Cpa - Central Pro Circuit - 10/11/14

[fishinwrench]

Wow, this is the damndest "plead the 5th" thing since the Lois Lerner deposition. WTH ?

[Sore Thumbs]

Do it Champ.

[Sprint21fter]

I think it is funny that the Ozarks division is opening up in Okie country for the BFL's this year. Put a tournament on Bull Shoals in March keep it in the Ozarks region. Grand fishes similar to hear but it fishes shallower.

[Flysmallie]

Grand Lake is considered to be part of the Ozarks. It might fish differently than Bull and TR but so does Stockton, Pomme and LOZ. I guess it all depends on what your style of fishing is. I would rather fish a lake like Grand over TR but that's the style of fishing that I am better at.

[Fishin Hodge]

Basically all of the real Ozarks are in AR, but we will allow S. MO to call themselves part of the Ozarks.

But to allow Oklahoma to use the name Ozarks is just offensive.

[5bites]

Can we just claim grand lake and not include any other part?

[mjk86]

Why is keeping a bass so much more offensive than a walleye, crappie, or catfish? You catch a walleye/crappie and your an idiot for throwing it back....catch a bass and your a murderer. They both eat just fine. And there are no doubt more bass in TR than walleye or crappie. Not trying to be jerk, just curious why bass are so valuable compared to other species?

[Champ188]

Crappie, walleye, catfish, etc. aren't responsible for a billion-dollar industry that hinges on their very existence. Sure, lots of people fish for those species and generate revenue. But the bass is king when it comes to tournaments, guide trips and overall dollars spent in their pursuit, whether by tournament or purely recreational anglers.

There was no transparency before the fact that the fish in question would be taken from Table Rock Lake and not returned, nor has there been any transparency since. It was just done with the apparent assumption that no one would have any problem with it.

The CPA tournament rules themselves state that tournament anglers are under "extreme scrutiny" of the general public, conservation groups, etc., and are held to the highest standards of conservation, care and courtesy. Having 15 anglers haul their final day's catch to Springfield and not return those fish to Table Rock does not meet those standards, IN MY OPINION.

It is standard protocol nationwide for tournament organizations to release their fish alive and healthy back into the waters from which they were caught. Has been since catch-and-release was introduced in the 1970s. So what entitles CPA to break ranks with every other tournament organization in the country and use these fish to stock Johnny's fish tanks?

I'm done with this. I can't explain my position any clearer. Everyone who reads this is entitled to agree or disagree. I don't care either way. Thankfully, we still have that right here in the good ol' US of A.

[J.M.]

Champ with the number of striper guides on Beaver Lake I would thank the striped bass would bring a lot of income to the beaver lake area, yet on the beaver forum when two large stripers were killed your words were [on a positive note there are two less mature stripers in the lake]. I have heard many bass fisherman say if I boat a striper I cut it from A -hole to gills and throw it back. I love to bass fish and also like striper fish it seems like a double standard to me

[Bill Babler]

Why is keeping a bass so much more offensive than a walleye, crappie, or catfish? You catch a walleye/crappie and your an idiot for throwing it back....catch a bass and your a murderer. They both eat just fine. And there are no doubt more bass in TR than walleye or crappie. Not trying to be jerk, just curious why bass are so valuable compared to other species?

Table Rock Bass are the most sought after species that swim in the lake. The Missouri Dept. of Conservation does not now, nor do they have any plans to ever enhance this resource by stocking. This lake is not stocked except for paddle fish and walleye most often in the Arkansas portion of the lake on the walleye. With no stocking program huge water fluctuation during the Spring spawn and millions of man days in pursuit of these fish they are under constant pressure and stress.

As has been stated by MDC if it were not for catch and release, bass on Table Rock would indeed struggle to maintain a catchable population. Bass limits are there to PREVENT overharvest not to control excess population.

Lowering limits of Black Bass has been addressed on more than one occasion. It is felt that the economic impact on tourism would be extremely detrimental. It would also exclude Table Rock from National tournament visits that according to statistics results in hundred's of thousands to millions for the local economy.

So with that in mind and thru creel surveys they have documented that the majority of bass fisherman are sport fishermen and release the fish they catch. It has allowed them to try and hold the line on not changing the limit.

It was mentioned earlier this year that even to the point of if all guides kept their entire clients catch through the year, Table Rock would see an adverse effect very, very quickly.

This resource is just pounded do to our geographic location 365 days a year by fishermen with excellent technology and the ability under most circumstances to harvest these predatory fish. With no replenishment to even expect it to maintain its numbers without people taking this into consideration is ridiculous and MDC knows that we participate in this by recycling fish.

I have not fished a day this year that I have not caught fish that someone else had not previously caught and released. Some days I'll catch 10 to 20 they have been caught and released when my take for the entire day is 25 or 30. That is why we catch and release. That 12 year boy or girl could care less if the fish has a hook hole in its jaw. It bit their bait and made them love the sport. It tugged and pulled and jumped as if it had never seen the light. No reason to take that away from anyone.

No reason to kill them, simply no reason.

Bass are not stocked walleye are. Bass are where 90 plus percent of the dollars are, and where so much fun is that money cannot even come into the equation.

You get my drift?