Buying knowledge

Puzzled: I wasn't talking about the Great Lakes, I was talking about the Iowa Great Lakes. There is a huge difference. If you think this cann't have a bearing on a 3500 acre lake you better think again! We don't have thousands of adult walleyes in the lake and hundreds of schools roaming around unfound. These tournament ARE hurting smaller lakes and should be stopped.

Inetersting article... The "Pirates", as they are called (Martin, Gofron, Brumbaugh, Anderson, Anderson, and Grothe) finished 12,33,2,49,66 and 15... On a day when quite a few of the pros "O"... It is interesting to note... Let's see where they are after day 2 and 3...

I do not know how to devise a rule that would prevent (different than prohibit) the buying and sharing of information...

[Den]

I usually dont comment on things like this, but lets look at the perspective of this. The pros fish these lakes for a few days practice, and the tourney days. The local people fish the same lake, or lakes all summer. Now who is really putting the hurt on the fish. Be real honest. I have seen, and been with many good pros before tournaments, and have not seen very many fish that were caught pre fishing, that were not released. I know for a fact that when a local fisherman is fishing, he is there for one thing, and that is to try to catch a limit, and keep them. I am not taking sides, but just trying to be honest. good luck and good fishing.
Den

You guys rape the lake all year and #### when ever a tournament happens. Sir don't make me laugh, you're nuts to think the lake is being killed by tournaments! How many walleyes do YOU kill there every year? I bet its 10X what anyone tour guy did! Now add the rest of the guys just like you and the few hundred fished taken on you're little lake every year buy tournaments is pretty small! I'll bet you any amount of money that that little lake has more fish taken in 1 weekend than at any tournament!

Tournaments are not sport fishing, and I wish they didn't exist. When I think of fishing with my Dad 40 or 50 years ago, casting from shore and catching a few fish to eat, I think of the enjoyment and "sport" of fishing. Today, when I see "pros" fishing for money, and the "Look at me!" mentality I see something much different. They have taken something wonderful and ruined. I do not need, nor want, the "advancements you talk about. Fishing was better the way it was, not the way it is now.

Get a grip dude you're losing control.:d

I used to walk everywhere until they made a bike and then a car things were better then! We used to plow the field by hand then with the ox and now a tractor. things were better then. It used to take a week to get my family 100 miles now it takes me hours, things were better then. When we used to cross the country we were killed on the trail by bandits or indians or fever, now we just jump on a plane and we are there in a few hours. But I still think things were better then!

[Terroreyes]

You couldn't be more wrong. What you describe from years ago is recreation, even today. Tournament anglers define the "sport" of fishing. Though the fish are brought to the scales and a few do perish, no other entity promotes catch and release(which is ultimately done in most cases) more than the bigger name sponsored tourneys. Granted, there are some hacks out there that kill the vast majority of the fish. I've seen it first hand, but those are few and not what we deal with or generally refer to on W/C. I agree with Den. The local guys and other recreational fisherman have a much larger impact than tourneys. They're out for a limit.... and then some if it looks like they can get away with it. You don't see tournament anglers bringing one cooler already over the limit to the truck, then going out to fill a few more. I'd say that when the bite is on here, the average out of town recreational fisherman, and definitely locals too(see it all the time), take close to double the legal limit.

My opinion is that if there is some regulation barring a tournament from releasing the fish afterwards, even if the fish do get donated to charity, the tournament should pass on that body of water to host the event. Not because of conservation, but to avoid the never ending negative publicity like in this post which deters from all the positive things accomplished.

Puzzled, why are you yelling at me? Your whole statemant has nothing to do with what I was talking about..... Now I'm puzzled!!!

Sorry Terroreyes, but the majority of the people say you're wrong. When asked, people overwhelmingly reject tournament fishing. They simply don't buy your arguements of "great advancements in fishing", "catch and release", etc. Fishing for money just has a bad smell to it.