# practicing for bass tournements



## kritterkare (Jul 30, 2014)

I was at a local lake and saw a bass boat come up to the parking lot and saw a couple of guys checking out their live well and a few minutes later one of the guys in a bass tournament shirt walk across the parking lot with a bag of bass. 

I think they forgot to release the fish while still in the water and it took the guy a while to figure out how to get down the bank to release the fish. My question is why the need to drag the fish all over the lake to be released far from where they are caught? 
Would it not be easy enough to weigh/measure and release the fish where they are caught?


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## stak45dx1 (Jun 21, 2011)

no, they didn't forget to release the fish. they were probably taking them to be weighed in before release. it would be easier to weigh the fish and then release them right away if people could be trusted to be honest, but with money on the line would you trust others? also every scale is different, by keeping fish in the livewell and bringing them in to be weighed in on the official scales of whatever tournament is taking place it means everyone is on a level playing field. tournament anglers take great care of their fish, because as I said before, there's money on the line and there are steep penalties for having dead fish and also I believe most of them guys genuinely care about the fish.


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## Mr.Good (Dec 11, 2006)

kritterkare said:


> I was at a local lake and saw a bass boat come up to the parking lot and saw a couple of guys checking out their live well and a few minutes later one of the guys in a bass tournament shirt walk across the parking lot with a bag of bass.
> 
> I think they forgot to release the fish while still in the water and it took the guy a while to figure out how to get down the bank to release the fish. My question is why the need to drag the fish all over the lake to be released far from where they are caught?
> Would it not be easy enough to weigh/measure and release the fish where they are caught?


That's tough for local tournaments to do. Even BASS doesn't do it yet! However there's a tournament on TV sometimes called Major League Fishing each boat has a referee in it and they weigh the fish and release it right away, right where they caught it. This is especially good I think for spawning bass, instead of catching both the male and female and giving them a 30 mile boat ride to the weigh in while all their babies are gobbled up by the bluegills!

They also update on tablets the latest catches and everyone knows where they stand instantly on the leaderboard. Hopefully things will improve and more even local tournaments can come up with a way to do this? I would think an intermission at least would be doable that way a fish doesn't stay in the live well all day if caught first thing in the morning. I watched a weigh in for a tournament about a week ago, about 60 fish were weighed in, of those four were belly up when released...wouldn't doubt if a couple more or so didn't make it later. But you never know, those may have been hooked deep and wouldn't have made it anyway.


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## kritterkare (Jul 30, 2014)

Thanks for the replies. I was speaking more about people just practicing, I do not believe a tournament was going on, just a couple of guys practicing and some people do keep bass all day when just practicing instead of releasing them immediately. 

Mr. Good I do like the idea of referees on the boats when possible at least during the spawn and I still remember fishing shows where they would target bass on beds even when the ethics was being questioned but releasing a bass immediately after weigh may be too late to save the beds. 
Guess it is a lot to do with personal ethics I have sighed fished a few big bass on the beds and after spending 5 minutes to get a big bass to hit I felt it was not worth it but money tournaments may change peoples ethics. As far as people practicing in my opinion it is not necessary to carry the fish around all day, the weigh in can be doing the math at the end of the day and not releasing bass at the boat ramp after weighing them all at once.


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

I think its become part of the culture of tournament bass fishing. Showing your 5 biggest fish all at once has become a measure of how you did that day, even if there is no tournament going on. I can completely understand how people would get into the habit of doing this with all the weeknight and weekend tournaments. For me personally I would not keep them for one group shot, but if someone wants to do it and they know how to keep them alive, they are well within their rights and the laws of the land to do so. Not everyone does that during practice though. I know it used to be popular to not even set the hook on bass during practice right before a tourney so that you could catch that same fish the next day.

Im a huge fan of the major league fishing format and I think its just a matter of time before other tournaments adopt a similar system. I don't think its possible with smaller tourneys though due to the reasons discussed earlier. Some say that they don't like it because every fish counts and tournaments should be all about big fish. You can still use that system and have only the biggest 5 fish count toward the daily total.


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## Bad Bub (Jan 17, 2006)

Big Joshy said:


> I think its become part of the culture of tournament bass fishing. Showing your 5 biggest fish all at once has become a measure of how you did that day, even if there is no tournament going on. I can completely understand how people would get into the habit of doing this with all the weeknight and weekend tournaments. For me personally I would not keep them for one group shot, but if someone wants to do it and they know how to keep them alive, they are well within their rights and the laws of the land to do so. Not everyone does that during practice though. I know it used to be popular to not even set the hook on bass during practice right before a tourney so that you could catch that same fish the next day.
> 
> Im a huge fan of the major league fishing format and I think its just a matter of time before other tournaments adopt a similar system. I don't think its possible with smaller tourneys though due to the reasons discussed earlier. Some say that they don't like it because every fish counts and tournaments should be all about big fish. You can still use that system and have only the biggest 5 fish count toward the daily total.


I'm in agreement with joshy that given you said the guy was wearing a tournament jersey, he probably kept them for a group photo. Maybe he is trying his hand at going pro and needed some pictures for a possible sponsorship portfolio, or social media outlets? And hauling them around the lake all day, then releasing them at the ramp, is still better than hauling them off to the frying pan....


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## Harbor Hunter (Aug 19, 2007)

When I pre-fish for an upcoming tournament I don't want to catch any bass yet alone weigh any.I just try and get a hit or two from my primary areas so I know they're there.I either use barbless hooks when practicing,or just not set the hook.I have also seen a few guys keep bass in their livewells to be released later in the day who weren't actually fishing a tournament.As was mentioned earlier I think they do it for photo-ops to be shown to prospective sponsors,or quite possibly they could be filming.I would love to see bass fishing tournaments adopt the format that is used on Major League Fishing.Unfortunately I don't see any way that could work in most circuits.Again unfortunately the question of trust comes into play,if you were going for fifty grand or more would you trust the weight each guy in the TX said he had? Sure you could put a referee in the boat with each contestant,but who would pay for that? I also love the idea of every guy fishing a TX has so long to catch say twenty legal size fish-instead of the normal biggest five,catch,weigh,then release.Huge circuits can afford to pay referees/marshalls and still have big payouts,smaller circuits could never do that.The only way I could see something like that happening is having a boater/co-angler format similar to what the FLW does,have the boater weigh each fish the co catches,and have the co weigh the boaters fish,then at the end of the day have each guy sign a weigh slip for the other guy-but would anybody really want to take the time to be weighing somebody else's fish during a tournament day?


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## Bad Bub (Jan 17, 2006)

Harbor Hunter said:


> When I pre-fish for an upcoming tournament I don't want to catch any bass yet alone weigh any.I just try and get a hit or two from my primary areas so I know they're there.I either use barbless hooks when practicing,or just not set the hook.I have also seen a few guys keep bass in their livewells to be released later in the day who weren't actually fishing a tournament.As was mentioned earlier I think they do it for photo-ops to be shown to prospective sponsors,or quite possibly they could be filming.I would love to see bass fishing tournaments adopt the format that is used on Major League Fishing.Unfortunately I don't see any way that could work in most circuits.Again unfortunately the question of trust comes into play,if you were going for fifty grand or more would you trust the weight each guy in the TX said he had? Sure you could put a referee in the boat with each contestant,but who would pay for that? I also love the idea of every guy fishing a TX has so long to catch say twenty legal size fish-instead of the normal biggest five,catch,weigh,then release.Huge circuits can afford to pay referees/marshalls and still have big payouts,smaller circuits could never do that.The only way I could see something like that happening is having a boater/co-angler format similar to what the FLW does,have the boater weigh each fish the co catches,and have the co weigh the boaters fish,then at the end of the day have each guy sign a weigh slip for the other guy-but would anybody really want to take the time to be weighing somebody else's fish during a tournament day?


Exactly! I'd love to fish a MLF format tournament. But I'd hate to be a referee in one...


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## Mr.Good (Dec 11, 2006)

Harbor Hunter said:


> When I pre-fish for an upcoming tournament I don't want to catch any bass yet alone weigh any.I just try and get a hit or two from my primary areas so I know they're there.I either use barbless hooks when practicing,or just not set the hook.I have also seen a few guys keep bass in their livewells to be released later in the day who weren't actually fishing a tournament.As was mentioned earlier I think they do it for photo-ops to be shown to prospective sponsors,or quite possibly they could be filming.I would love to see bass fishing tournaments adopt the format that is used on Major League Fishing.Unfortunately I don't see any way that could work in most circuits.Again unfortunately the question of trust comes into play,if you were going for fifty grand or more would you trust the weight each guy in the TX said he had? Sure you could put a referee in the boat with each contestant,but who would pay for that? I also love the idea of every guy fishing a TX has so long to catch say twenty legal size fish-instead of the normal biggest five,catch,weigh,then release.Huge circuits can afford to pay referees/marshalls and still have big payouts,smaller circuits could never do that.The only way I could see something like that happening is having a boater/co-angler format similar to what the FLW does,have the boater weigh each fish the co catches,and have the co weigh the boaters fish,then at the end of the day have each guy sign a weigh slip for the other guy-but would anybody really want to take the time to be weighing somebody else's fish during a tournament day?


Could they be relocating them so a competitor won't catch them again? And what's your opinion on how long until a bass will bite again, I've heard everything from 40 seconds (!) to days...

Also I've seen bass tourney rules which say the "50 yard rule will be strictly enforced" does that mean 50 yards from a competitor or from any other fishing boat obviously bass fishing?


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## GARNERMAN357 (Jan 22, 2010)

I have heard of guys "relocating " bass for a turny and I think that is stupid even if they do win. I dont think it is that successful but I have heard it working. at the end of the day they didnt find the best pattern they just caught a bunch of fish they put back in a bay they had been stocking the past week. but releasing at the ramp is probably not what they were up to. usally its an 50 yard rule with a boat anchored with their trolling motor out of the water. most guys should give some respectful room to fish their area but some of these lakes fish small and in my opinion there are really no special hidden spots anymore. someone fishes your honey hole. just my 2cents


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## Mr.Good (Dec 11, 2006)

So the fifty yard rule does not apply to the release point from the previous day if it's a multiple day tourney?


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## Bad Bub (Jan 17, 2006)

Mr.Good said:


> So the fifty yard rule does not apply to the release point from the previous day if it's a multiple day tourney?


Depends on the circuit/group... most do shut off the release area.


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## Harbor Hunter (Aug 19, 2007)

Normally the weigh-in spot is within the area of the ramp where blast-off/take out occurs.In nearly every tournament I have fished the ramp/marina area is considered off-limits usually out to the "No Wake" buoys.In every tournament I have fished that has a "50 yard rule" it means that you cannot be within 50 yards of an anchored boat,or a boat that has his trolling motor down-there is a tad of grey area there-lol.


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## Harbor Hunter (Aug 19, 2007)

The circuit I fish may be one of the few that have the 50 yard rule regarding the trolling motor being down,it's in the rules simply because(general courtesy)it's meant to keep somebody from pulling up 10 feet ahead of somebody on a shoreline and start fishing.Rules or not,I would never be within 50-100 yards of an anchored boat,or a boat working a shoreline with/without the trolling motor deployed most others wouldn't either-I hope.


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

As others have said, if it was just one boat bringing fish back and releasing them at the ramp, then it had to be for reasons other than practicing for a tournament. 

As for someone catching fish and moving them so someone else can't catch them? Well ...... the person that would do that is a miserable no class bum, that doesn't deserve the title of sportsman. They're also the same person that would cheat to win a tournament. 

As far as catching and moving fish to "stock" an area ..... I suppose that could work if done frequently, over a prolonged period of time, and with large amounts of fish, but to move 5 fish to a spot a week or a few days prior to a tournament seems as if it would be counter productive to me. I think it could have you chasing what could amount to being ghost fish (fish that have left the area you moved them to) Why not just try to re-catch the fish from the area they're already in, and just bring them to weigh in? 

The whole practicing for a tournament thing can be a slippery slope. I think you need to set the hook on some fish just to, one ...... see if the bites you're getting are in fact from bass, and two .... to find out what size fish are in the area. For me, ascertaining the size fish you're catching from a spot is tied more to deep water than shallow, simply because I think fish school more by size when they're off shore on specific spots, than they do when they're scattered over shallow cover filled flats, or in shallow shoreline cover. I could be wrong, but that's just the way it has seemed to play out for me. 

I do know that if you're setting the hook on every bite during a tournament practice day in Ohio, you're burning fish. It is very easy to over practice for a tournament here in Ohio. 

Concerning the MLF format ... first let me preface what I'm going to say, and say that I love watching MLF. There is an excitement and pressure to it, that you don't have in a normal tournament. But .... and I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but the anglers are basically breaking down a lake as they would during a practice day for a tournament. The anglers that can break down the lake the quickest, win and move on to the next round. That's why I think they weigh and count every fish. I'm not sure, but I don't think an angler with the highest weight per fish average, has ever won the event. I believe they've won a qualifying round or two, but never on the final day. To me that just seems wrong. Or maybe I'm just used to having only a limit of fish count?


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## Harbor Hunter (Aug 19, 2007)

Bassbme,the majority of tournaments I fish are on Lake St.Clair and Lake Erie.I only fish deep water areas far offshore.Basically when I'm pre-fishing I go from hump to hump that I have as waypoints.I like to look for pods of baitfish first then if I see them I'll make a few casts to get a general idea of the number of bass present.If I do get bit I will try to shake it off,I already know that most of the fish in the areas I fish are tournament quality fish,but you are correct-they could be sheepshead,or some other fish I'm not looking for so catching one or two isn't a bad thing.Anymore my structure scan units help eliminate a lot of the guesswork so I find myself more and more just scanning humps to see what's available instead of actually fishing them-saves time and prospective biters the next day lol.


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## Harbor Hunter (Aug 19, 2007)

Oh,I also agree with you regarding the format of the MLF Series.Being that I've fished bass tournaments for many years it would definitely take me some time getting used to getting beat by some dude that had 15lbs.,and I had 20!


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## Bad Bub (Jan 17, 2006)

I agree with the MLF opinion... to an extent.... seems like no matter what club, circuit or group I've fished with, you always have some guys that are "5 bites a day guys" and "numbers" guys. Both can and do win tournaments. Of course, certain lakes tend to set up better for one or the other, but in general, I wouldn't consider one being better over the other.


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## kritterkare (Jul 30, 2014)

One problem I would have with people who keep fish until the end of the day for the group shot or bragging rights or practice is they are being relocated, perhaps from their prespawn or spawn areas or to an area with less cover, food, and less oxygen. 
You also have to figure they are often being relocated miles from where they were,Seeing the patterns of fish with trackers you see some stay in pretty much the same area most of the year while others may travel all over the lake through out their lives so I am talking only about people who needlessly move the fish around for whatever reason or forced relocation it disrupts their natural patterns of movement. 
I do like the idea of false setting the hooks or just catching a few fish to see if they are there in practice and as was said who knows when the fish will start feeding again after being hooked.


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