Catch n release tournaments aren't that easy to keep going. The Tri State Fishing Tournament of New England has been going since the 60's. When we went C + R way back the attendance dropped off. Now we're lucky to get 20 participants a leg. The biggest reason was we didn't kill big fish. It's amazing how many people say Catch n release in public but still want pics of piles of big fish they caught during a Derby or Tourny. I still fish the Derby myself but I only keep a couple fish a yr. So some of what we preach isn't all that easy to keep going. Striper Cup is just another lottery. Look at the money any lottery brings in. Not everyone thinks as we do as only a small few are in clubs or on sites like this. Our actions speak for us but the problem is way beyond OTW or Striper Cup. A lot of anglers don't want to hear polatics an such they just want to be able to go fishing ,have a good time and not constantly hear the negatives. Catch n release is only a small part of the fix. By catch is a way bigger problem. OTW does get the word out so there is some mind set that helps. The Striper Cup will go the way the Scheaffer Tournament did in time. We need to use the media to get the word out better by publishing some of the stories we know comparing then to now. It gets people thinking.
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