch and release on the pro circuit has become even more fish friendly, with officials on boats to weigh each fish the angler catches. The fish is back in the water within one minute of being caught. Anglers are also penalized for “mistreating” the fish – for example, if the fish hits the carpet/ floor of the boat there is a 2 minute penalty where the angler must sit out and not fish at all.
I shared all of the information I just wrote here with the gentleman that challenged me. As I told him – I didn’t invent the sport of tournament bass fishing, but I have taken strides in our local competition circuit to consider fish conservancy. In twelve years, we have only brought three dead fish through our scales. Over 50 tournaments prove our efforts are worth it. In the end we agreed it may be best to focus our conservancy efforts on other areas of lake and wildlife management. Bass tournaments are doing pretty good on their own.