Also, there are no legit tournaments during the "spawn" or when the spawn is supposed to take place. NH has a "immediate catch and release" period that starts May 15th and ends June 15th. Some fish will spawn before May 15th, some will spawn after June 15th but the overwhelming majoity (95%) of fish will do their spawning during the "catch and release" period.
If you have never caught a bedding bass, once the male is released he goes right back to the bed again to continue the process. I agree they are better off left alone.
I will agree with you 100% Grant that the bigger fish are getting smaller in number. I would not contribute that to fishing bedding bass though. The sport has grown by leaps and bounds in the last 20 years or so. Boats have become faster and safer, equipment has become state of the art and people have become educated on what these fish do and how to catch them consistantly. Go back 20 years ago and if you told someone you were catching smallies in 25' of water in weeds they would have given you a look like you just escaped from the asylum. You caught smallies in rocks, not weeds. Thats where the Largemouth lived.... in the weeds. 25' or water? Only the salmon and trout lived down there. It was bound to happen. 25 years ago no one fished for bass (next to no one) A bass was a garbage fish that got in the way of the salmon fishing. Go up to the boonies in Maine and it's still true. The bass fishing is awesome because no one fishes for them up there. The fishery now is not what it was 25 years ago because people are fishing for them now. Call it progress or evolution. I am sure there are not as many squirrels or birds now as there was before the invention of the automobile. It is in fine condition relativly speaking for todays times. Bass fishing will reach a saturation point. Only so many people like to fish. At that point the fisheries will "find their level" so to speak and will stabilize into what they will be in terms of quality and quantity. Some years the spawn will be more successful because of weather conditions , ect and in corrosponding years the fishery will improve slightly. Other years, probably this one because of the lack of warm temps and all the rain, the spawn wont be as successful and in the years to come you might see a slight decline in quality and quantity
Do tournaments have an impact on a fishery? Yes. Is it nearly as bad as people think..... No. We as tournament fisherman treat our resource very well. It is in our best interest to make sure we treat the fish well and return them to the water safely so they will bite again for us one day and make more of themselves for future generations to enjoy. Bottom line is. Winni and other lake will survive, the fish will survive and we and other generations will have this wonderful resource to enjoy.
Not a bash , just an opinion
|