# Bass in a cooler



## warrior21 (Apr 22, 2011)

Speaking as someone who has fished tournaments on Allatoona for 30 years and seen the change in the fishery , it was sad ( to say the least) to watch a private company Good Friday tournament set a cooler next to the weigh-in and collect perfectly healthy bass! 2 and 3 pound bass flopping around in the cooler! If you think it doesn't matter, 20 years ago it would take 16-18 pounds to win a tournament this time of year. Today, 10 pounds won with nearly 20 boats.For the good of the sport, keep Crappie and Stripers/Hybrids and leave the bass alone! My kids will need some to catch in the future! If I've offended anyone I apoligize, but 30 - 40 healthy bass dying in a cooler defeats all that has been done over the past few years to revive the population. Didn't recognize anyone in the tournament, so I figure they don't fish here much and really just DON'T CARE! We have to much pressure here to keep this many bass, if every tournament done this WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HAVE TOURNAMENTS!


----------



## sinclair1 (Apr 23, 2011)

I dont know the specifics, but I was glad to start seeing tournament directors start keeping the dead ones. Back in the days you mention They would give the sack back with dead fish and they would just dump them in the lake. It made fishermen look bad when people would see fish floating all over the ramp.
Hopefully there were not alot of the 2-3 lbers in there that shouldnt have been. Of course it might be hard to look at but if its dead and weighs six pounds it will be in the bucket.
I also wouldnt mind if they had a bucket of live one pounders, that would only help the lake. Not to mention 20 years ago that sack would have been dominated by largemouth.

I suspect they were keeping dinks, I cant beleive they had 30-40 chunks in there and 10lbs won the tourney,but you were there and I wasnt, so I take your word for it.


----------



## Badluck (Apr 23, 2011)

Wow - seems very irresponsible for the tournament holders and the people who fished it. Why would you keep that many.  Dead ones I agree with, but not live ones - that is what keeps the fishing going. 

Were they planning on having a fish fry somewhere. I say use catfish or Misses Pauls


----------



## warrior21 (Apr 23, 2011)

You are right, there weren't many 2 & 3 pounders, but there were a few in there. I agree with keeping dead ones but most of these were alive. I was just always taught to take care of the fish we love to catch so much. Protect the resource so we would be able to enjoy it for years to come. It was just sad to see.


----------



## Jranger (Apr 23, 2011)

Not sure which private tourney that was, but I was at one myself there yesterday. 90% of the weigh in was spots. I saw most of the people going out of their way to put LM back into the pond... That place is over-run with spots; you can't take enough out to hurt the population. Just ask the DNR.


----------



## mtr3333 (Apr 23, 2011)

Sorry you had to witness that. Regardless of the species, no _tournament_ should be gathering _live_ fish and killing them.


----------



## HAWGHUNNA (Apr 23, 2011)

mtr3333 said:


> Sorry you had to witness that. Regardless of the species, no _tournament_ should be gathering _live_ fish and killing them.



My thoughts exactly!!!

I have witnessed anglers from some of the jonboat trails throwing live spotted bass on the ground to die or be taken home by other anglers at lake Horton. I understand that a strong spotted bass population, could ruin the large mouth fishing in a lake. 

But, my theory is ..... the fish (both large mouth & spots) were alive when Lil' Water Bassin' arrived to a given lake that hosts our club tournaments, and all measures should be taken to see that the living fish that are weighed in at our club events are released back into the lake in which they came from. That's why Lil' Water Bassin' carries the stiffest dead fish penalty of all the Jonboat Clubs.

LWB Supports Catch & Release ..... of every Black Bass!!!


----------



## sinclair1 (Apr 23, 2011)

warrior21 said:


> You are right, there weren't many 2 & 3 pounders, but there were a few in there. I agree with keeping dead ones but most of these were alive. I was just always taught to take care of the fish we love to catch so much. Protect the resource so we would be able to enjoy it for years to come. It was just sad to see.


 I can understand, the DNR claims taking out the 1lbers would be good for the lake. I cant seem to do it either. If the tourneys started keeping the small ones it might be good for the population,but it would for sure give them a black eye from the people who witness it.

I would think the limits would keep them from putting more than  10 bass in there regardless of if they were dead or alive. I dont know the rules that the tourney director is subject to though.

What ramp was the tourney, I only knew of Galts and Gatewood having a good friday T.


----------



## warrior21 (Apr 23, 2011)

It was at the Blockhouse. What did it take to win the other two? We were going to fish one of them but something came up.


----------



## Twenty five ought six (Apr 23, 2011)

warrior21 said:


> You are right, there weren't many 2 & 3 pounders, but there were a few in there. I agree with keeping dead ones but most of these were alive. I was just always taught to take care of the fish we love to catch so much. Protect the resource so we would be able to enjoy it for years to come. It was just sad to see.





sinclair1 said:


> I can understand, the DNR claims taking out the 1lbers would be good for the lake. I cant seem to do it either. If the tourneys started keeping the small ones it might be good for the population,but it would for sure give them a black eye from the people who witness it.
> 
> I would think the limits would keep them from putting more than  10 bass in there regardless of if they were dead or alive. I dont know the rules that the tourney director is subject to though.
> 
> What ramp was the tourney, I only knew of Galts and Gatewood having a good friday T.



I'm not a tournament fisherman, but found this thread interesting.

I think Sinclair has made a very valid point -- I'm not sure how you can get around the daily limit, or at least the possession limit.


----------



## Jranger (Apr 23, 2011)

warrior21 said:


> It was at the Blockhouse. What did it take to win the other two? We were going to fish one of them but something came up.



Not sure about the Gatewood one, but I think it was 14 and some change at Gaults...

I don't eat green fish either and turned mine back, but more power to those that do...


----------



## mtr3333 (Apr 24, 2011)

sinclair1 said:


> I can understand, the DNR claims taking out the 1lbers would be good for the lake. I cant seem to do it either. If the tourneys started keeping the small ones it might be good for the population,but it would for sure give them a black eye from the people who witness it.
> 
> I would think the limits would keep them from putting more than  10 bass in there regardless of if they were dead or alive. I dont know the rules that the tourney director is subject to though.
> 
> What ramp was the tourney, I only knew of Galts and Gatewood having a good friday T.



 He is subject to possession limit.


----------



## z71mathewsman (Apr 24, 2011)

*Good Friday tourney,,,,*

If it was at the Blockhouse ramp that would be my company torney we had this past Friday.Like one guy said ,Allatoona is over run with spots,and it might help the fishing if you keep them dinks you catch there.It is called management I think.


----------



## jerad (Apr 25, 2011)

z71mathewsman said:


> If it was at the Blockhouse ramp that would be my company torney we had this past Friday.Like one guy said you,Allatoona is over run with spots,and it might help the fishing if you keep them dinks you catch there.It is called management I think.


  Nicely put!  Im sure you z71 know what you guys are doing to presurve the sport..


----------

