Fishing Tournaments

[fishforfun]

Touched on this subject earlier today on the great lakes board. There are tournies such as the Owen Sound Spectacular, where all money raised goes back into fish stocking and river and stream rehab. In this case it is run by the Sydenham Sportsmens Association. They are a club of hunters and fishers who volunteer many hours towards conservation projects. The money raised helps to keep there hatchery open. They are supervised and advised by the MNR. I'm sure there are many other groups out there running similar projects and using derbies as fund raisers.
Bass derbies are to the best of my knowledge C&R, the fish caught are returned to the water they came from. A salmon and trout derby held on the great lakes requires killing the fish in order to register it. Derbies such as these should have to commit a percentage of there monies raised to restocking programs. In the case of the C&R derbies perhaps a percentage of the winnings should go back to the conservation group of the winners choice.
Ganman I feel your frustration when trying to fish in waters where a derby is running. It can be highly frustrating, what's needed is some education.

[JP]

As said earlier;
[/quote]It's especially deflating when you make plans, tow your boat to the ramp and find a tournament has taken over the lake. Or worse find the lake dead and wonder what the heck is wrong.....till you bump into someone who says.....yea there was a big tourney here yesterday.....100 boats.

All tournament organizations do post the dates of bodies of water that they will be on, the launch site and usually it is months in advance.
here are some organizations that do this;
http://www.petawawabassmasters.com/NewP ... Index.html
http://www.renegadebass.com/
http://baoo.canadianangler.ca/
http://www.wrileybassangler.com/SEB2004.htm
http://www.geocities.com/lapasbass/HOME.html

Also u can find out just by asking.
Anyway, hope this helps
JP

[Hoser]

and just to re-iterate I am not against tourneys. just against seeing them show up on the same waters every year.

I agree with this. Have nothing against tourneys but the lakes should be rotated yearly to give them a rest. There has been 3 on White Lake this year...as in past years if I recall correctly...the bass fishing is really messed up for the locals and folks that drive for hours to spend a weeks vacation fishing.

[RJ]

I think it is clear to everyone that there are too many series running in this area....how do you control that?????....impossible..

Saying that gas stations, hotels, restaurants gain from these events is a load.... ....noone fills there boat up the morning of the event....it'll be done the night before where the guy lives..even if it is a 2 day event unless its a long way away no one stays over anywhere....and yes they may stop for a bite to eat on the way home....maybe...

I used to fish tournaments a few years back....and I did enjoy it....I just found the commitment and the time invloved in it not worth it.....

A slippery slope I don't want to see is painting all tournament guys with the same brush.....yes some guys are real dinks....but we have some guys that don't fish tournaments that are real dinks too.... Go spend a day with Ed the Toobinator.....you will not find a nicer guy....Gambler Steve...same thing....these guys are great fisherman...they aren't raping your lakes...

I have no problem with tournaments.....I just think there are too many....How many are there on the Rideau River this summer?....Mississippi?....if I owned a cottage on either of these I'd be less than pleased every second Saturday morning at 7 AM hearing 40-70 bass boats scream by my door....

When a series is planning an event....who do they ask?...just curious.....because if it's the guy who collects and keeps the launch fee....would he ever say no?????????

RJ

[plowjock]

I feel in some way agreeable to this user fee but if you let some provincial body run it you're in trouble.
Don't paint ALL tournament anglers with the same brush, a lot of these guys and girls are the people who do a lot more for fishing and conservation than most anglers do as they respect other peoples property.these anglers also support different groups which help out with KIDS Fishing, Conservation and keeping an eye out for trouble makers such as some of your Fish hawk guys did last fall with RED PLATED vehicles people catching and killing Muskies
Our biggest problem is not BIG organized tourneys but small tourneys run by cottage associations which have big fish frys after. These caught fish don't make it back into the water only their inards which come out as turtle food.
I was at White Lake 2 weeks ago this saturday and I think it must have been a taxi drivers union fish tournament on. I personally saw more DEAD fish and undersized fish being hauled up for weighing. I spoke to at least 6 people with Bass under 12 inches long and asked them to put them back. They did, but were a little unhappy.
Also if you see the number of Americans coming up here to Rape our waters, it is unbelieveable how much damage they are doing to our waters.
Garbage and tin pop cans in the water,camping sites a mess with garbage no respect on the water for people, property, or NATURE

[plowjock]

Next time you're in a tackle shop and you're looking for a new Rod or Reel.
Think when was the last time you saw Quantum,Daiwa, Pfleuger or any of these manufactures putting or doing something for Fishing other than scanning the market for suckers.This is not intended as a plug for Shimano ,but they have done more for Catch and release fishing with live release boats and tanks, Donations to Childrens fishing programs withrods and reels and just working a whole lot to improve live release fishing with research into water weighing catch and release. They have also gone the extra way to help guide new people getting into the sport get set up for different species and equipment to useAt least Shimano puts back into the sport fishing needs more than other companies do.

[Markus]

Also if you see the number of Americans coming up here to Rape our waters, it is unbelieveable how much damage they are doing to our waters.
Garbage and tin pop cans in the water,camping sites a mess with garbage no respect on the water for people, property, or NATURE

We are all very disturbed by any type of garbage found in our waterways, but lets not point the figure with such a bold statement as this.

Our american friends enjoy fishing our waters as much as we do. America is not the cause of the litter in our wilderness. Disrespectful behavior like littering is a reflexion of a person, not a country.

Too many people cast garbage aside without hesitation. If I see it in my boat....we turn around...a brief lecture is administered...and the garbage is retrieved. We are seeing people litter less and less. it's great to see everyone doing a part to keep the waterways clean.

[DonD]

I'm also a tournament angler, I purchase a 3 yr. fishing licence for $75 ( I think that's what it is). could anyone tell me where that money is going, isn't it suppose to go to preserving and re-stocking our lakes and streams.

As far as tournament fishing killing our lakes for future fishing for our children, I'll have to disagree...I'd be more worried about the air we breath and the contaminents that end up in the lakes and streams ( acid rain for example )

I would gladly hand over extra money, but not to the government, that would be like sending your money to help the children in Ethopia, only to hear Prince So and So who governs the country is on the top 10 riches men list.

[ganman]

I disagree with the poster who stated that all associations that hold tournaments post there tourneys on internet sites. I have tried to find that out myself.

Why is it my responsibilty to find out who, when and where a tournament is being held?

Perhaps they should use some of the money they bring in to post the information somewhere you can see it. What about a sign at a boat ramp? A flyer at a local tackle shop.

That post about Americans made me cringe. I think maybe he missed the point of what he wanted to say. It's a complicated issue. I live in a tourist town and I understand this issue better than most.

Many Americans have been coming here for generations and have as deep reverence for our waters as any of us do.

We are moulded by our leisure activities and what we love to do most. And for that reason alone for many Americans, eastern Ontario is a very special place. Fond memories are made here. One Pennsylvannia poster has the name "Ontario dreaming". PSU and I had a long series of PM's. Charleston lake and it's environs are very special to him and his family.

But just as there are slob locals there are slob American anglers too and unfortuneatly these are the ones we remember.

There are about 50 million Americans within a days drive of eastern Ontario and we are/will face growing pressure from that direction.

I live in Gananoque, a tourist town. I'm used to tourists coming and going. It lends an air of excitement in summer and puts things like a casino, good restauraunts and leisure activities at hand that most small towns don't have.

But we're also near a major border crossing, the 401 and 1000 Island Parkway go through town and a main artery, Hwy 32 goes north into the Rideau and lakes north. From May through October the number of American vehicles towing fishing boats coming and going through town is astounding. Even understanding the issue as well as I do and trying to be evenhanded you cannot help but feel overwhelmed, beleaguered and a touch discouraged.

Are we reaching a saturation point?

You can go out on a local lake and spot 20 boats fishing and all but a couple are non residents. Lakeside properties are being gobbled up by non residents.

Please do not try and tell me this is a good thing for the economy. What potentially is lost is not worth another mininum wage, seasonal job in rural eastern Ontario.

What are the answers?

I'm the last one who would say lets close the door. Is there a way to control numbers without offending anyone? Can't our MNR come up with a solution to spread the numbers around more evenly? Or is the Ontario government only capable of having hands out like ***** accepting license fees and doing little else except complain there is no money. And what about camp owners who profit the most but are strangely very quiet on these issues.

It's time to go and I haven't touched on the ever growing number of pleasure boats that are both more numerous, much larger and more powerful then ever. Want to see a travesty and waste, watch the 1000 Islands poker run go by someday. Locals say you need a 25 footer to handle the wash from other boats. Watch boaters enter the marina Sunday afternoon to head back to the city and wonder why the didn't stop off at the pump out station.....where did they pump out?


*****-sorry ganman, you need a better word here. Great post and good discussion. Markus

[dana]

I don't know where my yesterdays pots went to[cyberspace?]

i will just say that

if there were NOT bass tournaments
then we would surely EAT all the bass....
and fishing would be very much worse than it isn't now...

i understand the frustration of too many series'[i agree]

but catch n release really works...

and yeh it is hard some times to find a lake where there is not a tournament


but if there were none then it would be,,,
"hmmm ..i forgot how good these basses IZZ...to eat?"

and then bye bye..burp!

again gan man...i understand the frustration...
but i don;t like jet skis either hahaha
and they are not goin away..

[Markus]

if there were NOT bass tournaments
then we would surely EAT all the bass....
and fishing would be very much worse than it isn't now...

Are you suggesting that only tournament fisherman believe in C&R?

I think they promote a lot of live relaese, but a major portion of todays anglers are catch and release....tourament and recreational. This concept has been adopted to help preserve our waters.

There's no muski tournament clubs...I wonder why they release them?

[Guest]

I agree with Marcus 110%

You need only look across our border to see the negative impact that fishing tournaments, without proper attention to the fisheries, can have on waterbodies. Fisheries that were once 100% self sustaining are now only sustained via stocking. Too much pressure literally destoyed the ability of many waterways to sustain their fish stocks independently.

Being that Canada's fisheries are amongst the best in the world, and are mostly self-sustaining today, I hope to keep it that way. If we keep being irresponsible by pilaging our waterways without giving back to them, undoubtably, we will be in the same position in the near future.

I am not opposed to running tournaments if they are run responsibly. Use the fisheries as a cash-cow if you want, but make sure you give back to them. Not doing so is down right selfish and negligent.

HW

[fishforfun]

I have to be honest, reading these posts I didn't realize how many derbies were being held across Ontario. My more serious fishing days were the late 70s early 80s (before kids). If my memory serves me right the MNR were involved in regulating them then.
Ganman some excellent points and yes recreational boaters non fishers ,are contributing to the decline in water quality, shore erosion etc. they too should pay. As far as not pumping out, my holding tank will give me 6 days on the water and when I come in on a sunday close to full but find the pump out too busy, I'll wait till the following Fri. To pump over the side requires Y valves macerator pumps etc all illegal in Canadian waters, and if another boater saw you doing such a thing it would get ugly! I've heard rumours but I believe they are just that.

[g unis]

i have a few questions to you guys. would tourney control or fees be regulated to any or all species. are your fish stocks down or in decline.does not the commercial gillnetting industry do more damage. are our provincial laws to liberal in limits..is it possible to do this without gov. interjection. would guides be not aked to contribute a part of their fees . just a few thoughts.

[dana]

I am saying that tournament fishermen
could put a real dent into the fish population
if they started eating their limits
instead of picturing them larger
next year for the next tournament


you can do what you want marcus

i did not use the word "only"


dana