2023 Big Bass Tour - KVD Big Bass Classic - April 14-16 (Reg Opens Friday Dec 2nd)

[Smithvillesteve]

Champ you remind me of John Dutton on Yellowstone. He is fighting his butt off to keep Montana the way it has always been. Fighting to keep airports being built to bring in thousands to ski resorts they want to build. Fighting to keep Montana from becoming a playground to millions of visitors. It is a never ending battle for the guy. Hang in there Champ!! Keep battling for Table Rock lake! Wake boats are damaging docks, causing erosion and clouding up the water. Endless numbers of tournaments with bass being hauled around in livewells during the spawn. I dont blame you local boys for not being very thrilled about all the changes you are seeing. Not sure what you can do. Some say change is inevitable. Just know you locals got some support from us guys up north. 

[Champ188]

1 hour ago, Smithvillesteve said:

Champ you remind me of John Dutton on Yellowstone. He is fighting his butt off to keep Montana the way it has always been. Fighting to keep airports being built to bring in thousands to ski resorts they want to build. Fighting to keep Montana from becoming a playground to millions of visitors. It is a never ending battle for the guy. Hang in there Champ!! Keep battling for Table Rock lake! Wake boats are damaging docks, causing erosion and clouding up the water. Endless numbers of tournaments with bass being hauled around in livewells during the spawn. I dont blame you local boys for not being very thrilled about all the changes you are seeing. Not sure what you can do. Some say change is inevitable. Just know you locals got some support from us guys up north. 

I'm afraid none of it will do any good long term but, hey, at least I can go down swinging. I'm not anti-tournament but we can't take things for granted and expect them to always be there. Gotta show a little love for the fish and the lake itself. Thanks for the nice words, Steve.

[Ketchup]

11 hours ago, Champ188 said:

I'm afraid none of it will do any good long term but, hey, at least I can go down swinging. I'm not anti-tournament but we can't take things for granted and expect them to always be there. Gotta show a little love for the fish and the lake itself. Thanks for the nice words, Steve.

So tell us all, including any “gubment” guys reading exactly what YOU are currently doing to better this lake? Like real, actual work from brain power to man power, to put change forth? Talking on here does absolutely zero. 
 

man, as my first comment said, this convo gets beat up on this site. Does the fishery get beat up some? You bet. Is there better ways to manage it? You bet. Do new slots need implemented for take home average Joe fishermen? You bet. There has never been greater pressure on ALL bodies of water like there is today. There are just more people on this planet. More lake people in general. More boaters in general. And more fishermen.  But with that, there are more people nowadays practicing catch and release than there have ever been. More people that understand proper fish care/handling than ever before. 
 

I have fished from California to Pennsylvania. The waters of this country are in good shape from what i have seen. Way more educational information out there these days to prevent some of the things that you say are causing great harm to fisheries.  Again, can things get better? You bet, but it’s not the tournament guys that are doing all of the damage. 
 

As you said, things will never change. 

[Champ188]

Just like anyone else, I'm limited in WHAT I can do because I am one person, and one person cannot impact change upon a 50,000-acre fishery. That takes action from the ruling bodies ... in this case, the MDC and the COE.

Missouri was second only to Texas back in the 70s and 80s for fisheries management ... i.e., the statewide 15-inch length limit on largemouth bass. Perhaps we need some forward movement from them ... at least conduct some intense and viable studies on the busiest lake in the state to see where catch rates stand, where gamefish numbers stand vs. what the forage base can sustain, etc. Perhaps the Corps could look at limiting the number of tournament permits it issues per day, week, month ... And for that matter, the Corps could also consider the damage being done to our shorelines (as Steve pointed out earlier) by the big cruisers and wake boats. Instead, all we get is status quo from both agencies. "Everything is fine," they say. Maybe it is, but their answer is not based on science because they haven't conducted any real science. All they do is run a shocking boat through a few areas every spring and say YEP, WE'RE GOOD! 

Anytime that anyone I know, including myself, has inquired about taking a closer look, the default answer is "We can't afford it. Not enough in the budget." So here's an idea ... how about Johnny Moneybags gets up off a few dollars and actually DOES SOMETHING FOR THE VERY LAKE THAT HAS SUPPORTED HIS LAVISH LIFESTYLE FOR DECADES instead of every project he does having the end result of putting more money in his pockets? 

Frankly, I would be happy with some sort of protective regulations on fishing during the spawn. Northern states do it and so could we. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that you can't increasingly pressure something forever and expect it to remain in peak form. Doesn't work that way with machinery, relationships or fisheries. 

[Flysmallie]

11 hours ago, Ketchup said:

Talking on here does absolutely zero. 

Speaking out is how EVERYTHING gets changed. It doesn't change by bashing the people that think things could be better if people did try new things.

Just assuming that nothing will change and just letting it go is actually the most ignorant thing to do. 

Unfortunately, the only way you can invoke change in the good ol' USA, is if there is a lot of money to be made.

I'm also a "has been". And I'm good with that, because when you did well in a tournament back in the day it really meant something. 

And you are also incorrect that nothing will change. Everything changes. It will either get better or it will get worse. It's already worse than what it was but all you guys are expecting to change for the better by doing nothing. Good luck with that. 

[Browning Guy]

On 12/9/2022 at 12:59 AM, Ketchup said:

So tell us all, including any “gubment” guys reading exactly what YOU are currently doing to better this lake? Like real, actual work from brain power to man power, to put change forth? Talking on here does absolutely zero. 

I for one spent $8,000 on a pontoon, stripped everything except a couple seats, steering wheel and new motor. After that? I put in over 200 brush piles, large brush piles...... and probably close to 30 rock piles. My question is.....what have you done to improve the fishery? I enjoy hearing stories of hardwork and dedication to improving Tablerock.

[Champ188]

11 hours ago, Browning Guy said:

I for one spent $8,000 on a pontoon, stripped everything except a couple seats, steering wheel and new motor. After that? I put in over 200 brush piles, large brush piles...... and probably close to 30 rock piles. My question is.....what have you done to improve the fishery? I enjoy hearing stories of hardwork and dedication to improving Tablerock.

Now THAT is some serious action in the right direction. I'd much rather hear of an "every man fisherman" putting his money and sweat into helping the fishery than others taking credit for adding to an empire that does nothing but add angling pressure. Makes me feel pretty small for simply trying to raise awareness with my mouth (or fingers), but for now, that's what I can afford to do. 

THANK YOU, Browning Guy for your contributions. You rock, brother! 

[Ketchup]

12 hours ago, Browning Guy said:

I for one spent $8,000 on a pontoon, stripped everything except a couple seats, steering wheel and new motor. After that? I put in over 200 brush piles, large brush piles...... and probably close to 30 rock piles. My question is.....what have you done to improve the fishery? I enjoy hearing stories of hardwork and dedication to improving Tablerock.

GPS to those brushpiles? 

[Champ188]

30 minutes ago, Ketchup said:

GPS to those brushpiles? 

Bet he'd be glad to share GPS coordinates to where you can buy a brush/rock boat of your very own.  

[Browning Guy]

On 12/11/2022 at 7:41 AM, Ketchup said:

GPS to those brushpiles? 

Nope. A limited few who sweat and yes, bled, have the GPS on them. Funny to watch poachers sit and watch us hoping to see us dump them in. We just take a break til they get bored. Always thought they may offer to help........nope, once a poacher always a poacher I guess. To each their own.