# Dead bass at Mosquito lake



## landin hawgs (Jan 27, 2008)

There were 4 bass floating at the causeway ramp yest evening. 1 of them was still breathing upside down. Anyone know what was going on? Fish kill. They were all keeper size bass.


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## the weav (Mar 22, 2007)

Tournament release?


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## landin hawgs (Jan 27, 2008)

the weav said:


> Tournament release?


I'd hate to think that, if so, upsetting. 😡


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## the weav (Mar 22, 2007)

Dont think its that uncommon in the summer.
I think its better now than in the early 90s when I fished tourneys


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## bassclef (Jul 25, 2013)

I wonder if this has anything to do with it:





Last Chance Event Mosquito Lake July 23/24 | PA B.A.S.S. Nation







pabassnation.com


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## the weav (Mar 22, 2007)

Mortality rates I would say are highest the day of or next day.
But it could have been lots of things.


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## berkshirepresident (Jul 24, 2013)

Did the tourney release the bass at the causeway ramp? Sure looks like it. Can't be a coincidence, me thinks.
If there aren't dead bass elsewhere on the lake, it's a bad look for BASS, IMHO.
That's very troubling, to say the least.
If caused by the tourney, what did these fish die for?
It doesn't seem fair/right that a PA bass tourney group is fishing in a lake that is completely in Ohio.....to me, at least.


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## ducky152000 (Jul 20, 2005)

Come on....its perfectly legal to keep 5 bass over 12 inches to take home and eat. Just because a few die from a tournament should not give tournaments a bad rap. Let's consider the revenue that tournaments give to local businesses. These guys buy their lisence and enjoy tournament fishing. What if all bass guys were like walleye fishermen that would keep their 5 fish for the table. How bout the guys that just enjoy catch and release fishing that happen to gut hook a fish or two once n awhile and let's that fish go to most likely die. Those fish will go through the circle of life and turn to food too crawdad, channelcats, turtles insects and so on. I think we have more to worry about than a few fish dieing from a tournament.


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## the weav (Mar 22, 2007)

FWIW we might be surprised at the mortality rate of any fish released in the summer.
Iam not against tournaments at all


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## berkshirepresident (Jul 24, 2013)

Walleye have a much quicker growth rate than bass.
Many bass tournaments now employ a catch 'n release system to keep this very thing from happening. Kudos to them.
If you live near Mosquito or like to fish it, why should your favorite fishery take a hit from a tourney?
These fish likely died a senseless death.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

Are we pretending we didn’t know some fish die from catch and release tournaments? Its been common knowledge for years, maybe decades. 4 fish isn’t the end of the world.


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## landin hawgs (Jan 27, 2008)

The bass looked very healthy, no lesions, fat and tails were in excellent condition. If a tournament why didn't they just keep them and eat them rather than letting them rot in the weeds? Very wasteful. These fish didn't swim away very well I would think.


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

Personally I have fished bass tournaments for more than 30 years. I have a pro air system that injects air into the water of my live well, I have an Oxygenator in the live well as well. I treat the water with chemicals. I've installed vents in my live well lids to allow the build of of carbon dioxide to escape, and when the water is this hot, I even treat it with ice to cool the water slightly. And I have still had fish that died in the live well.

The state limit for largemouth is 5 bass per angler. The team bass tournaments in this area all have a 5 fish limit per boat. instead of the 10 that would be allowed on the boat because their are two anglers in it. They do this in part because they don't want live well over crowding. Even when the daily limit was 6 per angler, it was still a 5 fish limit. Again, to reduce live well over crowding

Look, I get the whole it's not a good look for bass tournaments to have dead fish floating around after a tournament. but it happens even with the best of fish care. Even B.A.S.S has fish die and they have tanks with water in them for anglers to exchange water in their weigh in bags. As Ducky said, we aren't taking home limit after limit and eating them. Imagine what the bass population would be at lakes like Mosquito if every competitor took their 5 fish home and ate them.

Please let's not make it sound as if the bass tournament guys don't care about dead fish just as much as the general public. Because we do. You take a fish home and eat it, and your chances of catching it again are 0%. Same as if it died in a live well or after being released. We catch and release because we want to catch the same fish again.


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

Don’t kayak bass tourneys just measure(maybe weigh? maybe take a pic?) and release the fish as soon as caught! I think their mortality rate has to be practically nil! I saw a K-touney once, I think that's how they did it, wasn’t paying that much attention(busy reading OGF posts)! I keep seeing these negative threads and thinking this would be better for the glitter boat boys, IMO!


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## berkshirepresident (Jul 24, 2013)

Some tourneys with "real" boats have you quickly weigh the fish and put it back. Good practice, IMHO.


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## RJH68 (Sep 3, 2019)

Bass Lives Matter…..


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## landin hawgs (Jan 27, 2008)

M.Magis said:


> Are we pretending we didn’t know some fish die from catch and release tournaments? Its been common knowledge for years, maybe decades. 4 fish isn’t the end of the world.





berkshirepresident said:


> Walleye have a much quicker growth rate than bass.
> Many bass tournaments now employ a catch 'n release system to keep this very thing from happening. Kudos to them.
> If you live near Mosquito or like to fish it, why should your favorite fishery take a hit from a tourney?
> These fish likely died a senseless death.


I've been bass fishing all the local lakes for years and I have never seen a group of dead bass like this. I suppose that's a good thing, meaning that most swim away and survive. But when it's hot like this, it's a tournament fisherman's responsibility to prevent this. I like the ideas presented about oxygenation and cooling the water and chemicals to help. But it all costs time and money and you know how that goes. And the attitude that 4 dead bass isn't the end of the world is true but I hate to see dieing rotting bass when it could have been prevented. That is if that's what I saw, could have been other reasons for the dead bass, I also saw 1 dead bluegill and a dead catfish that had been there a while. All the bass were fresh.


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## berkshirepresident (Jul 24, 2013)

FWIW, these four could have all come from the same angler.........


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## RossN (Mar 12, 2021)

Largemouth taste like crap, especially in warm water.

Fun for catch and release.

Maybe require tournament fisherman to fish barbless. Hell, maybe I should fish barbless...


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## Southernsaug (May 23, 2019)

I am not on either side here in any way, but I do have some expertise in the area (actually a lot). I would suspect these are release moralities and I think it's a high probability it's one angler's catch. Someone didn't recirculate a live well or something. It happens. The down side is usually only about 1/3 of dead fish float. The rest go to the bottom and are never seen. I know this from observing millions over my career. There is not a lot that can be done to mitigate high water temps and low oxygen this time of year. Bassbeme has a pretty good approach with his system. 



> I have a pro air system that injects air into the water of my live well, I have an Oxygenator in the live well as well. I treat the water with chemicals. I've installed vents in my live well lids to allow the build of of carbon dioxide to escape, and when the water is this hot, I even treat it with ice to cool the water slightly. And I have still had fish that died in the live well.


If fish are kept in a separate tank by tournament officials they need tempered back to lake water slowly. Same goes for iced down fish. Thermal shock is a real thing. I am hesitant to offer this advice, but I will with a *READ CAREFULLY WARNING. *A little uniodized salt added to your live wells will help reduce stress and act as an osmoregulator. *DO NOT USE TABLE SALT, IODINE KILLS FISH FAST! USE PICKLING SALT. * It doesn't take much, a 1/4 cup is plenty.


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

landin hawgs said:


> The bass looked very healthy, no lesions, fat and tails were in excellent condition. If a tournament why didn't they just keep them and eat them rather than letting them rot in the weeds? Very wasteful. These fish didn't swim away very well I would think.


because the tourney fisherman…(which, Contrary to popular belief, is probably a very ethical fishermen and actually has more ethics than most outdoorsman), could have very well been thinking he was releasing a healthy fish back to the lake. it just happened to die, because that's what happens with the lower oxygen levels in the hot weather. Sometimes that happened at tournaments… it doesn't happen a lot… And it's darn sure not as bad as seeing 500 small bluegill laying dead on the ice in the winter


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## berkshirepresident (Jul 24, 2013)

9Left said:


> because the tourney fisherman…(which, Contrary to popular belief, is probably a very ethical fishermen and actually has more ethics than most outdoorsman),


You mean the guy seen by many to be exploiting a natural resource for a potential cash payout?
You mean the guy who kills fish (intentionally or not) but doesn't harvest/eat them?
You mean the guy who expects you to move from "his" spot on a public lake b/c he's "fishing a tournament"?

While I don't necessarily begrudge tournament fisherman, I totally disagree with this part of your post.

Something to ponder: how many guys get busted for cheating in a tournament.....bass, walleye, what have you?

Why do Tournaments that have a catch and release in place insist on a co-angler or judge witness the weighing of the fish? 

Some people will do anything for money. There is NO basis to put tournament anglers into a higher level of honesty or sportsmanship. 

Not saying they're lesser. Just that there is no reason to consider them greater....IMHO.


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

berkshirepresident said:


> .
> 
> Not saying they're lesser.


👌


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

what's the difference between you catching a bass in the summer,taking a picture and showing it to everybody ,and the tournament guy catching a bass in the summer and winning a few bucks?
... there is no difference...

...he collects a check, you get recognition and a bunch of high-fives for your picture… You're both doing it for recognition… You're no better than anyone else.
And you have absolutely no idea if the fish that you caught, survived after you released it.

Get off your high horse


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## landin hawgs (Jan 27, 2008)

9Left said:


> what's the difference between you catching a bass in the summer,taking a picture and showing it to everybody ,and the tournament guy catching a bass in the summer and winning a few bucks?
> ... there is no difference...
> 
> ...he collects a check, you get recognition and a bunch of high-fives for your picture… You're both doing it for recognition… You're no better than anyone else.
> ...


The difference is us recreational guys immediately release the bass, we don't drag them around the lake for 6 hours then try to release them all beat up.


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## Shad Rap (Nov 10, 2010)

9Left said:


> what's the difference between you catching a bass in the summer,taking a picture and showing it to everybody ,and the tournament guy catching a bass in the summer and winning a few bucks?
> ... there is no difference...
> 
> ...he collects a check, you get recognition and a bunch of high-fives for your picture… You're both doing it for recognition… You're no better than anyone else.
> ...


He doesn't know how to get off his horse...he loves it...my man thinks he's better/smarter than everyone else...all you gotta do is read some of his posts...a real einstein about absolutely everything...needs to change his name to 'Mr.Perfect.'


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## berkshirepresident (Jul 24, 2013)

9Left said:


> what's the difference between you catching a bass in the summer,taking a picture and showing it to everybody ,and the tournament guy catching a bass in the summer and winning a few bucks?
> ... there is no difference...
> 
> ...he collects a check, you get recognition and a bunch of high-fives for your picture… You're both doing it for recognition… You're no better than anyone else.
> ...


The point that I made is that your notion that tournament anglers are inherently honest or always practicing good sportsmanship is not accurate.....IMHO.


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## berkshirepresident (Jul 24, 2013)

Shad Rap said:


> He doesn't know how to get off his horse...he loves it...my man thinks he's better/smarter than everyone else...all you gotta do is read some of his posts...a real einstein about absolutely everything...needs to change his name to 'Mr.Perfect.'


Just because I'm smarter about the NFL than you are, doesn't mean you can take it out on me in this Forum. 
BTW: have you seen the number of sportswriters who are predicting the Browns to finish in last place in the AFC North this year?
When that happens, will you acknowledge my ability to predict the future? 
Doesn't necessarily mean squat.....but it should help you see how dysfunctional this cursed franchise is.


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## Whitley (Sep 10, 2010)

berkshirepresident said:


> The point that I made is that your notion that tournament anglers are inherently honest or always practicing good sportsmanship is not accurate.....IMHO.


I believe that humility is the key to my greatness.


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## Hatchetman (Apr 13, 2004)

berkshirepresident said:


> The point that I made is that your notion that tournament anglers are inherently honest or always practicing good sportsmanship is not accurate.....IMHO.



Your posts on tournament fishing confirms what I have thought for a long long time. You are very impressed with yourself and everyone else is below you. I have fished tourny's for over 50 years and watched them evolve from fish on a stringer to the most modern livewells you can get, If you do some research you will see how much info on bass survival rates, both from tournaments and recreational fishing has been gathered by biologists. Millions upon millions of bass have been saved from the info from bass fisherman in tournaments. As far as your accusations of cheating in theses tourny's, show me all the info you have on this "cheating". Very very few times has it happened. These guys will not put up with anyone cheating, not saying it hasn't happened because it has but what form of competition hasn't had it? Make an accusation, back it up and you can't. Fish die whether caught fun fishing or tournament fishing, plus you get bonus points for making sure your fish are in good shape. So like someone else said....Get off your high horse....but I think your riding a donkey anyhow....


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## berkshirepresident (Jul 24, 2013)

Hatchetman said:


> Your posts on tournament fishing confirms what I have thought for a long long time. You are very impressed with yourself and everyone else is below you. I have fished tourny's for over 50 years and watched them evolve from fish on a stringer to the most modern livewells you can get, If you do some research you will see how much info on bass survival rates, both from tournaments and recreational fishing has been gathered by biologists. Millions upon millions of bass have been saved from the info from bass fisherman in tournaments. As far as your accusations of cheating in theses tourny's, show me all the info you have on this "cheating". Very very few times has it happened. These guys will not put up with anyone cheating, not saying it hasn't happened because it has but what form of competition hasn't had it? Make an accusation, back it up and you can't. Fish die whether caught fun fishing or tournament fishing, plus you get bonus points for making sure your fish are in good shape. So like someone else said....Get off your high horse....but I think your riding a donkey anyhow....


You couldn't be more wrong about me if you tried.....but it's still a Free Country....so have at it.
I did not accuse tournament fishermen of being cheaters. Rather, I rebuffed the notion posted by 9Left that bass tournament fishermen are inherently more honest than other people. There is no basis to back that up at all.
As far as evidence in cheating in any tournaments, all that you have to do is go back to the Fall Brawl in recent years....multiple times. And yes....I partake in the Brawl myself.
Not everyone likes fishing tournaments.....but they have the right to like or dislike them as they please.
Now, I have to get back on my ladder to feed my tall horse and donkey their lunch.....


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## berkshirepresident (Jul 24, 2013)

For those who can't tell on their own without further explanation, the smiling face emoji that I used in post #28 means that I'm kidding/joking around.......
Shad Rap and I disagree about football quite often....which is fine....and I believe still allowed.


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

As I said earlier, I have been fishing bass tournaments for more than 30 years. About 38 years actually. And yes, over that time I have seen some real idiot tournament competitors. I have fished tournaments were people were caught cheating. And I am sure there have been those that have cheated, but they didn't get caught. I have had other tournament competitors come up and start fishing close enough for me to pitch a bait into their boat. I have also had regular "fisherman" come and fish right beside me when they see me catching fish. Some of them even with smaller children on the boat with them. 

I have been buzzed by fisherman and pleasure boaters. Been flipped off for absolutely no reason because I asked other non tournament people to give me a little room. Meaning do you really need to almost hit my boat as you troll by me? I have many other stories about rude non tournament fisherman being a jerk to me and other bass tournament guys because they have the same attitude that bass tournament guys are accused of having.

As far as fish care goes, let's not go there. I have see far worse things done to fish by non tournament anglers, just for the sake of getting a picture of it. And believe me, I am only mentioning this kind of stuff because of the generalizations being made about bass tournament guys. 

We aren't all the same, just as all non tournament people aren't the same. 

Look in the mirror before you cast stones, because chances are someone could make the same accusations about you.


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## baitguy (Dec 17, 2013)

landin hawgs said:


> The difference is us recreational guys immediately release the bass, we don't drag them around the lake for 6 hours then try to release them all beat up.


what he said ...


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## Willyfield (Apr 1, 2007)

SouthernSaug on page 1 stated that you do not see most of the fish that die. I have a one acre bass pond 60 feet behind my back door, and can state what he said is 100% accurate. He is probably off when he said only one third of dead bass float. It's a LOT less than that. My pond is 20 years old, and I stare at it many hours a day since it's right over there outside my window where I have a full view of it. I have seen MAYBE 20 dead bass floating in my pond in all of those years, and almost all of those are right after ice out. A bass only lives to be about 6 years old, so what happened to the 150 I stocked in 2002? What happened to the 7 pound pond record caught a few years ago? I surely would have seen that one floating. Instead the dead bass, dead bluegill, and the dead channel cats sink into the abyss never to be seen again (think of a salmon stream) Even when I fish my bass and return them immediately some die every year. I rarely fish them in the summer heat because of this. Hauling fish around in a live well is killing a lot more of them than you think. Probably most.


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## westbranchbob (Jan 1, 2011)

This post has been an interesting read, I think we need muskie tournaments with monster weigh- ins....lol.

Sent from my SM-G990U using Tapatalk


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## Workingman (Jan 21, 2016)

If we're all concerned with fish being killed by fishermen, we should all quit fishing! That being said, I don't like things going to waste.!!!


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

westbranchbob said:


> This post has been an interesting read,
> Sent from my SM-G990U using Tapatalk


Not really interesting… I would call it funny… Considering the whole damn thing is based on an assumption of how a fish died


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

I'll just close my posting to this thread with this ..... very true. Not all dead bass float to the surface. 

A bass only lives about 6 years? You might want to look that up.

If left to die of natural causes, and in water that is actually fit for a fish to survive in ....... just because it's water doesn't mean it will support life ........ bass live a lot longer than 6 years. Especially in northern climates. The health of the water, available forage, and so on has a lot to do with how long a bass can live. 

Probably most fish released from being in a live well all day, die.

Now let's think about that. And Mosquito is a great example of this............ if most of the bass caught and put in live wells for the day, died. Just how many bass do you think would be left in Mosquito? Do you have any idea at all how many bass tournaments are held on Mosquito per year? Any idea of how many fish are brought to the scales at Mosquito for even a small tournament? Probably not. Don't get me wrong. I know there are bass that die after being released at a weigh in, that we never see. But to say that most of them die is just plain, not right. 

As I said earlier .... we really need to think about what we say, and what we call people out for because I am quite certain that people do things that even though they release the fish quickly, cause that fish to die. Heck, if you want to get technical about, simply taking a fish out of the water causes that fish injury. Their bodies are surrounded and supported by a medium that is 5 times more dense than air If you bring a fish that was 10 feet deep and up into the air, the difference is even more pronounced. Or how about the practice of using ultra light rods, or rods that are way under powered to catch larger fish. The prolonged fight causes lactic acid build which can cause the fish to die even after is swims away quickly.

You don't have to take a fish home to eat, to kill it. And that is true of all fisherman. 

Fish die, and yes, when I have a fish die in a tournament, I think it died needlessly. But that isn't going to stop me from fishing bass tournaments. I do what I can to ensure the survival of the fish I catch. And I know many other tournament anglers that do the same thing. When one dead fish can be the difference between first place, and being out of the money. You do your best to keep your fish alive.


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## jjmar (Sep 19, 2014)

Call it whatever you want, or justify tournaments.
It comes down to just being wanton waste.


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## DHower08 (Nov 20, 2015)

jjmar said:


> Call it whatever you want, or justify tournaments.
> It comes down to just being wanton waste.


Not even close. Wanton waste is purposefully killing an animal just for the sheer fact of killing it and purposely leaving it to rot. Alot of times when you release a fish from a livewell it will swim away fine but could die later on. Sometimes they go tits up then recover, you just never know.


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## joebertin (Mar 26, 2010)

I arrived at Lake Erie, Conneaut launch, late in the afternoon to find about a dozen big smallmouth floating belly up in the diagonal launch. Three guys were in the water trying to revive the fish after the tournament. I still find the memory disturbing.

This was in the late 90's. Hopefully things have gotten better.

"100 boat" tournaments occur at Mosquito regularly. Seems to be a lot of pressure for that lake. I used to fish it often, not anymore, because of repercussions.

Tournaments for beating each other senseless, eating, and fishing are disturbing.

Humanity has quite a bit to learn yet.


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## Willyfield (Apr 1, 2007)

Bassbme said:


> I'll just close my posting to this thread with this ..... very true. Not all dead bass float to the surface.
> 
> A bass only lives about 6 years? You might want to look that up.
> 
> ...


okay Iooked it up again:
Bass in cooler areas tend to live longer. The maximum would be 16 to 20 years. *The average bass would usually live 5 to 10 years.*


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## berkshirepresident (Jul 24, 2013)

I believe that there are two strains of largemouth bass in the U.S.
The Southern strain gets bigger, has a faster metabolism, but has a reduced life expectancy.
The Northern strain does not get as big, has a growth rate of roughly half the Southern strain....but lives roughly twice as long as the Southern strain.
Some say you can catch the Southern strain on quality Kentucky Bourbon and girls wearing Daisy Duke shorts.....but I can't back that up.


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## westbranchbob (Jan 1, 2011)

Tbh are we really arguing that tournaments have a less negative impact on lakes than recreational fisherman? That seems silly, most of these guys are pros catching way more than the actual recreational fisherman. Add to that they only keep the largest fish for weigh in and the math tells you everything you need to know. Tournaments pit more big fish at risk than recreational fishing every day all day. That being said I also find it to be a necessity for the amount of good they do for the lakes they frequently fish. More tournament fisherman are plugged into more forms of conservation than the average recreational fisherman all day every day. Seems to me like it's a wash. 

Sent from my SM-G990U using Tapatalk


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## dennyk (Apr 10, 2012)

With all the money tied up into bass fishing the addition of cameras and certified scales, if some anglers don't already have them, would allow for immediate release. That is with proper supervision of course.


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## Popspastime (Apr 1, 2014)

You guys can bitch about a few dead bass, sometimes more. On the other hand think about the guys fun fishing on Erie pulling fish from 30+ feet and dropping them back in. Every one is dead, but nothing ever said. Think about it.. I've handled thousands of them and NEVER handled one with a ripped mouth thats been caught before. Think about that.


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## westbranchbob (Jan 1, 2011)

Popspastime said:


> You guys can bitch about a few dead bass, sometimes more. On the other hand think about the guys fun fishing on Erie pulling fish from 30+ feet and dropping them back in. Every one is dead, but nothing ever said. Think about it.. I've handled thousands of them and NEVER handled one with a ripped mouth thats been caught before. Think about that.


This has been nothing more than a bunch of finger pointing...there are negatives to both sides and that's all that's being discussed. Get over yourselves, ....everyone wants to point out how the other guy is worse than you...there are bad examples plenty on both sides so this "finger pointing" can go on forever without getting anywhere...ya'll starting to sound like a government lol. How about someone brining some true conservation facts to the table and work on how to solve issues on both sides...smh...arm chair biologists. Lol

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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Fish tournament kill has been argued for years and will most likely continue to be argued for many more.
Disagree...or choose to agree to disagree...either way let's please do it without any name calling.
Thanks.


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## kingfisher42 (May 7, 2009)

Im mainly a rec bass guy being a mailman and working saturdays. I follow tournies and they are good for sport. Fish a few with my buddy when his son cant. My biggest issues is there are too many of them. Especially in Ohio with size of our lakes. The ODNR needs to make them apply and only allow one a day on our lakes. Something that may help with dead bass is stop having them in July and August. The extreme heat do not help them fish in the livewell. Or shorten the length of day. Be done by11/12. Then you would be off water before a lot of pleasure boaters are out. My buddy uses frozen bottles war to help keep it cool.


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## Ten Bears (Jan 12, 2012)

landin hawgs said:


> View attachment 492110
> 
> View attachment 492111
> View attachment 492112
> ...


Tournaments should be banned. The participants care less about the fish than getting prize money.


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## Hatchetman (Apr 13, 2004)

Ten Bears said:


> Tournaments should be banned. The participants care less about the fish than getting prize money.


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## NewbreedFishing (Apr 15, 2004)

I agree that there are way too many tourneys on alot of lakes.
They should be limited.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## CanoeRat (Nov 25, 2020)

joebertin said:


> I arrived at Lake Erie, Conneaut launch, late in the afternoon to find about a dozen big smallmouth floating belly up in the diagonal launch. Three guys were in the water trying to revive the fish after the tournament. I still find the memory disturbing.
> 
> This was in the late 90's. Hopefully things have gotten better.
> 
> ...


Yea, I have seen this happen also - to me the worst thing that I hate seeing is these guys fishing these big tournaments and bed fishing. The future of bass depends on these beds and they destroy them. An entire years worth of bass is gone because of this. DNR outta make it catch and release in the Spring. You would think that bass fishermen, of all people, should know better.


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## Doboy (Oct 13, 2008)

First off,,, a story.
We were crappie fishing the Monday after a tourney.
'AFTER',,, 'cause WE can't stand the stop/ go/ fly here/ fly there 100,000 times a day weed choppers!)
( I hope that doesn't sound TOO prejudice!? :<(

There we were, Fishing the east side of Skeeter, with winds out of the West.
A Yaker stopped by & asked us if we were fishing for bass, & if so, do we keep & eat them. I said NO NIETHER. WHY?
This guy said that he just paddles around the shoreline, in & out of the coves, depending on where the wind was blowing. 
*HE ALREADY 'NETTED' A LIMIT OF FLOUNDERING BASS, & WAS SELECTIVELY TOSSING BACK THE SMALLER ONES, FOR THE LARGER. He hated to do so, so he wanted to hand us a LIMIT of bass!
After questioning him, he said that doesn't even have a pole, & hasn't needed one for years.
He just waits for a good yak day, after a tournament, & gets all the fish his family could ever eat.



I posted this exact story many years ago, back when 'WE' were trying to come up with a better solution,,, a better way to keep the THROW-BACK, AFTER A WEIGH-IN, BASS ALIVE.

And here we are again, many years later,,,, hashing it all over again!



WAY-WAY back,,, my Catholic School teacher once said,,,
"A single man, alone on a deserted Island has no competition, nothing to prove. The DEVIL will most likely never show."
"The congregating of competitive groups of people, will soon be the Devils work"


"As soon as you add the $, it is no longer a sport, it is a 'Competition'.
"The 'COMPETITIONS' of man, will eventually lead to greed, & destroy all." (even those bass!)
(Doboy ;>)*


Why, do we hardly ever see (hundreds of) floating walleyes floundering on the surface of ERIE???


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## Popspastime (Apr 1, 2014)

The DNR issues permits for these events. They must think it's ok the way it's been going.


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## Southernsaug (May 23, 2019)

I am going to confess something that will not set well with you Bass anglers. As a Saugeye fisherman I am usually more unhappy with bass tournaments than I am indifferent or happy. Without going into any detail I will just say there has been more negative interactions then positive. I always liked to fish Mondays to avoid the crowds and I have seen a lot of dead bass on MOndays after tournaments. I actually think that the bass population is strong enough in most lakes to tolerate some loss. Hey if all the Bass died they wouldn't catch any and they wouldn't have anymore tournaments. I just don't know why a certain percentage of tournament bass anglers have to be total tools. Most are not but the super competitive guys are just aweful to be around. 

I'll tell one of my stories. I was trolling for Saugeye in rocky Fork Lake one Saturday and as I trolled across a bay a Bass angler was coming out. He never let off and i had to stop to let him cut across in front of me. He was at idol and pulled close enough we could speak. I asked if his was in the big tournament and I got a growl back, "of course I am". I said, I know where you can win it at, becasue I had run through a school of big hog bass suspennded off the island point". He looked at me with disdain and yelled at me, "I hate you [email protected]@king Saugeye fishing bastards, your always in my way". Then he went full throttle and rooster tailed me. I had my big boat that day (19" deck boat ) or he would have swamped me. I was furious to say the least. A little later a guy cruises by fishing the tournament and he politely asked if I am doing any good on Saugeye and I say just a few shorts and a couple keepers. He seems very nice. I asked him if he wanted a tip that would win him the tournament and he said sure. So I told him about the school suspended at 9' off the island point. I also told him I fished the lake 3-5 days every week and when the hogs are there it's easy picking with cranks. He immediately pulled his trolling motor and asked if I'd lead him there, and I did. I left him setting up and went to our dock lease and met the family for a day of pleasure boating. About three hours later we came in and I saw him still locked down on the point. So I eased over and asked, aren't you getting any of those Bass? He grinned a huge grin and said, I have my limit and they're all hogs, I know I have won this tournament and I have never won one, I could climb in your boat and kiss you". He then said he was just keeping the spot tied up and trying to cull. I told him about the other guy and he said he was pretty sure he knew who he was. I asked him to be sure and tell everyone at the weighh in he owed his big win to a Saugeye Fisherman's tip, in a Prince craft deck boat. I saw him again later that summer at another tournament and he came to me and said the other guy accually tried to file a complaint to get him disqualified for taking a tip. He said it didn't work. These kind of experiences sour many on Bass fishing.


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## ducky152000 (Jul 20, 2005)

Southernsaug said:


> I am going to confess something that will not set well with you Bass anglers. As a Saugeye fisherman I am usually more unhappy with bass tournaments than I am indifferent or happy. Without going into any detail I will just say there has been more negative interactions then positive. I always liked to fish Mondays to avoid the crowds and I have seen a lot of dead bass on MOndays after tournaments. I actually think that the bass population is strong enough in most lakes to tolerate some loss. Hey if all the Bass died they wouldn't catch any and they wouldn't have anymore tournaments. I just don't know why a certain percentage of tournament bass anglers have to be total tools. Most are not but the super competitive guys are just aweful to be around.
> 
> I'll tell one of my stories. I was trolling for Saugeye in rocky Fork Lake one Saturday and as I trolled across a bay a Bass angler was coming out. He never let off and i had to stop to let him cut across in front of me. He was at idol and pulled close enough we could speak. I asked if his was in the big tournament and I got a growl back, "of course I am". I said, I know where you can win it at, becasue I had run through a school of big hog bass suspennded off the island point". He looked at me with disdain and yelled at me, "I hate you [email protected]@king Saugeye fishing bastards, your always in my way". Then he went full throttle and rooster tailed me. I had my big boat that day (19" deck boat ) or he would have swamped me. I was furious to say the least. A little later a guy cruises by fishing the tournament and he politely asked if I am doing any good on Saugeye and I say just a few shorts and a couple keepers. He seems very nice. I asked him if he wanted a tip that would win him the tournament and he said sure. So I told him about the school suspended at 9' off the island point. I also told him I fished the lake 3-5 days every week and when the hogs are there it's easy picking with cranks. He immediately pulled his trolling motor and asked if I'd lead him there, and I did. I left him setting up and went to our dock lease and met the family for a day of pleasure boating. About three hours later we came in and I saw him still locked down on the point. So I eased over and asked, aren't you getting any of those Bass? He grinned a huge grin and said, I have my limit and they're all hogs, I know I have won this tournament and I have never won one, I could climb in your boat and kiss you". He then said he was just keeping the spot tied up and trying to cull. I told him about the other guy and he said he was pretty sure he knew who he was. I asked him to be sure and tell everyone at the weighh in he owed his big win to a Saugeye Fisherman's tip, in a Prince craft deck boat. I saw him again later that summer at another tournament and he came to me and said the other guy accually tried to file a complaint to get him disqualified for taking a tip. He said it didn't work. These kind of experiences sour many on Bass fishing.


I have no doubt that has happened, but this finger pointing is simply pointless.... I fish bass and walleye tournaments both. I also pleasure fish for both. And have seen what you have mentioned come from both bass and walleye anglers in a tournament. I have seen this stuff come from guys just fishing, from both walleye/saugeye and bass anglers. So the the truth is your gonna have 
A**holes no matter what sometimes.


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## Southernsaug (May 23, 2019)

ducky152000 said:


> And have seen what you have mentioned come from both bass and walleye anglers in a tournament. I have seen this stuff come from guys just fishing, from both walleye/saugeye and bass anglers. So the the truth is your gonna have
> A**holes no matter what sometimes.


This is a true statement and I wouldn't argue it's not. I have had bad experiences with recreational anglers as well. We all need to just treat each other with a bit more kindness


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## Whitley (Sep 10, 2010)




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## HappySnag (Dec 20, 2007)

if you fish turnaments for fun,you can not control everybody.
but you can make that dumb proof ,noubody is puting fish in risk to die.
it is very simple.
mesure the fish,take picture and release fish.
if you like to eat the fish,cut troat and put on ice.
no culing any spiecies of fish in sport fishing or turnament.

i troled and got limit eyes.one was bad hooked and was 16" i kept her.
i had my limit i started fishing for perch,i hooked 29" eye.i did not had to think what to do i had my limit eyes redy,i took picture and release her.that was that simple.


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## kingfisher42 (May 7, 2009)

Popspastime said:


> The DNR issues permits for these events. They must think it's ok the way it's been going.


THEY DONT ALL GET THE PERMITS THO


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## DHower08 (Nov 20, 2015)

kingfisher42 said:


> THEY DONT ALL GET THE PERMITS THO


For a tournament that size they got the permits. Id bet my house on it. 

Yes some small tourneys they dont get them, most of those are super tiny under 15 boats


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## Macky (Mar 1, 2013)

the weav said:


> Tournament release?


I seen a nice sized Largemouth dead at the Espyville ramp on Pymatuning Sunday, I'm guessing tournament release as Iv'e seen fish get released there from tournaments.


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## REEL GRIP (Jan 11, 2013)

Sticky subject I'm staying out of...But.... Would like to mention, majority of the tournament
fish kill, doesn't happen at the ramp, takes 7 to 10 days to occur. Information on this is endless...Look it up.


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