Do tournaments damage fish ?

[Krusty]

I was watching some guys in a bass fishing tournament and noticed that they rarely, if ever net their fish. They just rip the fish out of the water as fast as they can while the hook is still in the lip or some other part of the fish. I’ve read that there are studies indicating that even holding a fish by the lip as we do for bass or holding fish around the gills might cause permanent damage to the fish, eventually causing death. If this is true then surely whipping the bass in the boat as the pro’s do could be doing some major damage to the fish. Are there any rules or guidelines that people have to follow so that the fish are not critically injured? I have to assume that these tournaments release the fish for others to enjoy so care must be taken (???).

[Krusty]

I was watching some guys in a bass fishing tournament and noticed that they rarely, if ever net their fish. They just rip the fish out of the water as fast as they can while the hook is still in the lip or some other part of the fish. I’ve read that there are studies indicating that even holding a fish by the lip as we do for bass or holding fish around the gills might cause permanent damage to the fish, eventually causing death. If this is true then surely whipping the bass in the boat as the pro’s do could be doing some major damage to the fish. Are there any rules or guidelines that people have to follow so that the fish are not critically injured? I have to assume that these tournaments release the fish for others to enjoy so care must be taken (???).

[Pat C.]

Trolling, trolling, trolling.

Please, if it was such an awful thing to do there would be mounds of bass floating on the surface after every tournament and the local DNR folks would shut them down.

Myself, I like to hug and kiss them and give them a comfy trip back into the drink via a special bass couch I use. What is your PETA member number?

Give me a break.

Pat C.

[Pat C.]

Trolling, trolling, trolling.

Please, if it was such an awful thing to do there would be mounds of bass floating on the surface after every tournament and the local DNR folks would shut them down.

Myself, I like to hug and kiss them and give them a comfy trip back into the drink via a special bass couch I use. What is your PETA member number?

Give me a break.

Pat C.

[NetGuy]

Hopefully he is suggesting more people use nets when bass fishing...

[NetGuy]

Hopefully he is suggesting more people use nets when bass fishing...

[Eyez]

haha!


Actually, you could argue that a poor quality net does more harm to a fish than is done by lifting a fish into the boat and releasing it by hand, because a net can damage scales and remove the protective slime layer. It also takes a lot longer to get a fish caught on a crankbat untangled from a net (no matter how tangle free the mfr claims it is) than it does to lift them in and release them. I try not to net fish if I don't have to.


Eyez


p.s. Krusty, if you want to troll up arguments I can recommend some other forums to you where people love nothing more than arguing over the most of inane topics.

[Eyez]

haha!


Actually, you could argue that a poor quality net does more harm to a fish than is done by lifting a fish into the boat and releasing it by hand, because a net can damage scales and remove the protective slime layer. It also takes a lot longer to get a fish caught on a crankbat untangled from a net (no matter how tangle free the mfr claims it is) than it does to lift them in and release them. I try not to net fish if I don't have to.


Eyez


p.s. Krusty, if you want to troll up arguments I can recommend some other forums to you where people love nothing more than arguing over the most of inane topics.

[Todd_NE]

Was Krusty better on the Simpsons or when referring to stuff in my college Fraternity?

hmmm

Todd

As a guy in my fraternity said, "I don't know what I did to deserve the nickname 'Spot'."

[Todd_NE]

Was Krusty better on the Simpsons or when referring to stuff in my college Fraternity?

hmmm

Todd

As a guy in my fraternity said, "I don't know what I did to deserve the nickname 'Spot'."

[Krusty]

Hey I'm not looking for an argument ... just posing a question that I've read in various fishing mags. You guys can't tell me that there's not some debate out there about the proper way to hold a fish if you plan to release it(!!). Good point about the net ... I had pike thrash around last year in a net so bad that by the time I got him untangled, all the slime was off and I could not revive him ... but he tasted good just the same. Sorry that most of you don't take "catch and release" methods seriously enough to have a healthy debate about it ... see Pat's response for proof of that.

[Juls_OH]

Yes, of course there is a proper way to handle a Bass, or any fish if you plan to release it.
You have to excuse these guys. This topic has been brought up before, and if you search the archives you will see just how ugly this topic can get. You're question was innocent enough, but because of old threads you're getting beat up early. Ha ha.

I also think it is ok to lip a bass if you're not using a net. Just don't tip the bass, so it's lip rips open as far as it can go, while it tries to hold it's own weight by its jaw.
There's no need for that. Hold the fish vertically, and then put your fingers under the belly, to support it, when you go to place it gently back in the water, or hold it for a quick picture. Nets can tear the fins and wipe off life supporting slime. If you can do it without a net, I see that as a plus.

If your fish have teeth, I suggest using a net, for obvious reasons. To hold one with teeth, just put a finger underneath the gill plate, but make sure not to touch the red "feathery" gills. If you break a gill, it will bleed to death. You would still support the fish's belly the same way though.

Take less time to fight a fish too. The longer it takes to get it in the boat the more stressed out a fish will be, and the harder it will be for the fish to recover once it is released.

Juls

[sevenmmm]

Here are a few tidbits:

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/news/rbnews/2003/062003wcr.htm

http://www.fishtheriver.com/articles/tournament_mortality.html

[Dave Landahl]

Krusty and fellow WC fans,

Here is some in-depth info from the New Hampshire Fish and Wildlife Department regarding initial mortality for black bass during tournaments:

http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Fishing/fishing_tournaments.htm

Go to this web address and click on the link at the bottom that says initial mortality for black bass or something like that. This is very informative and not just based on one incident.

Dave Landahl
Operations Manager
Walleye Central

[sevenmmm]

There is much more:

http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2002/07/18/news/local/nws2.txt

http://www.in-fisherman.com/magazine/exclusives/if2806_Science/

http://www.activeangler.com/articles/conservation/articles/jim_smith/catch_release.asp

This is the truth of it and should be debated to ascertain the direction tournaments will go in the future. Most all these writings go on to explain that fish mortality from tournaments is insignificant (no problem whatsoever) to the fishery.

The largest problem is public perception. Some think that tournaments are bad for the fishery, and dead fish washing up on shore is not going to help this (perception).

If I had a vote in the direction of a tournament, the tournament personel responsible for declaring whether the fish will pass for live release must be stricter in his determination, so as to not release fish with potential to wash up dead on the shoreline. Its far better to have these fish donated to those in need.

This stricter handling will put more emphasis to the angler for the care of the fish in the livewell and will improve the percentage of fish being released unharmed.

[Gary Korsgaden]

I feel tournaments do not damage fish or fish populations anymore than the recreational angler does....after all fish are for us humans to enjoy that includes catching and eating....we sometimes forget that it is ok to take a meal of fish....tournaments does bring up social tensions that are present anytime there are a number of particapants...so lets not confuse the two....I have seen more than one friendship strained..or broken because of competive fishing...however this isn't unique to the sport of fishing..could happen with any form of competition. Ego's get too big or bruised

GK

[bigfish1965]

Some of the links paint a picture we don't like to think about. Over 100 dead walleye washing up on the beach after 600 had been culled before release. I guess we understand why some tourneys are only allowed during certain times of the year.

Do the various tours take this into consideration and plan tourneys on small lakes in the spring and fall rather than mid-summer?
Also are eyes from Erie (say caught deeper than 30 feet) automatically harvested?

[Juls_OH]

The RCL has all four tournaments done by the end of June for that reason. They do not want to have fish held in livewells during the warm water months. That is also why the championship isn't held until the waters start to cool off again in October. Tournaments held during warm water periods will have a higher mortality rate of released fish, due to oxygen deficiencies (sp?), than tournaments held during cooler water periods.

In fact, if you have a copy of the latest "Western Walleye" Magazine, you will find a great article on "Keeping Fish Alive", written by Cabelas Pro Rick Gardner. It opened my eyes, and I will be making some adjustments to my livewell this Spring.

As for Lake Erie, the Ohio DNR are the folks that make the tournaments "harvest" tournaments. It's just their law around here.

Juls

[Gary Korsgaden]

Juls,

I read the article great information..........something for all to read who keep fish in a livewell or fish competively....good tip

[bracketpro]

juls

this is why we came out with our new product survivor! i really wish that in time we can get the entire fishing community to understand that this is a much larger issue than we may think.i know you and rick like the product and understand the whole concept behind it and the need for the product by virtualy every one with a live well. including tournament organizations,etc,etc,etc, cpr is the future. lets do all we can to provide for the future! take care---robert

[Juls_OH]

You're absolutely right Robert!
That is why one of the adjustments I was planning on making to my livewell system was installing your "Survivor" system again.

I also want to look into a system called Aqua Innovations, that Rick Gardner talked about. Pure Oxygen is a good thing if you can get it without carrying oxygen tanks on the boat!
It will give me peace of mind to know I'm doing all I can to keep my fish healthy and happy. Between your system and theirs, I have a very good chance of never losing another fish in my livewell.

Juls

[sevenmmm]

And where can one buy these fish-saving products?

[Juls_OH]

http://aquainnovationsinc.com/products.html

This link will get you to the bubbles.

As for the "Survivor", that is made by Y-Knot Technologies. I don't have my phonebook handy, but if you do a search on WC you will find the information you need to contact Robert.

Juls

[bigfish1965]

I don't think the Harvest rule is necessarily a bad one. Fizzing a fish is difficult at the best of times, never mind on four foot Erie waves!

[Krusty]

Wow ... I guess you guys have discussed this topic before. Well I'm still a novice walleye, bass and pike fisherman so all these tips are useful for me. Let's face it the majority of pro and recreational fishermen are responsible because they know what will happen if they are not. Unfortunately there's a few out there that just don't seem to care or give a rats behind what Joe public thinks (see Pat's response earlier in this link) ... and they give the rest of you folks a bad name. Glad to hear that more care is being taken in the live wells during hot summer months as well ...

[bracketpro]

rick

go to the products page here at walleye central and click on SURVIVOR that should give you the info you need. we surely hope that more people see the light! if a person would look at the attributes/benefits of our product. it`s a no brainer for every one! this topic could be very, very large all the way from the recreational fisherman/fisherwoman to the tournaments to the dnr.lets all do what we can to help the cause. thanks ---robert ynottech.com

[Juls_OH]

Robert,
I'm glad to see you offer your products here at WC again. Had I taken the time to look, I would have known that! My bad. ;-)

Juls

[Nick(Ia)]

Krusty: I wouldn't be so quick to judge Pat or Pat's response. He just said what many of us were thinking when first reading your post. You are a new/unknown poster, unregistered, on the tournament board, rehashing a subject that is very important and very sensitive-a subject that is a favorite among the anti/wacko groups...well, you can see why some may have thought your post was a flame attempt. However, don't be discouraged from this site or board. Read and use the archives for some really good background information. If you have specific questions, there are lots of very good anglers that regularly post here and are more than willing to help and share information. Most importantly, stay curious-take care of the resource and have fun doing it.