Texan_Til_I_Die Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 The post in the deer forum regarding the World Hunt Competition has spurred a comparison to tournament or competitive fishing. I personally fish both competitvely and for recreation. Would anyone care to voice an opinion on the subject? Is tournament fishing unethical? Does it show a lack of respect for the fish? Should it be restricted, controlled, or even abolished? Let's hear it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggs Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 Re: Tournament Fishing - Is it unethical? I am a huge supporter of catch-and-release, and since most all fish are returned to the water, there's no harm...or at least limited harm. If they could prove that it was negatively affecting the species then yeah. But I'm sure its been proven not to. And besides, I'm sure most tournament fisherman respect the fish more than anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texan_Til_I_Die Posted June 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 Re: Tournament Fishing - Is it unethical? [ QUOTE ] I am a huge supporter of catch-and-release, and since most all fish are returned to the water, there's no harm...or at least limited harm. If they could prove that it was negatively affecting the species then yeah. But I'm sure its been proven not to. And besides, I'm sure most tournament fisherman respect the fish more than anyone. [/ QUOTE ] There have indeed been numerous studies conducted on mortality rates for fish that are released during tournaments. Mortality typicaly ranges from 0% to as much as 15% depending on time of year, water quality, etc. And it is certainly in the tournament angler's best interest to keep his catch alive since there are significant penalities assessed for dead fish that are brought to the scales. Of course for those anglers who choose to keep and eat their catch (which I totaly support their right to do that), mortality is 100%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggs Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 Re: Tournament Fishing - Is it unethical? [ QUOTE ] Of course for those anglers who choose to keep and eat their catch (which I totaly support their right to do that), mortality is 100%. [/ QUOTE ] I don't see anything wrong with eating your catch, as long as its done in moderation. Nothing will hurt a fishery more than over fishing, that leads to a lake being fished out. I also don't support keeping a stocked fish. JMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DU_man_84 Posted June 14, 2006 Report Share Posted June 14, 2006 Re: Tournament Fishing - Is it unethical? i think its ethical, the walleye tournaments i fish all fish are released after weigh in, its illegal to for tournaments here in illinois to not release the fish after weigh in, i find it very ethical to fish tournaments were the fish are released, if they were not i would find it unethical Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted June 14, 2006 Report Share Posted June 14, 2006 Re: Tournament Fishing - Is it unethical? I don't have a problem with it. If the mortality rate was higher, and they weren't being consumed, that's a different story. Killing fish just to satisfy a tournament is wrong IMHO, but I don't think that happens on a large scale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeNRA Posted June 14, 2006 Report Share Posted June 14, 2006 Re: Tournament Fishing - Is it unethical? [ QUOTE ] And besides, I'm sure most tournament fisherman respect the fish more than anyone. [/ QUOTE ] Thats the only problem I have! Sometimes I fish a lake when they are having tournament. Been called names because I was in an area BEFORE they were, and they expected me to move on because of the tournament they were fishing! I fished a few tournaments since I got my boat, and NEVER did I expect someone to leave because I was in a tournament! My area, it seems if you dont have a BIG FIBERGLASS BOAT YOU AINT NOBODY! Well, my dinky little tracker showed them at the first tournament my buddy and I fished! We took 5th place out of a field of 60 boats! Most of them big glass bass boats! I have nothing bad to say about bass tournaments! Its just some of the people fishing them need an additude adjustment! Which I can provide while out on the water! LMBO!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Andrea Posted June 14, 2006 Report Share Posted June 14, 2006 Re: Tournament Fishing - Is it unethical? I think tournaments are fine. Most bass tourneys require the fish to be kept alive and released here. There ARE tournaments specifically held to REDUCE the population of certain species. Here in Florida they hold catfish tournaments for flathead catfish. It helps raise money for the Search and Rescue program and effectively reduces the flathead population. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DU_man_84 Posted June 14, 2006 Report Share Posted June 14, 2006 Re: Tournament Fishing - Is it unethical? My area, it seems if you dont have a BIG FIBERGLASS BOAT YOU AINT NOBODY! Well, my dinky little tracker showed them at the first tournament my buddy and I fished! We took 5th place out of a field of 60 boats! Most of them big glass bass boats! I have nothing bad to say about bass tournaments! Its just some of the people fishing them need an additude adjustment! Which I can provide while out on the water! LMBO!!! [/quote i know what ya mean on the guys that have the big boats think their better, i have just an old john boat nothing special at all and i have came in first, a few times out of fields of 120 boats, and also many top ten and top fives, you dont need a 40,000 dollar rig to catch fish you just gotta now how to fish and what your doing, that quote didnt quite work o well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VABuckSlayer Posted June 21, 2006 Report Share Posted June 21, 2006 Re: Tournament Fishing - Is it unethical? We have a lot of tournaments on our waters here in Va. Especially the Potomac River it seems. I mostly fish the James River and it's a long run to the Chickahominy River but a lot of guys run there and catch a pile of fish and they get relocated to the James River 30-35 miles away. I guess it doesn't hurt the fish but the Chickahominy hasn't been as good as it use to be. The thing I worry about is tournaments on those real hot summer days. Hot water in the livewell and having the fish bake in there will kill em. You have to pay more attention to them when it's real hot. I wonder if it would be better to shorten the hours of some of the tournaments in July and August when the temp (around here) are in the 90's? I have a tournament this Saturday (120+ boats) and I fished yesterday afternoon and the surface temp was already 86 degrees. It's going to be in the 90's the rest of the week so the water is going to be pretty warm. Our tourney will be for 9 hours. That's a long time to keep your fish alive in that kind of weather! Another issue is catching them in tourneys during the spawning months. There is no doubt that isn't good for the fish. My brother and I fished a tourney on Kentucky Lake last Spring (mid May) and I caught a 5 lb. female that appeared to have just finished spawning. We tried our best to keep her alive but she must have been too weak and we lost her right at the weigh in time. I revived her once but she didn't make it. As cool as it is to have some big bags in the Spring... I don't think tournaments during the spawn is good for the fish. I wonder if there has ever been a study to see how a female does during the spawn after they've been relocated several miles away and after having spent several hours in a livewell. I'd be real curious how they really do. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VABuckSlayer Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 Re: Tournament Fishing - Is it unethical? To respond back to this after my last tourney... we had 105 teams fish our last tourney (June 24th) and we ended up having 12 dead fish after the weigh in. The water temps ranged from 84-88 degrees. I checked the last tourney and we had 12 dead fish with 112 teams. So we've lost 2 dozen bass in the last 2 tournament here on the James River. One thing I like that the director does is had out a chemical to every boat at the blast off to help keep the fish in good condition. It works good cause we caught all our fish early and they were real fisty when we released them. I keep some of those tablets in the boat anyway. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest woodsnwater Posted June 29, 2006 Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 Re: Tournament Fishing - Is it unethical? [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] And besides, I'm sure most tournament fisherman respect the fish more than anyone. [/ QUOTE ] Thats the only problem I have! Sometimes I fish a lake when they are having tournament. Been called names because I was in an area BEFORE they were, and they expected me to move on because of the tournament they were fishing! I fished a few tournaments since I got my boat, and NEVER did I expect someone to leave because I was in a tournament! My area, it seems if you dont have a BIG FIBERGLASS BOAT YOU AINT NOBODY! Well, my dinky little tracker showed them at the first tournament my buddy and I fished! We took 5th place out of a field of 60 boats! Most of them big glass bass boats! I have nothing bad to say about bass tournaments! Its just some of the people fishing them need an additude adjustment! Which I can provide while out on the water! LMBO!!! [/ QUOTE ] That is the same problem we have in our area. As long as they show you some consideration then it's ok. You shouldn't have to change your plans on a day off just to accommodate their plans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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