# The "State" of bass tournament angling



## Nipididdee (Apr 19, 2004)

In the previous winters I have spoke often and prophesied of the future of bass specific events in the State of Ohio. As popularity grows with ALL water sports our smaller reservoirs begin to shrink in recreational opportunities.

I would like to comment that our Great State of Ohio thus far has been exceptionally gracious and even opportunisitc in working with myself in coordination of events and embracing our anglers efforts as stewards of public waters.

If you have been following- or not- the ongoing open discussions with the State of Wisconsin, here's an interesting read from the legal side of FLW Outdoors. http://www.flwoutdoors.com/article.cfm?id=145242

The final outcomes will definately impact decisions in the future by all State agencies- hopefully in favor of reality and not just perceptions of what public waters truly are and moreso, what bass tournament anglers and their organizations are really all about.


Nip
www.dobass.com


----------



## Fish4Fun (Apr 6, 2004)

Wow thanks for the post those are some very interesting changes they want to make up there.


----------



## TritonBill (Apr 9, 2004)

Those are some scary regulations WI is trying to put in place! Hate to see stuff like that because then it just rolls from state to state often.


----------



## lakeslouie (Jan 11, 2006)

TritonBill said:


> Hate to see stuff like that because then it just rolls from state to state often.


I agree and dare I say it, it will be the future at some point. I've feared this for a long time. With all the new circuits each year and endless opens by lots of organizations, at some point it has to stop. Its great the sport is growing but in Ohio space is limited, even worse than WI. At what point or what criteria do you use to determine "the state of fisheries" or "balance" of public use etc. Its a good topic and should be watched carefully.


----------



## Fish4Fun (Apr 6, 2004)

good points lakelouie, was talking about this with another guy last night.

Those are some wild ideas up in WI. But there is going to come a day when ohio and other states may just very well say there are too many circuits and events and put a limit and some stiff rules in the mix to scale us back. If you look at the amount of tournaments in ohio waters its amazing. There are alot of tournament alot.


----------



## Nipididdee (Apr 19, 2004)

My vote is the more the merrier. 

Many Southern states and other traditional bass sportfishing venues, the governing agencies have worked to incorporate specific accomodations to attract everything from small clubs to national venues. There is a HUGE economic benefit for those states and specifically those communities. 

ALSO, making provisions for special events reduces the nuisances of overcrowding, promotes healthy weigh-ins for the fish (reducing post event mortality) and further provides a standard of expectations for any groups who oversee the weigh-in. 

There should be nothing wrong with an expectation for a bass tournament to potentially be held every day of the week for the entire season on any given body of water. IF...they were regulated according to proven/scientific management practices, managed in a supportive fashion that accounted for the logisitcs of the event and expected to follow a standard of REASONABLE practices ie: insurance coverage, pre-event planning submissions, handling/release practices,etc.

Nip
www.dobass.com


----------



## Nipididdee (Apr 19, 2004)

Man, I was really trying to stir the pot with those comments... must not be cold enough yet, supposed to snow good Sunday...maybe by then a "heated" discussion can begin!  

Nip


----------



## Fish4Fun (Apr 6, 2004)

LOL, Some points to ponder in this thread and what WI is trying to do for sure. There is alot of tournaments out there right now and it seems like more and more pop up every year. Some on the up and up and following rules and regs and good release practices and some may not be. There are alot of oppurtunities for the angler to get envolved with tournaments across the state. Iam sure this thread will bring out some good comment and suggestions as it continues.


----------



## mikeshookset (Feb 28, 2005)

hmmm thinking on this one should i or shouldnt i lol


----------



## DaleM (Apr 5, 2004)

Nipididdee said:


> Man, I was really trying to stir the pot with those comments... must not be cold enough yet, supposed to snow good Sunday...maybe by then a "heated" discussion can begin!
> 
> Nip


Nah!! I dought that would happen  WE have been there in the past.


----------



## lakeslouie (Jan 11, 2006)

Nipididdee said:


> Man, I was really trying to stir the pot with those comments...


Let me help you stir, some! First, this state, I believe, will never spend a dime on enhancing bass opportunities such as stocking, auxillary parking areas, bass festivals, weigh-in stages, additional ramps, etc. Our fisheries management philosophy comes directly from Wisconsin, ie:trout, saugeye, musky and walleye. I believe its time to wake the sleeping giant, that being the states bass anglers. Nip, you were right about the southern states. They got it going on. They realize the economic importance of events coming to their areas. Look at the Stren series event at Cleveland last year. There were estimates of over 2 million dollars brought to the Cleveland area economy. Why the big interest in buying out more commercial fisherman in Lake Erie? Again the state is doing something to enhance walleye opportunities for sport fishermen in the western basin. There was a big news segment on TV the other day featuring the states wildlife officials and the Port Clinton director of the chamber of commerce stating how important sport fishing was to their economy and it is, and I don't have a problem with it, but when is it going to be the bass fishermans turn? Millions are spent each year to enhance everything but bass. Now if I would go and properly place a piece of cover on the shoreline of a local reservoir to enhance contact points for bass, I would be arrested or fined for littering. Doesn't make much sense. Sorry, I've digressed. Nip, I think you made some "hints" on criteria to reduce post tournament mortality at events and if the state ever does decide to police tournaments to some extent, they should start with organizations being able to prove they can reduce mortality by using some of the techniques you made mention of earlier, or no permits issued. If the state will do nothing to enhance bass opportunities, then we should do all we can to protect what we have. OK Mike, you can jump in now. I thought I heard some teeth grinding.


----------



## mikeshookset (Feb 28, 2005)

ok thankx louie lol i agree with louie i dont think that ohio in the near future will do anything to help bass fishermen and ladies !!like louie said if ya put any new structure in the lakes then they will fine ya for littering! but yet they wont do it. most of our reservors are old and need new struckture in them!!!! they drain these reservors each year wich kills off the weed growth that would help our sport! water skiers and jet skiers are constantly over looked running within a few yards of the banks wich also helps to eroad them yet further distroying struckture. i used to go to the wildlife meettings at portage lakes and was always told they will never stock bass because they naturally repoduce.when i suggested they put some structure in the older reservors the answer was that they put xmas trees in some times lol i say how about some rock piles and hardwood. pine is only good for a short term . is it any wonder we drive to newyork, virginia , kentucky to fish the big championships? bassfisher men pay the same for a fishing license as every one else does ie muskyfishermen and walleye fishermen but how much of that money goes to help the sport of bassfishermen? heck just try to get the state to give a ticket to the amish when they constantly take short illegal bass on a daily routine!! then they will spend the money to net and milk walleye at berlin to restock lake erie, but dont walleye naturally repoduce in erie? wouldent it be nice if we had bigger parking lots more ramps at the parking lots a pravillion at each parking lot to be use by tourneyfishermen on the weekends and some clean restrooms? well nip it isnt sunday yet but this may add some heat to this post lol sit back and enjoy lmao


----------



## Cull'in (Nov 21, 2005)

I'm back and I've brought my spoon!

Personally I'd like to see the number of tournaments in Ohio reduced. Events every weekend have a whole different affect when you have them on a 3200 acre Berlin compared to a 50,000 acre reservoir somewhere down south.

The first thing that should be done is the implementation of a "catch and release" only season, say Nov.30 thru the end of May. I use the northern fisheries of Pennsylvania and New York as the barometer to how it could enhance fishing in the Buckeye.
Secondly I would eliminate tournaments on back to back days on the same body of water. I know, I know, it would kill "Mosquito Madness" and "Portage Powerhouse" but Nip could get creative enough to do a Sat. Mosquito/ Sun.Portage kind of thing. It would still work, trust me 

I think we all agree the state will probably never do anything to enhance bass fishing opportunities here in Ohio so it's gonna be up to us solely to preserve and protect what we have. If we make good decisions as anglers and tournament directors we won't have to worry about the threat of extreme measures like the ones they're facing in Wisconsin.

These thoughts might surprise some of those that know me but having my boys enjoy this sport as much as I do right now is much more important than trying to win a thousand bucks every weekend. It's the passion that drives me, not the cash.


----------



## john (Feb 14, 2005)

It is funny how some attitudes have changed in 4-5 weeks about tournaments, I was the one who started the thread in the lounge "your opinion on Bass fishing in Ohio" And in that topic the amount of tournaments in Ohio came up quite a few times. And it seemed like a lot of people were defending there GOD given rights to have as many tournaments as possible. It seems now there might be some people starting to rethink things. Again as I stated before I'm NOT against Bass Tournaments, I just think we have to learn when to say enough is enough


----------



## Marshall (Apr 11, 2004)

I see all your points and in a perfect world i agree. But take Alum Creek for example. Even without a tourney there, there will still be a lot of guys out there fishing for bass, the parking lot will still be full. If they take tournaments away we will still fish. The pressure will still be there, the only difference is that the fish will not be in the livewell. There are ways around this that people would take. I feel they will not be able to stop tourneys or limit them. At least the smaller ones. This would happen, im not saying this is right or wrong but if forced to it would happen. 30 boats show up somewhere outside the park, collect entry fees and then head to the ramp. They go out and fish a paper tourney and use digital cameras to help verify fish. They come back in and no fish brought to a scale. They meet down the road and hand out the cash to the winner. A tourney just happend now what. Obviously it would have to be a group of guys who know each other and trust each other. But these paper tourneys are real and happen in large and small bass clubs. So there you go still a tourney going on every weekend and the lake is still pressured by tourney anglers. I wish they would just leave it a lone and not mess with things. I'll tell you what, a lot of good has come out of me growing up fishing bass tourneys. Its kept me and a lot of my buddies out of trouble as youths, taught us about conservation, sportsmanship and most of my good friends that i know today i have met through bass fishing and tourneys. Im not trying to still the pot just something i thought about reading this thread. There will always be someone who disagrees and has a different viewpoint. You cant please everybody.


----------



## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

i think most of you know i'm not a tourney guy,but believe there's room for everyone.................within limits.so i'm just kinda throwing something out here.
i just did a little research on wisconsin lakes and found that in just one central county,they have probably 30 lakes.of those 30,approximately 20 are 5000 acres or larger,with a couple over 100,000 and several over 10,000.mind you,that's just one county.by comparison,ohio doesn't have a lot more lakes than that in the whole state.it also only has a couple over 5000.what does that mean?to me,it says wisconsin,with numerous lager lakes is much more capable of handling big or small tourneys than ohio.there is no comparison in the amount of available water between the two states.wisconsin may or may not be "overprotecting",and i tend to side with the touney organizers on some of their points there.but if wisconsin believes(rightly or wrongly so)the increasing pressure to be a future problem,then i can see ohio falling in line at some point,with restrictions of some kind.it only stands to reason we don't have nearly eneough lakes,especially large ones,to allow for the overload brought on by uncontrolled/unlimited growth in tournaments.
in everything,there has to be lines drawn at some point.,which means compomise is inevitable,but even the best overall scenario will prove the old axiom "you can't please all the people all the time".


----------



## Fish4Fun (Apr 6, 2004)

Alot of good points the problem i see is at this point goes back to the you cant please everyone deal. 

How do you tell tournament guys they have to limit tournaments but yet Lakes like pleasent hill are a traffic nightmare on the weekend with one ramp a million skiers and jet skiers. It would be a tough thing to manage. I know there are alot of the smaller lakes that have become way overcrowded with boats Pleasent hill is a prim example in the summer that lake is like 15 kids in a small bath tub creating a whrilpool round and round. LOL.

I don't really want to see them do anything as drastic as the WI perposal but eventually i think the state will do something weather its good or bad i don't know.

As Marshall said you will get the bootleg tournaments that run under the rules when that day does come.

Yes there are alot of tournaments can we handle what is going on right now probably. 

Maybe the answer to the Bass conservation is to set the law requiring that all tournament circuits performe one or two conservation effort projects during the tournament year. Weather it be structure adding, spawning beds etc something to benifit bass conservation and to show that that group is really involved and cares about the long life of bass fishing and conservation. This would alow tournament circuits and anglers alike that have an issue with the states bass program to offer up suggestions and use manpower and possibly state grants to get the projects done.


----------



## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

maybe we should consider ourselves lucky that we aren't already seeing more restrictions such as wisconsin is facing considering these statistics.
wisconsin has almost 1 million acres of water to serve a population of app. 5 million people.

ohio has only 200,000 acres to serve a poulation of app. 10 million people.

doesn't take einstien to figure out we're never gonna host bigtime touneys or even the number of smaller ones,on a scale anywhere close to that of many other states with much more to offer.


----------



## Fish4Fun (Apr 6, 2004)

Very true that is why my long term plan involves moving south.

A) its warm year round
B) Big lakes
C) Big Bass
D) Did i mention its WARM year round.


----------



## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

LOL.smart move jerry.now that good friends of ours have moved back to florida(agian,lol)the wife might be pursuaded to do the same  

oh btw,it's warm year round too


----------



## Nipididdee (Apr 19, 2004)

Now were talkn!!!!

I fully appreciate the comparison of populations/water between the South- Wis- and Ohio. We do have the Ohio River and Erie in this State. We should easily expect not even a glance from large professional organizations to use any of our waters outside of the two. But still the local economies are boosted via local angling. 

"Pressure" doesnt exist in my world. Death/removal of fish as a result of increased angling does. I beleive that science should determine slot lengths-minimum size restricitions,establishment of habitat,creel limits,seasonal restrcitions- not arbitrary legistation based upon subjective feelings. This is unique to each and every body of water- there is no one blanket. The bias into Wis. proposals is evident- and is satirical that an anglers organization, FLW, uses an attorney to point it out to a Natural Resources organization of professionals in the field.

I'm all for any and all changes ahead- so long as they are based on scientifically sound evidence that does more good than harm and is not segregating to specific recreational populations... unless they are jet skiers  

Nip
www.dobass.com


----------



## john (Feb 14, 2005)

I happen to work with 2 guys that built big buck homes that you can toss a rock and hit the lake from their back yard ( I'm talking about Alum ) They are not fisherman they have jet skis and pleasure boats. They are constantly complaining about the tournaments on alum. I guess they don't like when they wake up at 10:00 go to the ramps and there is nowhere to park. As more people move into those big buck homes I'm sure some of them will have some influence that over time will cause us problems. I don't believe having mandatory conservation days will fix the problem, The bottom line is they don't want us having tournaments. Is this right? well of course it isn't, let face it guys,the only people that like Bass Tournaments are us!! If you remember ESPN had the bright idea that they was going to make Bass Fishing more popular, We see where that ended up. I often wonder If there is ever any pressure put on ODNR, that they will start limiting permits for tournaments. Just remember we as Bass fisherman are like Whales and the more we surface, It will only be a matter of time until we are harpooned


----------



## Marshall (Apr 11, 2004)

> I happen to work with 2 guys that built big buck homes that you can toss a rock and hit the lake from their back yard ( I'm talking about Alum ) They are not fisherman they have jet skis and pleasure boats. They are constantly complaining about the tournaments on alum. I guess they don't like when they wake up at 10:00 go to the ramps and there is nowhere to park.


Then tell them to move, all and tell them to get to the ramp at 4am and they should be fine, lots of places to park then.


----------



## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

> let face it guys,the only people that like Bass Tournaments are us!!


 are you just repeating a quote from someone else that you posted in the last discussion on this topic,or do you really believe that too?
the idea that all tourneys/tourney fishermen are bad is a common misconception only among "some" people.and it seems there's a common misconception among "some" tourney guys the "everyone else" hates them and their tourneys.on the contrary,i don't believe the majority on either side actually feels that way.


----------



## john (Feb 14, 2005)

Let me ask you a question, When you go to Griggs and you plan on fishing and 
As you pull in you see that a big rowing competition is going on you can't tell 
me you are happy about it. Or at Hoover if there is a big sailing competition that it makes you happy, But at Hoover there is enough room to compensate both. We don't like when we see Jet skis or skiers around when we are trying to fish. Good Lord, I was at a Bass Tournament once when a musky tournament was going on at the same time and There was more than a few people that was upset about that. My point is that I'm sure people get just as irritated with us as we with them. I'm sure the ODNR has some kind of mission statement that says its goal is to manage the waters for EVERYONE. And again there is only so much water. How would we feel if there was a rowing meet at Griggs on Tues & Wed nights, some Thurs nights, and some Saturday mornings And almost every Sunday? As stated earlier, you will never make everyone happy. We need to be open minded and remember if we police ourselves it will be more favorable for us as Bass fisherman.


----------



## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

i'm with you on all that stuff in a way.when i'm fishing hoover and the sailboats are out in force for an event,they usually have a particular area of the lake,so it doesn't effect me,because i don't fish that area much anyway.however,when they're just out for a day on the water and come slipping in on me,while having the rest of the lake open to them,yes i get upset.the rowers really are no problem for me either.
with griggs,you have a little different scenario,but the real problem i think is disrespect from a lot of jet jerks and skiers.if they stick to their space it shouldn't be a great problem,but that can be tough if the lake is overly crowded with all sorts of various activities.
alum is another story altogether
i'm guessing you don't dislike all others using the water,but only the ones who interfere with your fishing,much like myself
which is exactly why i do most of my fishing at hoover.there's something to be said for a nice quiet restricted lake  
and it sure is lots easier on my blood pressure 

btw,you pretty much nailed it here


> And again there is only so much water.


 as i mentioned earlier,there's way too little water for way too many people,that is the major problem in this state,and i don't know an acceptable solution for all.


----------



## Fish4Fun (Apr 6, 2004)

> I happen to work with 2 guys that built big buck homes that you can toss a rock and hit the lake from their back yard ( I'm talking about Alum ) They are not fisherman they have jet skis and pleasure boats. They are constantly complaining about the tournaments on alum


These types of statements on both sides tournament fisherman and pleasure boaters will always exist. LOL i don't frequent alum very much because the pleasure boaters or some of them any way don't have any respect they tie up the ramps preparing for the day they take up alot of parking with there big boat trailers and rigs that most are oversized for the lake. The sail boat people at least the ones i ran into the day me and trucked were at alum were a hoot. They had 6 vehicles blocking the ramp to put in one boat and wondered why i was pissed. They felt like they owned the lake. 

Everyone has a right to the lake. There are just some that understand curtiosy and how things should go on the water. While others think its all there for them.

Tournaments are already limited on all lakes to the number allowed on a daily basis. They come up with the numbers based on the available parking and ramp areas. So its nothing new for a tournament to be told to find another date that a tournament is already scheduled for that day. The lakes are for everyone. 

To all tournament directors the ODNR has also opened up there tournament information page were any tournament director can gain access and put in there catchs sizes etc for the circuit year. This will also help with the study of the lakes as well and catch rates etc.


----------



## Nipididdee (Apr 19, 2004)

There is actually other special event groups who use public waters!?  They should do something about that!

I often see a patrol specially mandated for sailing clubs- Portage and Berlin. That would be nice for some of my larger events, especially in the early morning rounding up everyone to the state designated location to takeoff from. They haven't offered yet...

The official response for this region regarding parking at ramps is first come first served. Thats seems logical and fair and honestly- 90 percent of the events I have seen run in this region go exceptionally well as to flow. It's the 10 percent that kills us. We are pretty identifiable with all the banners and such! Makes it easy to point a finger at us after someone looses their rig on the concrete while screaming at their wife to hit the brakes  

I built a new home about 10 years ago facing a main road near a four way stop. My bedroom window overlooks the road. I called the Highway Patrol to see if they could re-route early morning rush traffic as to not impose upon my sleep. They told me it was a public road and people could drive on it within limits of the law at any hour of the day. Maybe the guy on Alum will get a better response.  

Is it snowing yet??? The new improved dobass site is almost done!

Nip
www.dobass.com


----------



## ss minnow (Aug 11, 2005)

This topic comes up repeatedly. Tournament people want to fish tournaments all the time. And why not? It is fun, wholesome, exciting entertainment. People should and do have that right. Others want their fishing less frequent, yet productive like Andy, Opie and Aunt Bea had it. Both types of fishing unfortunately clash when attempted on the same bodies of water. Tournament fishermen get blamed for leaving the fish "pressured" and not wanting to bite, amoung other things, but primarilary leaving Andy, Opie and Aunt Bea with less and smaller fish.
Boaters also deserve their space.
Nice-weather weekends in the north are scarce and cherrished.
In the words of Rodney King, " Why can't we all get along?"
I know that is corny but deserves concideration. 
The balance is my opinion. I concider fishing a back to nature activity. Modern advances can enhance the limited time we have for recreation, yet in ways can diminish much of the experience. Tournaments and technology repeatedly combing limited amounts water reduce the natural experience, yet I realize there is slim to no chance of turning back the clock.


----------



## Nipididdee (Apr 19, 2004)

I pushed Opie into the water off the dock, stole Aunt b's worms and taught Andy how to whistle the Bill Dance theme song after I cast in front of him...    

Where you been SS ???? I thought about you as I weighed-in two expired fish on Erie this past summer... I stink!!!  Aereators have to function to avoid that stuff! Then like an idiot, I held one for my pic taken for FLW web with one of 'em... I'm ridiculous what can I say!

That was my only bad deal the entire season though. I saved several in return  lucky they went for aride with me!

Nip


----------

