Your Fastest Derby Limit

[stock jockey]

Sorry to add to this but I can't help it.

I think that we all go through life and think of what is important to us. It is sad how selfish everyone is.

I have only been in the bass fishing sport for a few years. Table Rock is my favorite place to fish. It is also the hardest lake I have ever fished. The reason I like it so much is because of many things, the challenge to catch fish, the beauty of the lake, the time with family, the list goes on and on.

To my point, when I first went fishing it was exciting to be able to feed my family with what I caught. I originally kept any size bass. Now I only keep bass that are in the 13" - 16" length. (I fish other lakes than TR) Most times when I go fishing I do not keep any, however, I will say that I have a fish fry for my family once or twice a year. When my kids go fishing we keep their fish and cook them that night, almost like a ritual. (they have not caught any over 18") I do agree that this ritual is a big part of it for them. There are not many things that gives this father as much happiness as seeing one of my kids reeling in a fish.

I do make it a point to C&R at TR.

Why are you all so full of anger and judgement? There are so many other things in life to worry about. A friend of mine was diagnosed with a brain tumor Friday. That makes this all so trivial...

one last thought

I am a Christian man and I have a few for each of you.

* Matthew 7:1 NIV

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged.

* Mark 12:31 NIV

'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

[eric1978]

The point they were gracelessly making SJ, is that there are lots of species of fish you can eat, many of which taste better and are less sporty than black bass. No, it's not a crime, and no, it's not unethical or immoral to keep a creel of bass, but if everyone did it on a regular basis, the sport wouldn't be what it is today. Most serious anglers prefer catching over eating anyway, so they get touchy when they see their favorite pastime sizzling in someone's fryer.

And my neighbor is a disgusting pig. It is not possible to love him.

[drs]

I think we might be missing the point. Its not about, if its legal. Not about tournament bass fishing. Not about whether he's telling the truth. Not about frying up a couple of 15" bass.

I think the point is about Arsenal bringing up the thought of filleting up 50lbs. of "trophy bass", and defending that action on this forum. If he reads this forum at all, he should have known it would offend many of its readers.

I did like the line about filleting up the dog.

[fishinwrench]

Eric, Wrench, and Flysmallie are classy dudes!!!

Hows that "Lest-ye-not" scripture go again ?

Listen Mr. Eighthunnerdandwhatever, if you don't have something derogatory to say, don't say nuttin' at all.

[focused fishing]

Wow, work a couple of days and miss a lot.....

O.K. it boils down to this:

Those were 10 large fish that will never be caught or spawn again, regardless of who ate them and why, they are now in the sewage system in STL. The benefit they brought to the Table Rock and the anglers that fish are gone forever. You are well within your legal, moral and ethical right to do so. Hope they were tasty.

Tournament mortality varies from one organiztion to another, there are no laws or regulations in the state of Missouri to regulate release boats, seasons, etc. It is up to tournament anglers to identify the tournaments with superior fish care and participate in those and not others. At CPAA we utilize; a better quality bag to protect the fish, angler education, temperature control, oxygen in our tanks, release boats at every tournament and we minimize the amount of time fish are out of the water for photos, weighing, etc... If the anglers do a good job and the fish come to us in good shape we have a very high survival rate (98.4% last year for all fish weighed). We are in contact with fisheries biologist, like Gene Gilliland in OK, on a regular basis to make improvements to our systems and decrease mortality. If you fish tournaments and care about mortality, pay attention to how the fish are handled and make an educated decision as to who you are going to fish. STILL, it is up to the individual anglers to be educated and take the proper steps to bring the fish to the weigh in in good shape.

Yes, tournments are about the money, the economic impact for towns where tournaments are held is huge. Talk to any of the resort owners around Table Rock and ask them how they did in March was when FLW was in town. Most of the ones I work with said it was great.

But, if the fishery is damaged by either poor fish care in tournaments or questionable harvesting practices the ecomonic impact would be massive. Not only will tournaments stop utilizing the lake but recreational anglers and families will no longer come to Table Rock because "it's too hard to catch fish there". Look at 1999 - 2003 and the effects of the fish kill.

Anyone can take their daily bag limit of six fish regardless of size, it is your legal right. But please look past the food value of a 5 lb. fish before it is put under the knife. That particular fish has more value to more people alive and swimming than it does as a filet in grease and eventually waste in the sewer system.

EP

[Flysmallie]

So I'll ask it again. If everyone is so concerned about protecting the big spawners, why don't you close the lake to tournaments during the spawn.

I know that most that are on here are great guys that are really concerned about the lake. But you are also the same guys that freak out about anybody keeping a bass, and then you say it not about being legal, it's about being ethical. So why doesn't ethics kick in when you hold a tournament and you know that guys are out there dragging fish off beds, throwing them in a live well, and driving around the lake at 70 mph looking for more?

Oh I know, because big bags of fish bring big bags of cash to the area!! It's okay if a few die if it's done in the name of the almighty dollar. Do you guys work for the government?

[focused fishing]

Personally I am not a fan of sight fishing, I know all of the studies show it has a minimal effect on the fishery but I'm still not a fan. Banning fishing or tournaments during the spawn is not a good solution though.

Generally the spawn is in the same time frame every year, mid spring, but to pin point the exact date on every lake would be difficult if not impossible. This year for example we had an event on Beaver Lake in early April and another on Table Rock in early May, at both events anglers were sight fishing. Two years ago we had an event on LOZ in April, another on Table Rock in May, then a third in June on Bull Shoals, the spawn had not started on LOZ in April and was interrupted by a cold front on Table Rock in May and was still going on Bull Shoals in June. To completely "miss" the spawn we would have to skip April, May and June every year and some years add February to be on the safe side. That would push tournaments into the summer where water temperatures are much higher and in turn so is fish mortality. Neither solution is viable, it would be easier to ban tournaments all together, which I'm sure would make many happy.

As to the almighty dollar, what exactly is wrong with the almighty dollar? Without the almighty dollar and capitalism we would all still be subject to an elite few rulers or monarchs that through birth rite rule. The almighty dollar, and those who serve and protect, makes all things in this country possible including your right to post your opinion on this forum. The competitive spirit that built this country is what drives us to compete against one another in business, research and even fishing tournaments. The almighty dollar isn't bad, greed and dishonesty are bad. Many folks on and off this board would love to see tournaments go away for whatever reason, that's your axe to grind. But, the positive economic impact of fishing tournaments is undeniable to communities and the fishing industry. It enables a multitude of charitable donations to hundreds of causes, employs tens of thousands and has improved the state of fishing and fisheries throughout the country.

We want to have tournaments when fishing is at its peak and the water temperatures are ideal for fish care and unfortunately (or not) that is usually around the spawn. Good or bad, moral or not anglers will continue to pull fish off beds during the spawn whether to win a tournament or fill their belly, it is their personal decision. As a tournament director I do everything within my power to limit mortality and return those fish to the lake with minimal injury.

EP

[SKMO]

Got a new job for ya, SKMO ... I can give you admin privledges and you can go in and edit everyone's posts for grammer and punctuation.

Well, Arsonal seemed to take it pretty well as per his next post. Admittedly it sounded kind of tough once I re-read it, I was just trying to inject some levity into the discussion. I admire the way he has stated and stuck with his opinions and have sent him a PM to that effect.

No more attempts at humor, more seriose discourse in the future, I promise.

[arsenal1477]

I was more or less laughing in relief of you not judging my character, religous views or being disrespectful. I'm surprised that I'm actually going to have to say 'Thank You' for not doing all of the above in this forum. LOL.

I read on here that someones friend was just diagnosed with a brain tumor. To whoever that was, your friend and their family will be in my thoughts. A situation like that makes this whole debate irrelevant and puts into perspective how outrageous our views on certain subject matter can really be when more serious issues are at hand in the world. I wish you, your family and your friend all the best.

SKMO- Did I break up those paragraphs good enough for you?

[ColdWaterFshr]

Its been a fun read. All the important elements are there: hypocrisy, puritanical condemnation, and desperate rationalizations.

I've decided that if it upsets the tournament fisherman and the high horse bass jockey guides, then it has to be good. I plan to filet all the big (legal) Table Rock bass my electric filet knife can handle. The bigger, the better. I can almost smell the ozone coming off the motor now.

Yours truly,

Paul Dallas