Total agreement.. Should adopt how kayak tournaments do it.. take a picture of the length, download the pic, most inches win.. bass are released right where they were caught
Years ago I was striper fishing up river on lake Lanier in Feb. Wind was up so I pulled in a cove to take a break and pulled out a flipping stick with a jig and was killing time warming up. A big bass boat with a camera boat behind him came around the corner full throttle, bought that time I got a bite and caught a 7 pounder. Pro, I won’t mentioned his name proceeded to cuss me out saying “your taking food out of my family’s mouths”. “I make a living doing this. From that point on, I was done with Bassmaster.
@DaveRollins-z1f There are those kinds of people on every circuit. I've been cussed by one of the biggest names in B.A.S.S. while ledge fishing on KY Lake. We were there camping, and I went out to one of my favorite shellbeds. Keep in mind that this is a well-known community hole on the lake. It's just one of those places that produced all you can catch 2.5 pounders day in, day out back in the lakes prime. He pulled up while I was fishing and began casting. A little communication is all I asked for, and this man came unhinged. On the flip side, I've met Rick Clunn out on the ledges one day. He was very cordial. He asked if I cared if he fished the area, provided some tips on why he was catching them over me, we had a good conversation for the time he was there, and offered some other spots that he had found that wasn't holding the fish he thought he needed to win. As with everything, there are definitely some bad apples in the bunch. It is very unfortunate that bad apples are becoming more and more prominent in every society, not just the fishing industry.
There has always been resentment among the general fishing public against tournament fishing. This isn't anything new and non-tournament fishermen outnumber the tournament guys by probably 1000 to 1. Tournaments are hard on the fishery (so are the meat fishermen, of course) and the attitude of so many tournament fishermen as to the idea that because they're fishing in a tournament they should have first dibs on spots, ramps, etc.
I personally don't know ANY professional or national-level anglers with that mentality. That is usually a mentality that is projected upon tournament anglers by non-competitive anglers. If you get to a spot early, fish. If another angler ASKS if you mind if he has the hole for a bit and you agree to do that, don't bash him for it later. This is something that is rare much more than it is common.
@@bradleyrussell1973 Two years ago while I was Primary Race Officer for a weekly sailing regatta, we were moving boats in and out from the dock and were chastised by a tournament angler who was upset that we were using a dock that he was fishing. He really read us the riot act and said we needed to wait until he was finished fishing that dock before using it to dock our boats. He could not grasp the concept that boat docks are intended for docking boats. The fact that they often offer good cover for fish is secondary to their intended purpose.
@@bradleyrussell1973 I have had countless times that a tourney fisherman has simply pulled into a spot I was ALREADY fishing and simply fished on top of me. I've NEVER had a tourney fisherman ASK if I minded or not if he fished the area. This has happened MANY MANY times. I will always be willing to allow a tourney guy to fish through if he asks, but when they don't ask and fish right on top of you and look at you like "What?", you tend to develop a strong DISLIKE for them. No manners, no mutual consideration.
Catch, weigh, release or fish for inches is the only tournaments I agree with. There’s no reason to keep bringing fish in for a weigh in! BASS needs to get with the program!
@@lmramos44 They want to allow all of this crazy tech, but they still want to be primitive by having anglers beat fish up in their live well all day, haul them up to be weighed and let them go thinking that delayed mortality isn’t a problem??? Get the F outa here! The tech, by all means, is awesome for us average Joes, undoubtedly laughable and unprofessional to be allowed in the pros! The BPT has proven that catch, weigh, release is the way to go! Bottom line is BASS has turned into a freaking JOKE! Sorry, my rant is just continuing my thoughts from previous! In no way directed towards you! lol
How about the fact that no legal records of fish weight can be held without being weighed on solid ground with witnesses? What if somebody in one of these fishing tournaments catches a record? They just going to spit in the face and not want to have their name in the record books and not want to get the money for having a record fish and not be able to sell the fish to one of those hatcheries that purchases the really big fish specifically to produce more big fish? Gtfooh
@@lmramos44you do realize the majority of fish killed from fishing or killed by recreational fishers not by tournament anglers, right? Especially considering that most people that recreationally fish bring home fish to eat specifically as the purpose of them fishing and they go and try and catch their limit of fish, as often as possible.....
The #1 thing I think the average guy including myself dislikes about tournaments is simply the harm it does to the fish. There is no way shape or form u can convince me that tournaments don’t kill fish. You put multiple fish in a small livewell. Drive around with them in there all day sometimes going 60 plus miles an hour. Then u put them all into a bag just for the sake of checking how much it weighs. After it’s all over the fish basically just get dumped at the ramp even though they could’ve been caught on the other side of the lake. Also as a competitive person I just don’t really see the competition in fishing with electronics that tell u where the fish are. That’s like playing cod with a UAV that never turns off.
@@Blackandyellowfishing I’m not gonna lie. I’ve done many club tournaments through the years. Just at the club level I’ve seen many fish that died, mishandled, and barely alive when released to which you knew they were gonna die! Delayed mortality is way higher than most tournament anglers care to admit. Now with scopeadoping, a majority of the fish population is pressured! Bottom line is, in the so called pro ranks, weigh ins are in no way professional! If Tournament organizations cared about the resource, weigh in’s would and should stop!
I appreciate your willingness to admit to what amounts to a myopic view of bass fishing ... namely that tournament fishing is the dominant activity in the sport when reality, as you just realized is that the vast majority of bass fisherman don5 fish tournaments, hav3 no interest in tournaments and quite frankly believe quite rightly that they are likely the #1 cause for the decline of our fisheries. Eliminating tournament fishing will not have a single negative effect on our fisheries but allowing* them to continue as is will b3 the ultimate end of the sport. End tournament fishing* now!
I am lucky. Retired and don't go near a lake on the weekends. I agree that catch way and release should be the gold standard. DECs in every state should limit the number of tournaments held on any given body of water.
With apps like TourneyX there’s absolutely no reason to displace fish hold in live wells and release if still alive all in one area. All fishing tournaments should be done like the kayak tournaments. This would also eliminate a lot of cheating as well.
I absolutely hate what has happened to the sport of bass fishing. Us weekend anglers don't have a chance any more. The lakes are completely overrun with bass boats hauling ass down the lake all day. The pressure on the lakes is unbelievable. There is too much money in it now for it to ever change. It will only get worse...I can't wait to retire so I don't have to fish on weekends. But now there is a tournament every freaking day...
Totally agree. I finally made my dream trip to Fork back in 2020 and there were so many tournaments going on the parking lots at the boat ramps were overflowing down the road every day before the sun even came up.
Tournament guys on my home river, the Saint Lawrence, not overly friendly. They pull up hard on my fishing and blast away hard, rocking my small boat, looking at me like I'm crap for possibly catching a fish they could use. $$$$$ is what it's all about. 250 horsepower boat's, burning fuel like it was 1950. No respect for other anglers or the planet
I’ve fished tournaments at some level for 50 years. I started club fishing, fished at the pro level for a while, made 2 Classics, turned down an Elite Invitation and now I’m back to fishing club events. I’ve fished for bass in 23 States, fished hundreds of places I wouldn’t have otherwise and made hundreds of friends. The money I’ve won offset some of the expenses and was actually a very small part of what I enjoyed about it. I don’t know why so little is said about the adventure of it all?
32 million fishing licenses sold in this country each year. Polls show that half of all fishermen target bass primarily. That’s 16 million bass fishermen in this country. Tournament fishermen are a tiny, tiny percentage of the people who fish for bass. If there were no more tournaments whatsoever, most people wouldn’t notice, except the lake suddenly got quieter and more enjoyable.
Gave up Bass tournaments a few years back after 30+ years of competing. I really see how the attitudes have changed among so many, especially the younger guys.. I just go fish my favorite places now.
Sorry Randy, but there is no right way to have a tournament. If a tournaments kills 1 fish, that's 1 too many. Tournaments displace fish. Tournaments put extra pressure on lakes. None of this is good. The absolute only thing positive about a tournament is the very little money it brings into a community, that's it. That is the only positive. Every other aspect of tournaments is negative for fisheries!
Like the old Chamber of Commerce guy said years ago: "Bass fishermen come into town with a dirty T-shirt and a $20 bill- and neither one of then gets changed over the weekend" LOL!
@jordangourley3955 I've got no use for them either. Saw where both KBF and Hobbie will no longer have tournaments in 2025, that only leaves BASS. It sounds like the Kayak world is not in a good spot!
Wrong on your information, all bass taken home die, deep hooked fish from the bank are released and die, actual statistics shown only 3 percent of tournament fish die across the US all year, documented fact,so you promote false narrative
When I’ve disagreed with you, I’ve expressed it. This time, I wholeheartedly agree with you about fishing during the spawn. Like you eloquently said, it is like deer hunting during the fawning season, maybe worse, because the predators are circling the bed waiting for the opportunity to devour the roe - the future bass population. Pulling spawning bass off the bed, even brieflly, causes horrific damage. Shame on the tournament industry that is essentially teaching recreational anglers, via their selfish example, that there are no negative consequences for fishing during the spawn. Get on a soap box about this incredibly destructive practice and I’m 100% in your corner.
Thank You Randy!! After having a very successful 20-year local regional bass tournament fishing career I decided to quit fishing tournaments 2 years ago and couldn't be more happy. I now fun fish teaching my grandchildren to fish for brim and crappie and have never had more fun and satisfaction. The reason I quit tournament bass fishing is exactly because of the reasons you talk about in this video. I still fun fish for bass also because I'm very good at catching bass and do enjoy the challenge of figuring out the bass, but I don't fish the local tournament tours anymore. 😊😊
I used to fish a monthly tournament on a slot limit lake. We used to convert inches to weight. No harm done to the lake. Once a month. Ten boats at the most.
I agree with everything you said I stopped watching the bass tournaments because of those reasons. If I turn on a RUclips fishing video and they have the boat full of screens and plucking these fish from the water that's no bass fisherman to me I immediately turn them off. I miss the 80s and early 90s when there were true bass fisherman that knew the habits and traits of these fish and didn't need crap like that to catch fish. I enjoy your videos don't give up the fight.
The amount of tournaments on the chesapeake bay is absolutely insane. Anchor marina (main one on the bay) has 3-5 tournaments each day of the weekend. The pressure is insane!!!!
To me....Tournaments are in conflict with the spirit of recreational fishing. Fishing should be for people to enjoy and relax. If you want to compete.....go play a real sport! Fishing is not a sport.....it's a recreational hobby! I don't even like guides....it's commercial Fishing! Fishing should fill you with peace!
I live on Mosquito lake. A roughly 5500 acre lake in NE Ohio. Tournaments start the beginning of April and there is at least 1 bass tournament there a week. As weather inproves. There could be 4 bass Tournaments a week. Ive been there to launch and have had a bass, walleye and crappie tournament there on same day. So much innovation and my own experiences came from tournament angling. Im not against it. But, since i got out of Tournaments, i usually tow 30 more minutes down the road to a lake to Shenango in W. PA. They dont even allow Tournaments till after the spawn. MLF has fished both of those lakes.
You are spot on Randy. I have no desire to fish a tournament and am concerned about all the issues you brought up. I've read articles about tournament fish mortality and I can only hope they are wrong.
I"m glad you have taken notice. There are a lot of us out here. I have no use for Tournaments on any level. The big tournaments don't directly affect most people speaking for myself I gave up on caring about watching that garbage on TV years ago. The local tournaments however DO affect most of us, and personally I find them to be a menace on many levels. But the thing that I find the most irritating is the "WE OWN THE LAKE " nonsense I run into way to often. Honestly I fail to see how tournaments add anything of value to the sport in general.
My local lakes are so covered up with tournaments, it’s crazy. I find myself checking facebook pages to see where there are the fewest tournaments being held when picking where to fish on a saturday.
My own experience has been that if I'm already fishing an area and a tourney guy pulls up, I have NEVER been asked if it'd be ok if they fished the area. If they did ask, I would give em the area simply because I know they're trying to win. But many many times I've already been in a spot and I get 2 or 3 different boats come up and fish on top and right next to me. I used to believe and actually still do believe it's because my boat is not a 'bass boat', it's a multi-species aluminum v hull but set up specifically for bass, with power pole and 80lb trolling motor up front. Since my boat is not considered nor look like the typical bass boat, they figure I'm not in the tourney so I don't matter. That's been my experience. I love bass fishing, I hate tourney fishermen. They're arrogant and look down at anyone that doesn't have a bass boat. The ratio of nice tourney guys to @$$holes I've encountered is about 1 nice guy in every 15.
State Fish & Wildlife agencies need to step in and put an end to the madness. I wish all tournaments were banned completely or at the very least be illegal during the spawn. FFS should also be illegal and subject to heavy fines. Try going on a nice fishing vacation as a recreational angler during a tournament. Ask me how I know. What a horrible experience.
Great talk Randy! Also the summer deep tournaments are killing lakes and rivers. I’m a CPR guy all my life and fisheries are getting killed with the catch and drag tournaments. And the SM tournaments in August on SLR are a death sentence for those beautiful SM’s. Tournament guys are not in tune with the reality of the situation. I will never support B.A.S.S or any organization that doesn’t address the importance of sustainability and conservation of these publicly owned resources. Also why do these corporations get to exploit public water for profit? It’s a total shame for the general fishing public.
On my home lake, some of the old guys that have won tournaments tell me they can't compete anymore because the fish aren't there. These are guys that have been fishing for 50 years. Now, they have tournaments every weekend.
I'm not 100% anti-tournament . . . I just feel it needs to be regulated WAAAAAAY BACK . . . . like eliminate 75% of them minimum. It's entirely way too saturated. What cracks me up is the smaller local team and regional pro events . . . the small ones with less than 100 boats . . $200-ish entry fee's. Many of them you can't tell the difference from their rigs and 'legit' touring pros. $100K 21 footers, wrapped, power poles, FFS, jerseys on . . . the whole run ! It's comedy actually . . . . but these guys are often THE WORST on the water . . . zero clue, then back to their 9:00-5:00 on monday morning. I'm soooooo thankful that I just dabbled a little in tournament fishing . . . I get to enjoy 'The Sport' without all the BS.
The only reason I hate tournaments is live weigh ins. 99 percent of non tournament guys throw the fish back soon as they unhook em. Stop dragging our fish all over the damn place for a weigh in
I agree with no tournaments during the spawn and even early in post spawn I'm in Pa so basically may through late June Those post spawn bass are tired My brother and I did everything we could at a tournament in June on opening day to keep six fish alive Unfortunately one did die but we cycled fresh water, recirculated water with fish dope, ice bags and luckily we both had fin clips or I think more would have died I truly hate when they die and have only lost four fish in 14 years but I also love/loved tournament fishing, till recently Everyone is using a cheater box now so It's almost impossible to compete at any level without it It's also worth mentioning, it helps fish survival if the weigh in is organized
i do not agree with catching bass during the spawn and then taking them away from their beds either but If everyone would go to catch weigh, and release then there would be no problem. That's the reason i follow MLF over the other leagues.
I remember a lady in s.carolina ,i pulled up on her docck as she was enjoying her morning coffee ,i made one flip out came her pet 6 lbs. Bedding bass, thought she was going to have a heart attack, ive never forgot that
I'm not anti-livescope but I couldn't agree more about it killing pro tournaments. You used to see them cut from one guy fishing a frog in pads, to someone else flipping laydowns, to somebody fishing docks with a buzzbait. Now, it's just cutting between 10 different guys in open water bouncing a jighead minnow. To me that's a snooze fest
Tournaments have devastated Lake Neely Henry on the Coosa. I live in Gadsden AL and these a-holes in the city council are trying to stop a slot-limit that has been proposed. Neely Henry has been beaten up so bad in the past 20 years by tournaments and the state has proposed a slot-limit to help our great Coosa's bass population rebuild but the city makes to much money to actually care about the fish. That is a sad deal
Professional fishing has kinda ran it's course. It was a novelty to see these guys hit our lakes decades ago and show the average fisherman the potential of our lakes. Now, with all the knowledge and information that's available at our fingertips, the average fisherman is much more educated than they were decades ago. Alot of local tournaments will have higher weights than when the pros come to town. And now anyone can put their livescope in the water and within minutes you know what the fish are doing, and that used to be the whole point of fishing, figuring out the lake and the fish. The future of professional fishing looks bleak. And then throw in 6 figure boats, tournament fishing is basically an elitist sport.
States should make more effort to control crowding of lakes by limiting the amount of boats competing on a given lake on a given day. Some states require tournaments over a given number of boats to be registered, but a dozen clubs along with a national-level event is devastating.
A "Sport" is based on the principles of sport...Tournaments are not sports. A true sportsman knows and respects the rules of sportsmanship on his/her own, no referee needed.
I agree, there is to many tournaments going on at the same time, it’s bad when young kids are winning a pro tournament at 18 years old using livescope, but if they are not using it, then they deserve to win
Tournaments stopped being a benefit to fishing back, say, the 80's. Nowhere in this country is there anyone hunting deer when they are fawning. I will not watch someone play a video game. I left BASS a long time ago.They are not the smartest. It is all about money. Tournaments in to be greatly reduced. Everywhere you go there is 100 different trails.
Might I add that with forward facing sonar, it puts the non-angular and a distinct disadvantage. Now there is no reason to even enter a tournament as a non-angler.
Tournaments where they have weigh-ins kills fish and takes fish sometimes miles from where they were caught (or sitting on beds.). I've seen tournaments where they just dump the sacks of fish back into the lake at the ramp. Which is/could be followed hours later by anglers fishing near the ramp, catching nice fish and taking them home. Ban weigh-ins. Weigh fish in the boat or measure lengths then release the fish.
I have tournament fished for almost 50 years, and have always looked forward to the next tournament. This year I am trying to decide weather or not I am going to fish any tournaments at all. I have a bass club and I am considering not even fishing my club tournaments. I always looked forward to fishing Cops for Kids on Table Rock and the BassCat tournament. I am not going to enter either of those this year. I think all I am going to do is take my kids fishing. My decision is a combination of different things and some of the reasons you mentioned in this video. Any way thanks for doing this video, and I agree something needs to be done in the tournament organizations. I see BassMaster and MLF merging at some point for a couple reasons. What is your opinion on the two merging?
My home lake is Watts Bar in east TN. Multple tourneys were held there every day,during prime months.I watched the catch rate and the size decline by half. Beds robbed of big fish, floating carcases the day after hot weather tourneys. Now ffs is going to hit the crappie and cats.These are facts. Throw in the Kentucky pay lakes pirating big cats from here and Alabama (some have been prosecuted).///bill
I like both. But make no mistake, fishing and tournament fishing are two entirely different things. I will say, even when I'm fun fishing, it's always a tournament in my mind. Still fishing for 5 big bites.
There was a time you had no way of seeing below the water surface, maybe a good pair of sunglasses helped if the water was clear, but that was a long time ago, advance to today an all that has changed, we have come a long way an with that adjustments have to be made an each person must adapt in there way, some hate-some love the change, my den wall hangs full of TM trophys, from the 80's, I will not take sides, I just reach in my tackle bag for another bobber an enjoy not watching a screen all day, but dang happy when that bobber goes under. Randy, I enjoy your videos, even sometimes we don't see eye to eye.
I think bass fishermen need to get together and pick one or two bays or coves and post signs humbly requesting that no bass fishing take place during the spawning period. It might possibly work.
I don’t hate tournaments but I hate the entitlement it seems to foster. It’s not limited to just tournament fishermen. I fish in the DFW area. I don’t check schedules ( except for BASS Classic on Ray Robert’s), I just pick a lake and go. Can’t tell you how often I’m on a spot and have a boat pull up and they inform me that I’m on their spot. Some have even stopped over the spot I’m casting/catching
I enjoy tournament fishing and will continue as long as they exist. BUT, the DNR's of every state SHOULD protect the spawn. Currently, most states do not protect the spawn and that is a huge mistake. Also, a lot of boaters have a REAL problem with ego. Some really seem to believe that their shit doesn't stink. Another huge problem is a lot of boaters do not keep their live well systems clean and functioning correctly. I have seen massive fish kills at BFL tournaments.
The issue I have with tournaments is it takes fish out of the area they were spawning and the local guys who support the local stores and community get the raw end deal plus most time the only want to come caddo or lake fork is in spring and pull fish out beds etc and some trash up stuff etc plus the local guys got fight fish that have been hooked ten times
I’ve contacted the Sam Rayburn corp of engineers and Texas parks and wildlife to complain about the obscene number of tournaments on Sam Rayburn but my efforts fall on deaf ears. I’ve also complained about the use of FFS but they could give a rats ass.
So hunting season is mainly during the rut right? That’s when does and bucks are active and mating. That’s the same as bass bedding right? Not the exact same but still a very vulnerable time for deer.
The young generation is all about me, me, me and instant gratification! They will not give up FFS because they can't fish without it. When I recreational bass fished, I had tournament guys pull up in a cove where I was fishing and expected me to leave, wasn't a nice conversation! I now saltwater fish 95% of the time, business owner and I pick my weekdays, stay off of the water on the weekends. But last Fall I towed my boat inland to a mountain lake for a few days of striper fishing. Got there on Friday to find out there was a bass tournament that weekend, what a sh** show! Seemed like everywhere I went to fish, wasn't there long before a bass boat was fishing all around me. The best was using the trolling motor to slow troll live bait in a cove and here would come the a**hole running 70 right near my boat then come off plane. Fishing wasn't even enjoyable until Monday morning when they were gone. I told my friend on Sunday we should just forget about fishing and me run my bay boat around the lake, every bass boat we saw that came up on me Saturday, go mess up their fishing, just because. I didn't do it, I just don't try to be a di**head like some of the tournament guys!
Tournament fishing has 💯% has ruined Bass fishing but at the same time it’s helped it. Without these tournaments I don’t believe Bass fishing would be as popular as it is today. Which could be a good or bad thing, that said I think Bass fishing has gone toxic. Money, power, and fame ruins all things good in any genre. The way bass tournaments drag these bass for weigh ins on stage just for show is completely wrong. There’s study’s out there proving that a lot those bass don’t make it after they are released. Don’t get me started on keeping a Bass in a so called live well for half a day. I like the Kayak tournament approach much better! Tournaments during the spawn 😖 those people should be ashamed of themselves. I enjoy fishing on lakes during a tournament and fishing spots that a tournament angler want to fish 😂 they literally think they have the right of way and everyone else is to abandon their post. Randy you nailed it with this one 💯
Randy: I totally agree with you concerning FFS, you have constantly stated that the tournament organizations will not stop the use of FFS due to the money coming from the sponsorship of the electronic companies, I for one stopped watching BM/MLF for exactly the same reasons you continue to speak about. I am a life member to BM and i don't even read the magazine anymore cause i have lost so much respect for the organization and the attitudes to continue to allow the use of FFS. You speak of how many comments you receive that agree with your need to remove it from tournament fishing. With that being said, the tournament organizations see nothing but money and could care less about the growth of a young angler & the bass fishing resources. So in my opinion it would seem that the only way to try and gain any ground to the protest is to fight fire with fire, meaning they only see dollar signs< right! I don't know how much good it would do but if every member that agrees with you & i would write a letter to BM / MLF & any other tournament organization and request them to refund the membership & why they are requesting it back due to the use of FFS it may just get enough traction to help prevent the use of it. Just a thought
I fly fish in 2 regions of the US where I split my time: SW Montana and north central Illinois. In Illinois the fishing is seasonal for Muskie, Pike, Bass/Carp and I am as involved as a semi retired guy can be. I do fish almost every day. Over the past few years I have considered trying to organize groups here in IL where there isn’t much organization, but it seems like once organization and competitions come the hobby gets ruined. Money ruins everything. I wish we were more focused as a people on river conservation rather than making money.
I agree from a spectator point of view, it does get old just watching people stare at their ffs all day. I do think that MLF does the weighing right. Catch, weigh and release where you caught it. I understand having that many judges is a logistical nightmare, but so much better for the fish.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
There needs to be a limit on tournaments for each lake , No spawn fishing
100% agree
STOP THE LIVE WEIGH INS
STOP DRAGGING OUR FISH ALL OVER THE LAKE!!
Total agreement.. Should adopt how kayak tournaments do it.. take a picture of the length, download the pic, most inches win.. bass are released right where they were caught
@ amen!
Absolutely agree! No tournaments during the spawn!
This is already law in Pa. We have tournies at pymatuning during the spawn only because the lake is half in Ohio.
Watching fishing tournament at the current time is like watching grass grow.
I love to tournament fish. Don’t like watching it.
Years ago I was striper fishing up river on lake Lanier in Feb. Wind was up so I pulled in a cove to take a break and pulled out a flipping stick with a jig and was killing time warming up.
A big bass boat with a camera boat behind him came around the corner full throttle, bought that time I got a bite and caught a 7 pounder.
Pro, I won’t mentioned his name proceeded to cuss me out saying “your taking food out of my family’s mouths”. “I make a living doing this.
From that point on, I was done with Bassmaster.
@DaveRollins-z1f There are those kinds of people on every circuit.
I've been cussed by one of the biggest names in B.A.S.S. while ledge fishing on KY Lake. We were there camping, and I went out to one of my favorite shellbeds. Keep in mind that this is a well-known community hole on the lake. It's just one of those places that produced all you can catch 2.5 pounders day in, day out back in the lakes prime. He pulled up while I was fishing and began casting. A little communication is all I asked for, and this man came unhinged.
On the flip side, I've met Rick Clunn out on the ledges one day. He was very cordial. He asked if I cared if he fished the area, provided some tips on why he was catching them over me, we had a good conversation for the time he was there, and offered some other spots that he had found that wasn't holding the fish he thought he needed to win.
As with everything, there are definitely some bad apples in the bunch. It is very unfortunate that bad apples are becoming more and more prominent in every society, not just the fishing industry.
Amen. You likely saved a fish from a pompous idiot. Striper fishing is a joy of its own as well. Good post.
There has always been resentment among the general fishing public against tournament fishing. This isn't anything new and non-tournament fishermen outnumber the tournament guys by probably 1000 to 1. Tournaments are hard on the fishery (so are the meat fishermen, of course) and the attitude of so many tournament fishermen as to the idea that because they're fishing in a tournament they should have first dibs on spots, ramps, etc.
I personally don't know ANY professional or national-level anglers with that mentality. That is usually a mentality that is projected upon tournament anglers by non-competitive anglers. If you get to a spot early, fish. If another angler ASKS if you mind if he has the hole for a bit and you agree to do that, don't bash him for it later. This is something that is rare much more than it is common.
@@bradleyrussell1973 Two years ago while I was Primary Race Officer for a weekly sailing regatta, we were moving boats in and out from the dock and were chastised by a tournament angler who was upset that we were using a dock that he was fishing. He really read us the riot act and said we needed to wait until he was finished fishing that dock before using it to dock our boats. He could not grasp the concept that boat docks are intended for docking boats. The fact that they often offer good cover for fish is secondary to their intended purpose.
@@bradleyrussell1973 I have had countless times that a tourney fisherman has simply pulled into a spot I was ALREADY fishing and simply fished on top of me. I've NEVER had a tourney fisherman ASK if I minded or not if he fished the area. This has happened MANY MANY times. I will always be willing to allow a tourney guy to fish through if he asks, but when they don't ask and fish right on top of you and look at you like "What?", you tend to develop a strong DISLIKE for them. No manners, no mutual consideration.
Catch, weigh, release or fish for inches is the only tournaments I agree with. There’s no reason to keep bringing fish in for a weigh in! BASS needs to get with the program!
I agree! Constantly redistributing bass throughout a lake cannot be healthy to their populations and natural patterns and lifecycle.
You are exactly correct. It’s seems so easy, sick of tournament bullshit. They kill so many fish , when it’s not necessary.
@@lmramos44 They want to allow all of this crazy tech, but they still want to be primitive by having anglers beat fish up in their live well all day, haul them up to be weighed and let them go thinking that delayed mortality isn’t a problem??? Get the F outa here! The tech, by all means, is awesome for us average Joes, undoubtedly laughable and unprofessional to be allowed in the pros! The BPT has proven that catch, weigh, release is the way to go! Bottom line is BASS has turned into a freaking JOKE! Sorry, my rant is just continuing my thoughts from previous! In no way directed towards you! lol
How about the fact that no legal records of fish weight can be held without being weighed on solid ground with witnesses? What if somebody in one of these fishing tournaments catches a record? They just going to spit in the face and not want to have their name in the record books and not want to get the money for having a record fish and not be able to sell the fish to one of those hatcheries that purchases the really big fish specifically to produce more big fish? Gtfooh
@@lmramos44you do realize the majority of fish killed from fishing or killed by recreational fishers not by tournament anglers, right? Especially considering that most people that recreationally fish bring home fish to eat specifically as the purpose of them fishing and they go and try and catch their limit of fish, as often as possible.....
The #1 thing I think the average guy including myself dislikes about tournaments is simply the harm it does to the fish. There is no way shape or form u can convince me that tournaments don’t kill fish. You put multiple fish in a small livewell. Drive around with them in there all day sometimes going 60 plus miles an hour. Then u put them all into a bag just for the sake of checking how much it weighs. After it’s all over the fish basically just get dumped at the ramp even though they could’ve been caught on the other side of the lake. Also as a competitive person I just don’t really see the competition in fishing with electronics that tell u where the fish are. That’s like playing cod with a UAV that never turns off.
@@Blackandyellowfishing I’m not gonna lie. I’ve done many club tournaments through the years. Just at the club level I’ve seen many fish that died, mishandled, and barely alive when released to which you knew they were gonna die! Delayed mortality is way higher than most tournament anglers care to admit. Now with scopeadoping, a majority of the fish population is pressured! Bottom line is, in the so called pro ranks, weigh ins are in no way professional! If Tournament organizations cared about the resource, weigh in’s would and should stop!
I appreciate your willingness to admit to what amounts to a myopic view of bass fishing ... namely that tournament fishing is the dominant activity in the sport when reality, as you just realized is that the vast majority of bass fisherman don5 fish tournaments, hav3 no interest in tournaments and quite frankly believe quite rightly that they are likely the #1 cause for the decline of our fisheries. Eliminating tournament fishing will not have a single negative effect on our fisheries but allowing* them to continue as is will b3 the ultimate end of the sport. End tournament fishing* now!
true
Two month cutoff around the spawn. No transporting fish in live wells.
I am lucky. Retired and don't go near a lake on the weekends. I agree that catch way and release should be the gold standard. DECs in every state should limit the number of tournaments held on any given body of water.
With apps like TourneyX there’s absolutely no reason to displace fish hold in live wells and release if still alive all in one area. All fishing tournaments should be done like the kayak tournaments. This would also eliminate a lot of cheating as well.
Well said
Already done with Bassmaster. When my membership expires I won't renew.
I agree with you Randy! Having said that--those glasses are NOT your color🤣🤣🤣
If more people felt the same way about everything you touched on Randy, perhaps the sport could be saved
All tournaments should be banned.
Maybe we should ban any and all fishing while we’re at it. No more fishing in America.
I absolutely hate what has happened to the sport of bass fishing. Us weekend anglers don't have a chance any more. The lakes are completely overrun with bass boats hauling ass down the lake all day. The pressure on the lakes is unbelievable. There is too much money in it now for it to ever change. It will only get worse...I can't wait to retire so I don't have to fish on weekends. But now there is a tournament every freaking day...
I’d still be fishing as a co-angler if it didn’t suck so much. Love fishing, don’t feel like competing anymore. Thanks Randy !
Totally agree. I finally made my dream trip to Fork back in 2020 and there were so many tournaments going on the parking lots at the boat ramps were overflowing down the road every day before the sun even came up.
Yes and Fork was nice and quiet year's ago.Shame what has happened to the lake
Tournament guys on my home river, the Saint Lawrence, not overly friendly. They pull up hard on my fishing and blast away hard, rocking my small boat, looking at me like I'm crap for possibly catching a fish they could use. $$$$$ is what it's all about. 250 horsepower boat's, burning fuel like it was 1950. No respect for other anglers or the planet
Joys of living in MN 10K lakes. Rarely see another boat.
Tournaments have ruined fishing.
Done with BASS and FFS I agree 💯
I’ve fished tournaments at some level for 50 years. I started club fishing, fished at the pro level for a while, made 2 Classics, turned down an Elite Invitation and now I’m back to fishing club events. I’ve fished for bass in 23 States, fished hundreds of places I wouldn’t have otherwise and made hundreds of friends. The money I’ve won offset some of the expenses and was actually a very small part of what I enjoyed about it. I don’t know why so little is said about the adventure of it all?
How many fish did you kill?
@ I could take my limit home every day and I can assure you I can catch them.
32 million fishing licenses sold in this country each year. Polls show that half of all fishermen target bass primarily. That’s 16 million bass fishermen in this country. Tournament fishermen are a tiny, tiny percentage of the people who fish for bass. If there were no more tournaments whatsoever, most people wouldn’t notice, except the lake suddenly got quieter and more enjoyable.
Gave up Bass tournaments a few years back after 30+ years of competing. I really see how the attitudes have changed among so many, especially the younger guys.. I just go fish my favorite places now.
I agree I did same thing to many guy's thinking their God's gift to Bass Fishing.
Assholes are everywhere. If you enjoy the competition, just need to find the right club/circuit.
I’m for getting rid of all tournaments
It might be time to just ban fishing in America. Make it a felony to fish. 💁♂️
Sorry Randy, but there is no right way to have a tournament. If a tournaments kills 1 fish, that's 1 too many. Tournaments displace fish. Tournaments put extra pressure on lakes. None of this is good. The absolute only thing positive about a tournament is the very little money it brings into a community, that's it. That is the only positive. Every other aspect of tournaments is negative for fisheries!
Agreed
Like the old Chamber of Commerce guy said years ago: "Bass fishermen come into town with a dirty T-shirt and a $20 bill- and neither one of then gets changed over the weekend" LOL!
Kayak tournaments with catch, measure, photograph release formats are ok. Still brings pressure but pressure is a fact of life these days.
@jordangourley3955 I've got no use for them either. Saw where both KBF and Hobbie will no longer have tournaments in 2025, that only leaves BASS. It sounds like the Kayak world is not in a good spot!
Wrong on your information, all bass taken home die, deep hooked fish from the bank are released and die, actual statistics shown only 3 percent of tournament fish die across the US all year, documented fact,so you promote false narrative
When I’ve disagreed with you, I’ve expressed it. This time, I wholeheartedly agree with you about fishing during the spawn. Like you eloquently said, it is like deer hunting during the fawning season, maybe worse, because the predators are circling the bed waiting for the opportunity to devour the roe - the future bass population. Pulling spawning bass off the bed, even brieflly, causes horrific damage. Shame on the tournament industry that is essentially teaching recreational anglers, via their selfish example, that there are no negative consequences for fishing during the spawn. Get on a soap box about this incredibly destructive practice and I’m 100% in your corner.
Thank You Randy!!
After having a very successful 20-year local regional bass tournament fishing career I decided to quit fishing tournaments 2 years ago and couldn't be more happy.
I now fun fish teaching my grandchildren to fish for brim and crappie and have never had more fun and satisfaction.
The reason I quit tournament bass fishing is exactly because of the reasons you talk about in this video.
I still fun fish for bass also because I'm very good at catching bass and do enjoy the challenge of figuring out the bass, but I don't fish the local tournament tours anymore. 😊😊
I’m glad you are having fun with your grandkids. That’s great.
I used to fish a monthly tournament on a slot limit lake. We used to convert inches to weight. No harm done to the lake. Once a month. Ten boats at the most.
I agree with everything you said I stopped watching the bass tournaments because of those reasons. If I turn on a RUclips fishing video and they have the boat full of screens and plucking these fish from the water that's no bass fisherman to me I immediately turn them off. I miss the 80s and early 90s when there were true bass fisherman that knew the habits and traits of these fish and didn't need crap like that to catch fish. I enjoy your videos don't give up the fight.
The amount of tournaments on the chesapeake bay is absolutely insane. Anchor marina (main one on the bay) has 3-5 tournaments each day of the weekend. The pressure is insane!!!!
To me....Tournaments are in conflict with the spirit of recreational fishing. Fishing should be for people to enjoy and relax. If you want to compete.....go play a real sport! Fishing is not a sport.....it's a recreational hobby!
I don't even like guides....it's commercial Fishing! Fishing should fill you with peace!
I live on Mosquito lake. A roughly 5500 acre lake in NE Ohio. Tournaments start the beginning of April and there is at least 1 bass tournament there a week. As weather inproves. There could be 4 bass Tournaments a week. Ive been there to launch and have had a bass, walleye and crappie tournament there on same day. So much innovation and my own experiences came from tournament angling. Im not against it. But, since i got out of Tournaments, i usually tow 30 more minutes down the road to a lake to Shenango in W. PA. They dont even allow Tournaments till after the spawn. MLF has fished both of those lakes.
You are spot on Randy. I have no desire to fish a tournament and am concerned about all the issues you brought up. I've read articles about tournament fish mortality and I can only hope they are wrong.
I am 68 years old and love bass fishing and tournaments but you are correct in every way about what is happening now it's all about the money
I"m glad you have taken notice. There are a lot of us out here. I have no use for Tournaments on any level. The big tournaments don't directly affect most people speaking for myself I gave up on caring about watching that garbage on TV years ago. The local tournaments however DO affect most of us, and personally I find them to be a menace on many levels. But the thing that I find the most irritating is the "WE OWN THE LAKE " nonsense I run into way to often. Honestly I fail to see how tournaments add anything of value to the sport in general.
Awesome content and very truthful
I agree 100% Randy.
My local lakes are so covered up with tournaments, it’s crazy. I find myself checking facebook pages to see where there are the fewest tournaments being held when picking where to fish on a saturday.
My own experience has been that if I'm already fishing an area and a tourney guy pulls up, I have NEVER been asked if it'd be ok if they fished the area. If they did ask, I would give em the area simply because I know they're trying to win. But many many times I've already been in a spot and I get 2 or 3 different boats come up and fish on top and right next to me. I used to believe and actually still do believe it's because my boat is not a 'bass boat', it's a multi-species aluminum v hull but set up specifically for bass, with power pole and 80lb trolling motor up front. Since my boat is not considered nor look like the typical bass boat, they figure I'm not in the tourney so I don't matter. That's been my experience. I love bass fishing, I hate tourney fishermen. They're arrogant and look down at anyone that doesn't have a bass boat. The ratio of nice tourney guys to @$$holes I've encountered is about 1 nice guy in every 15.
Agreed on all points
State Fish & Wildlife agencies need to step in and put an end to the madness. I wish all tournaments were banned completely or at the very least be illegal during the spawn. FFS should also be illegal and subject to heavy fines. Try going on a nice fishing vacation as a recreational angler during a tournament. Ask me how I know. What a horrible experience.
Fishing is how I decompress and clear my head. I can't fathom voluntarily putting yourself under pressure to catch fish.
Randy I Agree with you 100%!
Great talk Randy! Also the summer deep tournaments are killing lakes and rivers. I’m a CPR guy all my life and fisheries are getting killed with the catch and drag tournaments. And the SM tournaments in August on SLR are a death sentence for those beautiful SM’s. Tournament guys are not in tune with the reality of the situation. I will never support B.A.S.S or any organization that doesn’t address the importance of sustainability and conservation of these publicly owned resources. Also why do these corporations get to exploit public water for profit? It’s a total shame for the general fishing public.
I live and fish the TVA chain . There is a tournament every week, it seems , put a limit on this ,
On my home lake, some of the old guys that have won tournaments tell me they can't compete anymore because the fish aren't there. These are guys that have been fishing for 50 years. Now, they have tournaments every weekend.
Smallmouth spawn 2 and sometimes 3 times. And into August. So no tournaments in smallmouth country. Stay down south.
Every weekend there is a tournament on every lake in my area. Can’t find a good place to fish. Hate Tournaments.
I fished bass tournaments for 25 years off and on have more fun just fishing for fun
I'm not 100% anti-tournament . . . I just feel it needs to be regulated WAAAAAAY BACK . . . . like eliminate 75% of them minimum.
It's entirely way too saturated.
What cracks me up is the smaller local team and regional pro events . . . the small ones with less than 100 boats . . $200-ish entry fee's.
Many of them you can't tell the difference from their rigs and 'legit' touring pros. $100K 21 footers, wrapped, power poles, FFS, jerseys on . . . the whole run !
It's comedy actually . . . . but these guys are often THE WORST on the water . . . zero clue, then back to their 9:00-5:00 on monday morning.
I'm soooooo thankful that I just dabbled a little in tournament fishing . . . I get to enjoy 'The Sport' without all the BS.
PRO BASS FISHERMAN CAN SUCK IT
Amen, Brother !!!!!
Two thumbs up Randy!!
Randy you should put out a poll on this subject
I agree with every point you made. 👍
If you think people hate Bass tournament fishing, you should look into what crappie fishermen think about crappie tournaments. lol
The only reason I hate tournaments is live weigh ins. 99 percent of non tournament guys throw the fish back soon as they unhook em. Stop dragging our fish all over the damn place for a weigh in
I agree with no tournaments during the spawn and even early in post spawn
I'm in Pa so basically may through late June
Those post spawn bass are tired
My brother and I did everything we could at a tournament in June on opening day to keep six fish alive
Unfortunately one did die but we cycled fresh water, recirculated water with fish dope, ice bags and luckily we both had fin clips or I think more would have died
I truly hate when they die and have only lost four fish in 14 years but I also love/loved tournament fishing, till recently
Everyone is using a cheater box now so It's almost impossible to compete at any level without it
It's also worth mentioning, it helps fish survival if the weigh in is organized
i do not agree with catching bass during the spawn and then taking them away from their beds either but If everyone would go to catch weigh, and release then there would be no problem. That's the reason i follow MLF over the other leagues.
I remember a lady in s.carolina ,i pulled up on her docck as she was enjoying her morning coffee ,i made one flip out came her pet 6 lbs. Bedding bass, thought she was going to have a heart attack, ive never forgot that
I'm not anti-livescope but I couldn't agree more about it killing pro tournaments. You used to see them cut from one guy fishing a frog in pads, to someone else flipping laydowns, to somebody fishing docks with a buzzbait. Now, it's just cutting between 10 different guys in open water bouncing a jighead minnow. To me that's a snooze fest
Amen Randy. Totally agree.
Tournaments have devastated Lake Neely Henry on the Coosa. I live in Gadsden AL and these a-holes in the city council are trying to stop a slot-limit that has been proposed. Neely Henry has been beaten up so bad in the past 20 years by tournaments and the state has proposed a slot-limit to help our great Coosa's bass population rebuild but the city makes to much money to actually care about the fish. That is a sad deal
Professional fishing has kinda ran it's course. It was a novelty to see these guys hit our lakes decades ago and show the average fisherman the potential of our lakes. Now, with all the knowledge and information that's available at our fingertips, the average fisherman is much more educated than they were decades ago. Alot of local tournaments will have higher weights than when the pros come to town. And now anyone can put their livescope in the water and within minutes you know what the fish are doing, and that used to be the whole point of fishing, figuring out the lake and the fish. The future of professional fishing looks bleak. And then throw in 6 figure boats, tournament fishing is basically an elitist sport.
Those sunglasses undermine our sport.Those frigging things are hideous.
They have a corporate mindset, money now and money first! Very sad!
States should make more effort to control crowding of lakes by limiting the amount of boats competing on a given lake on a given day. Some states require tournaments over a given number of boats to be registered, but a dozen clubs along with a national-level event is devastating.
A "Sport" is based on the principles of sport...Tournaments are not sports.
A true sportsman knows and respects the rules of sportsmanship on his/her own, no referee needed.
I agree, there is to many tournaments going on at the same time, it’s bad when young kids are winning a pro tournament at 18 years old using livescope, but if they are not using it, then they deserve to win
In California is out of control when it comes to bass tournaments
Tournaments stopped being a benefit to fishing back, say, the 80's. Nowhere in this country is there anyone hunting deer when they are fawning. I will not watch someone play a video game. I left BASS a long time ago.They are not the smartest. It is all about money. Tournaments in to be greatly reduced. Everywhere you go there is 100 different trails.
Might I add that with forward facing sonar, it puts the non-angular and a distinct disadvantage. Now there is no reason to even enter a tournament as a non-angler.
Tournaments where they have weigh-ins kills fish and takes fish sometimes miles from where they were caught (or sitting on beds.). I've seen tournaments where they just dump the sacks of fish back into the lake at the ramp. Which is/could be followed hours later by anglers fishing near the ramp, catching nice fish and taking them home. Ban weigh-ins. Weigh fish in the boat or measure lengths then release the fish.
for almost 40 years I have HATED spawn fishing.
I have tournament fished for almost 50 years, and have always looked forward to the next tournament. This year I am trying to decide weather or not I am going to fish any tournaments at all. I have a bass club and I am considering not even fishing my club tournaments. I always looked forward to fishing Cops for Kids on Table Rock and the BassCat tournament. I am not going to enter either of those this year. I think all I am going to do is take my kids fishing. My decision is a combination of different things and some of the reasons you mentioned in this video. Any way thanks for doing this video, and I agree something needs to be done in the tournament organizations. I see BassMaster and MLF merging at some point for a couple reasons. What is your opinion on the two merging?
Boat Tournaments should be like kayak tournaments - CPR (catch, photo, release) - no more sloshing bass in live wells all day!
My home lake is Watts Bar in east TN. Multple tourneys were held there every day,during prime months.I watched the catch rate and the size decline by half. Beds robbed of big fish, floating carcases the day after hot weather tourneys. Now ffs is going to hit the crappie and cats.These are facts. Throw in the Kentucky pay lakes pirating big cats from here and Alabama (some have been prosecuted).///bill
All this is true !! Worse part for me is at the ramps, they think they own the ramp
And the lake,
I like both. But make no mistake, fishing and tournament fishing are two entirely different things. I will say, even when I'm fun fishing, it's always a tournament in my mind. Still fishing for 5 big bites.
I agree 100 per cent❤❤❤
Randy , was just wondering if you think fishing tournaments during the spawn is bad , do you fish tournaments during the spawn?
My tackle store sales are in decline because of FFS. We only sell about 3 baits now. I see a huge bubble about to pop.
There was a time you had no way of seeing below the water surface, maybe a good pair of sunglasses helped if the water was clear, but that was a long time ago, advance to today an all that has changed, we have come a long way an with that adjustments have to be made an each person must adapt in there way, some hate-some love the change, my den wall hangs full of TM trophys, from the 80's, I will not take sides, I just reach in my tackle bag for another bobber an enjoy not watching a screen all day, but dang happy when that bobber goes under. Randy, I enjoy your videos, even sometimes we don't see eye to eye.
I think bass fishermen need to get together and pick one or two bays or coves and post signs humbly requesting that no bass fishing take place during the spawning period. It might possibly work.
I don’t hate tournaments but I hate the entitlement it seems to foster. It’s not limited to just tournament fishermen. I fish in the DFW area. I don’t check schedules ( except for BASS Classic on Ray Robert’s), I just pick a lake and go. Can’t tell you how often I’m on a spot and have a boat pull up and they inform me that I’m on their spot. Some have even stopped over the spot I’m casting/catching
O reason to put fish in live wells for tournament fishing.Weigh and release today's technology raises questions on putting Bass in live wells.
Greed is a powerful drug
I enjoy tournament fishing and will continue as long as they exist. BUT, the DNR's of every state SHOULD protect the spawn. Currently, most states do not protect the spawn and that is a huge mistake. Also, a lot of boaters have a REAL problem with ego. Some really seem to believe that their shit doesn't stink. Another huge problem is a lot of boaters do not keep their live well systems clean and functioning correctly. I have seen massive fish kills at BFL tournaments.
The issue I have with tournaments is it takes fish out of the area they were spawning and the local guys who support the local stores and community get the raw end deal plus most time the only want to come caddo or lake fork is in spring and pull fish out beds etc and some trash up stuff etc plus the local guys got fight fish that have been hooked ten times
I’ve contacted the Sam Rayburn corp of engineers and Texas parks and wildlife to complain about the obscene number of tournaments on Sam Rayburn but my efforts fall on deaf ears. I’ve also complained about the use of FFS but they could give a rats ass.
Tournament Fishing has Permanently Destroyed our resources for everyone.... I've got no respect for Prideful , money hungry tournament angler's 👎
So hunting season is mainly during the rut right? That’s when does and bucks are active and mating. That’s the same as bass bedding right? Not the exact same but still a very vulnerable time for deer.
I’ve caught giants with roe as early as November and late as May.
The young generation is all about me, me, me and instant gratification! They will not give up FFS because they can't fish without it.
When I recreational bass fished, I had tournament guys pull up in a cove where I was fishing and expected me to leave, wasn't a nice conversation!
I now saltwater fish 95% of the time, business owner and I pick my weekdays, stay off of the water on the weekends. But last Fall I towed my boat inland to a mountain lake for a few days of striper fishing. Got there on Friday to find out there was a bass tournament that weekend, what a sh** show! Seemed like everywhere I went to fish, wasn't there long before a bass boat was fishing all around me. The best was using the trolling motor to slow troll live bait in a cove and here would come the a**hole running 70 right near my boat then come off plane. Fishing wasn't even enjoyable until Monday morning when they were gone. I told my friend on Sunday we should just forget about fishing and me run my bay boat around the lake, every bass boat we saw that came up on me Saturday, go mess up their fishing, just because. I didn't do it, I just don't try to be a di**head like some of the tournament guys!
Tournament fishing has 💯% has ruined Bass fishing but at the same time it’s helped it. Without these tournaments I don’t believe Bass fishing would be as popular as it is today. Which could be a good or bad thing, that said I think Bass fishing has gone toxic. Money, power, and fame ruins all things good in any genre. The way bass tournaments drag these bass for weigh ins on stage just for show is completely wrong. There’s study’s out there proving that a lot those bass don’t make it after they are released. Don’t get me started on keeping a Bass in a so called live well for half a day. I like the Kayak tournament approach much better! Tournaments during the spawn 😖 those people should be ashamed of themselves. I enjoy fishing on lakes during a tournament and fishing spots that a tournament angler want to fish 😂 they literally think they have the right of way and everyone else is to abandon their post. Randy you nailed it with this one 💯
Randy: I totally agree with you concerning FFS, you have constantly stated that the tournament organizations will not stop the use of FFS due to the money coming from the sponsorship of the electronic companies, I for one stopped watching BM/MLF for exactly the same reasons you continue to speak about. I am a life member to BM and i don't even read the magazine anymore cause i have lost so much respect for the organization and the attitudes to continue to allow the use of FFS. You speak of how many comments you receive that agree with your need to remove it from tournament fishing. With that being said, the tournament organizations see nothing but money and could care less about the growth of a young angler & the bass fishing resources. So in my opinion it would seem that the only way to try and gain any ground to the protest is to fight fire with fire, meaning they only see dollar signs< right! I don't know how much good it would do but if every member that agrees with you & i would write a letter to BM / MLF & any other tournament organization and request them to refund the membership & why they are requesting it back due to the use of FFS it may just get enough traction to help prevent the use of it. Just a thought
I fly fish in 2 regions of the US where I split my time: SW Montana and north central Illinois. In Illinois the fishing is seasonal for Muskie, Pike, Bass/Carp and I am as involved as a semi retired guy can be. I do fish almost every day.
Over the past few years I have considered trying to organize groups here in IL where there isn’t much organization, but it seems like once organization and competitions come the hobby gets ruined.
Money ruins everything.
I wish we were more focused as a people on river conservation rather than making money.
I agree from a spectator point of view, it does get old just watching people stare at their ffs all day. I do think that MLF does the weighing right. Catch, weigh and release where you caught it. I understand having that many judges is a logistical nightmare, but so much better for the fish.