I know it’s their right, but!!!

[tjm]

2 hours ago, MoCarp said:

Truman back in the day had a 13# bass caught, so the genes are there

Back in my day, Truman was all rivers and creeks and yep the fishing was good. Ever wonder if impoundment alone doesn't have a negative impact on rivrerine genetics? The first 10-20 years after the dam building the existing stock would be in place but then the fish would adapt to changed environment?

[wtr dogs]

In May of 2016 my friends son was able retrieve 3 struggling largemouth bass after a club way in. They were  in the 5-6 lb range.

[Bigfishscott]

I’m a tournament fisherman. I myself have seen the same and it makes me upset too, dogs. Believe me my first priority is the fish I catch. There a lots of ways to take care of your fish. Most generally these big fish die in tournament do to no care at all. One of the biggest killers is the bends. I’ve caught fish in as little as 17-18ft of water that have the bends. Taking care of these fish should be priority #1!!! Most generally the bends doesn’t kill the fish right away, unless you are catching them so deep their eyes pop and air blatters come out their throats. Fish with mild bends can’t right themselves in the livewell. So they struggle all day causing stress and weakness. Getting oxygen from the water is cut making the process even worse. One of the best ideas made is fin weights. These keep the fish upright in the well, where they can get full use of their gills for oxygen. Thus in turn helping the stress and oxygen depletion from their brain. Some say that it helps the air blatter decompress. But I do know that it keeps the fish stronger and healthier. So when you release these fish they are strong enough to swim to the right depth to relieve the pressure. I’ve used a needle to pop the blatter, it’s a thin line between right and wrong. 

[Gavin]

Probably best to release ASAP, unless you want to eat some. Anything I want to eat is gilled, bled out, then on ice within a couple minutes. The touney thing just needs to change. No more stupid weigh ins. Catch, Photo, Release....still beats up a fish more than necessary, but better than current tourney practices. Getting beat up in a 2 square foot live well is more sadistic than an instant kill.

[Targa98]

Here we go again...................

[MoCarp]

7 hours ago, tjm said:

Back in my day, Truman was all rivers and creeks and yep the fishing was good. Ever wonder if impoundment alone doesn't have a negative impact on rivrerine genetics? The first 10-20 years after the dam building the existing stock would be in place but then the fish would adapt to changed environment?

13#er was landed when the lake 1st opened

[dprice]

Your discussion has got  me to silently thinking

I used to be asked by my neighbors  why I paid so much money to catch big fish and race them All over the lake  beating my Possessions  into  broken equipment 

My answer was  it is adrenaline I suppose I wanted to win more money .  I wanted to fit in and compete ,measure myself , and feel the excitements

i realized  we didn’t care about the fish at all   I even poured  chemicals in my water to calm them . I even suped my motor up to go faster    .....  I suppose it didn’t use enough fuel to suit me already .

some of the positives where  if I always brung fish home   Any smaller fish than the 5   I weighed  stayed in the livewell

any dead fish  I collected them as well 

I have personally  collected a possession limit and half  of floaters from people just like me .

With this said  just about every species in the lake are better than bass  I promise 

but this is what I got acquired to

   

 

 

 

 

[Ketchup]

2 hours ago, Targa98 said:

Here we go again...................

Hahahaha.  You know what i realized about myself today while bass fishing? I hate those dang crappie fishermen. They set there, anchored or tied to a tree, sitting in that same spot as i fish up to, and past them. Least they could do is move so i can fish that area they had been sitting in for 2 hours. Share the lake people. Gosh those guys drive me bonkers.  😜

[Targa98]

LMAO Jerry, At least when I crappie fish Im not setting still. I beat the banks or throw deeper also.  I never minnow fish, no offense just not my thing. So I can relate to what your saying.  That said, when we were killing the crappie last week I had a gentalman, wife and 3 kids roll up to around 10 ft of me, not exaturating, and had the balls to ask if he was in my way.  In a normal everday voice.  Didnt have to raise it all.  I did not have to look hard to notice what they were throwing. I politely responded with NOPE, weve only got 1 left to catch and we are out of here.  Which we did right in front of him and rolled out.  Some people have way more balls than this guy i guess.

[Walcrabass]

To All,

  My perspective on the tournament thing is just this.................................  we are killing the heck out of the fish because of the weigh ins. I have personally witnessed the weigh ins and seen the fish floating after being "released to fight another day". I have read in the many of those ( 40%) that "do not float " die within two weeks due to stress and other physical damage. One of those damages is being slammed around in the live wells. Of course there is money involved and we all know this is far more important than the fish themselves. Why is it that we are so dishonest that we cannot take a picture of the fish on the digital scales and then release it? Well, because there would be many who would find a way to cheat.................

It is sad, very sad, and I don't know exactly how to get it changed. But, it definitely needs to change. The percentage of people with boats and the percentage of people who "tournament fish " is huge compared to what it was 30 or 40 years ago. This calculates into many, many more bass that die as a result.

And while I am at it......................  there are lures that are being used today............................  that the Bass swallow......................... and die from. I have heard all the people that use these lures say how you just need " to stay in contact with the bait" and they won't swallow it. OK, I guess they are much better than the other 98% of the people I talk to that say they kill 20 to 30 % of the Bass they catch on them.

My two cents.

 

Walcrabass