PBR Tournament: One step forward, one step back

[piemma]

I stopped doing tournaments 3 years ago. Who give a F#$*K if you caught the biggest fish?? It's all BS now.

With the Striper stocks being what they are, I find it unconscionable to have any type of tournament that includes Stripers. C& R of big stripers also kills fish. They mortality is less than an outright kill but a certain percentage die.

So, I'm sure I'll get some push back from some who will maintain that C&R is "sportsman like". The only way the fish has a chance of surviving is if you unhook it without taking it out of the water and handling it.

If you are in a tournament that has a C&R category, then you will need to take the fish out of the water, measure it, photograph it, and get it back in the water. You think you can do that in, let's say 30 seconds or a minute or 2 minutes. I don't believe it for a second and I've been doing this for almost 50 years.

Nah, I'm done with tourney for good or until the stocks return to pre-2006 levels.

[ecduzitgood]

Originally Posted by piemma

I stopped doing tournaments 3 years ago. Who give a F#$*K if you caught the biggest fish?? It's all BS now.

With the Striper stocks being what they are, I find it unconscionable to have any type of tournament that includes Stripers. C& R of big stripers also kills fish. They mortality is less than an outright kill but a certain percentage die.

So, I'm sure I'll get some push back from some who will maintain that C&R is "sportsman like". The only way the fish has a chance of surviving is if you unhook it without taking it out of the water and handling it.

If you are in a tournament that has a C&R category, then you will need to take the fish out of the water, measure it, photograph it, and get it back in the water. You think you can do that in, let's say 30 seconds or a minute or 2 minutes. I don't believe it for a second and I've been doing this for almost 50 years.

Nah, I'm done with tourney for good or until the stocks return to pre-2006 levels.

It is 8%, or 1 in 12 will die after release. That's why I won't target small fish and only use one forward hook on 98% of my plugs. I an no better than anyone else, I still kill fish also, I just try and limit my impact now (quality over quantity). 50 years of chasing bass tends to open your eyes.
Just stay safe out there whatever you decide to do, it's all legal after all.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[piemma]

Originally Posted by ecduzitgood

It is 8%, or 1 in 12 will die after release. That's why I won't target small fish and only use one forward hook on 98% of my plugs. I an no better than anyone else, I still kill fish also, I just try and limit my impact now (quality over quantity). 50 years of chasing bass tends to open your eyes.
Just stay safe out there whatever you decide to do, it's all legal after all.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Agreed Ed. I am just stating my opinion and what I will do. Understand it's legal but that doesn't make it right if fish die without being harvested and used for food.
I also agree that I've done this long enough so I don't have anything to prove and that does tend to open your eyes to reality.

God know I've killed more than my share of big fish, little fish, and everything in between. Last year I killed none intentionally, year before 2. I like to believe that everything I released survived but I'm certain there is a %age of collateral damage.

[JLH]

Originally Posted by piemma

If you are in a tournament that has a C&R category, then you will need to take the fish out of the water, measure it, photograph it, and get it back in the water. You think you can do that in, let's say 30 seconds or a minute or 2 minutes. I don't believe it for a second and I've been doing this for almost 50.

If you are prepare for it then getting the pics needed for C&R tournaments can take less than a minute. I always give the fish a chance to revive prior to taking it out if the water and I'll only take pics in areas that I can do it efficiently which means that some nice fish that could have been entered aren't. I'm sure not everyone who enters the C&R tournaments gets their fish back in the water very quickly but it can be done.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device