Table Rock Is Being Beat To A Pulp

[Ozark Outdoorsman]

I have been out the last 2 mornings (Friday, Sat) and there are more bass boats running around this lake than you can shake a stick at. Fishing was tough this morning, caught 7 and 1 keeper. Friday I caught 14 and 3 keepers, nothing big just keepers. Seems like we are having a long string of tournaments and it is taking its toll. All the BASS guys are running all over the lake looking for fish. I am a derby fisherman so I have nothing against them, although we need to take care of the fish we take to weigh in. Short story.. In the last heartland team T at the Rock on sept 10, I was taking my fish I had weighed down to the waters edge to release them, I revived my fish for a min and watched them swim away.. they were tired but unharmed. Minutes later another angler with nice bag of LMB's just turned his bag upside down and dumped his fish over the side of the dock. I watched them as they hit the water harshly, and they kind of fluttered and sank without swimming away. I felt like hitting this guy in the face, but all I could do was shake my head. These are the very fish we love and are trying to catch in competition and he is just disrespecting them in the worst way.

Thought I would vent a little, and all the tournament action lately definently has the fish beat up.

[abkeenan]

Couldn't agree more. I am not a tournament fisherman and am not blaming/bad mouthing them by any means. I just think there are entirely TOO MANY tournaments going on at TR. Give the fish a break. I realize that some of these large tournaments generate A LOT of revenue for the local businesses....resorts/hotel/motels/tackle shops/restaurants/etc and that is great. Not saying do away with tx's by any means but at some point I think the tx's need to be reigned in a bit for the fishery's sake. I just don't want to see TR turn into LOZ as far as lake traffic and pollution. I wouldn't eat a fish outta LOZ for a million dollars. My 2 cents.

[Martin]

It's a shame when only a few minutes of extra care would save the fish. People get tired.......People get lazy....Sometimes it even takes a lot longer then a few minutes. Most are not willing to spend the time, whether wading or on their belly at a dock, to insure the fish have every chance. I've been lazy WAY back in the 80's, in another state, But not since I moved to Missouri in 1990 (full time) and especially since I started catching walleyes. Well, I'm not perfect, but I wanted to agree with your post Ozark Outdoorsman and abkeenan...

[flipper]

I have been out the last 2 mornings (Friday, Sat) and there are more bass boats running around this lake than you can shake a stick at. Fishing was tough this morning, caught 7 and 1 keeper. Friday I caught 14 and 3 keepers, nothing big just keepers. Seems like we are having a long string of tournaments and it is taking its toll. All the BASS guys are running all over the lake looking for fish. I am a derby fisherman so I have nothing against them, although we need to take care of the fish we take to weigh in. Short story.. In the last heartland team T at the Rock on sept 10, I was taking my fish I had weighed down to the waters edge to release them, I revived my fish for a min and watched them swim away.. they were tired but unharmed. Minutes later another angler with nice bag of LMB's just turned his bag upside down and dumped his fish over the side of the dock. I watched them as they hit the water harshly, and they kind of fluttered and sank without swimming away. I felt like hitting this guy in the face, but all I could do was shake my head. These are the very fish we love and are trying to catch in competition and he is just disrespecting them in the worst way.

Thought I would vent a little, and all the tournament action lately definently has the fish beat up.

I totally agree!! spread 'em out a little bit. I resent the way the fish are handled in paticular I think game wardens ought to be present @ weighins and release. bet that would stop alot of this behavior IE; dumping the fish out.helluvalot of tourneys in just the last two weeks.

[skeeter]

I'm with you guys on the excessive numbers of tournaments on TR. Coupled with the "rough handling" of the fish it makes me glad the patterns are tough to figure out right now.

Saw a couple of small club weigh-ins taking place on Saturday afternoon at two different launch ramps and "dumping the fish" was the norm at both only they did it from shore in about 6" of water about as far out as their arms could reach without getting their precious "tootsies" wet ! Bags were upended at waist height and the fish plopped into the skinny water and surely hit the bottom on the way down.

Are these people stupid or just ignorant of how to properly handle, respect and release fish or do they even give a dam(n) ?

[Tfsh4bass]

I am surprised Heartland would release fish like that. Usually when you weigh fish they become the property of whatever tournament you are fishing the minute they are weighed in and it is their responsibility to take care of them and release them right way. They do this to control how the fish are released plus stop some buddy from handing another buddy a 5lber behind the building. Either way people need to take care of their fish if the tournament organizers aren't.

[Spinnaker]

Any advice on how long after a big tournament before the fishing recovers generally speaking? Thanks.

[Hillbilly Deluxe]

I've followed some of these "big boys" down the bank and caught fish right behind them!

[RSBreth]

Are these people stupid or just ignorant of how to properly handle, respect and release fish or do they even give a dam(n) ?

Probably a little bit of "all of the above", unfortunately. I know several guys who think Bass are just super-tough, one even said the reason he likes Bass so much is the you can "throw the dinks over your shoulder into the deeper water behind you and it doesn't even hurt them". He's probably one of the guys you saw.

[Sam]

I fish for other species and don't keep bass when I catch them. Quite a few times, though, coming in at night in the summertime, I've scooped up a limit of barely-twitching, floating belly-up, big bass after tournament weigh-ins. I figure my family might as well eat 'em as the turtles.

I've never seen that other times of year, but tournaments kill a lot of bass in Tablerock and Bull Shoals when the water's hot. Now we've just finished a long, hot summer and there are more bass tournaments and fishermen than ever before - no wonder you guys are having a hard time.