# Walleye tournament question.



## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

I'm not sure if this question belongs here or not, but here goes.

Is there a penalty for weighing in dead fish at a walleye tournament? I'm not casting aspersions or anything. I'm just curious. When I watch a walleye tournament on TV, or see pictures posted of fish caught, most of the fish are dead. 

Are walleye just really hard to keep alive in a live well? Or are the live wells on walleye boats just not adequate enough to keep a limit of fish alive for an entire day? I've kept a few walleye (never a daily limit) in the live well on a bass boat, and they're always alive and in good shape at the end of the day. 

I know bass that are caught from deep water will die in a live well if something isn't done to relieve pressure in their air bladder. Although from what I understand that's usually only fish that come from 20' of water or more. Is that why walleye end up dying? Also ...... who gets to keep the fish after a weigh in? The angler that caught them, or do they become the property of tournament organization once they are presented for weigh in?

Once again, I'm not casting aspersions. Being a bass tournament guy, I just really don't know how walleye tournaments are run. So I'm curious.

Thanks for any replies.


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## K gonefishin (May 4, 2004)

Yes and No.

Walleye tourney's are mostly kill tourney's especially great lakes tourney's. In many you have to bring them in alive, they get checked and there are dead fish penalties in SOME events some NO depends on the event. Also in many walleye tourney's the weigh in is held offsite at a Cabelas or in the past at a walmart at the now defunt FLW walleye trail which is now NWT. Although the fish got checked alive, boats will trailer a few miles out of the water to that weigh in site..obviously the fish are dead. 

In colder water and fish pulled from shallow water they live in livewells much much better. Summer fish are much harder to keep alive. Another factor is that walleye tourney's in most cases don't take place on calm water and often require runs in excess of 20-30 even 50 miles, they get their asses kicked in the livewell. While running around. Although walleye boat livewells are pretty large like in my boat my Ranger as a 50 inch livewell and has a 3 speed recirc you put 5 big walleye in it it's fairly crowed. I put 5 small fish under 5 pounds they stay alive all day fairly easy, change those fish out to 7-10 pounders it gets much harder.


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

Thanks for the response K. I didn't think of the rough water runs you guys have to make. That surely makes a difference in fish health. And I can see how 5 fish over 7 lbs could eat up a lot of oxygen. Everything you mentioned makes sense. Who gets to keep the dead fish? Are they tournament property like the bass tournaments I fish? Or do the anglers that caught get to take them once the tournament is over? That could amount to a lot of tasty filets.

Thanks again for the reply.


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## 1bogey (Jul 29, 2009)

In the harvest tournaments the fish are donated to local food banks and civic organizations.


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

Very cool Bogey...... figured it was something like that. And thank you for the reply


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## Papascott (Apr 22, 2004)

Ohio mandates that all lake Erie walleye tournaments are catch and kill. Some circuits donate to food banks or veterans home in Sandusky others keep them for fish fry's while some allow the anglers to take the fish home if the anglers wish. 

Keeping walleye alive is not hard in normal conditions. As the water warms it is more difficult but still possible. Once the fish get reel deep it is even tougher. Fin weights or fizzing is needed. After June keeping Erie fish alive is a lot of work but possible, I however IMO most of these fish would not be releasable. Too many would die very soon after release.

Inland waters or rivers its usually pretty easy to keep them alive and releasable with a properly operating live well.


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

Ironic that summer catfish tourneys are similar where cats go deep, real deep sometimes and have warm water in livewells to deal with as well. not uncommon to catch Blue cats in 60-100 Feet of water but on the contrary, 99.9% of the cat tourneys are catch and release. sometimes they allow you to keep channels , but all flatheads and blues must be alive and released 
I think there is just two different lines of thought here because all Im saying is that is that keeping those fish alive wouldnt be a problem with propper livewells and education on handling. I have a 48" livewell and often have arund 60 lbs in it with no problems but I chill the water, change the water, burp or slowly bring in deep fish, highly oxygenate the water and treat them are carefully as possible when unhooking them. in 10 years of tourneys only lost 2 fish( same night when I lost an aerator battery) now have a spare battery ready to go just in case....
Good topic as Ive never really thought about the walleye tourneys always keeping there fish. Interesting....

Salmonid


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