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11-Pounder In ABA Tournament!
Brad Gill | March 26, 2025
Peyton Dunn, of Fitzgerald, with an 11-pounder caught at Hartwell during an ABA-AFT Division 25 tournament.
Peyton Dunn, of Fitzgerald, won the ABA-AFT Division 25 tournament on Lake Hartwell on March 16. He weighed in 21.16 pounds. What was really exceptional about his bag of fish was that it was anchored by an 11.03-lb. largemouth.
“To my knowledge, it’s the biggest bass weighed in on tournament scales for Hartwell,” said Peyton. “Dealing with the 30 to 40 mph winds, I caught her in 30 feet of water on a Strike King lure, paired with a Buddha Baits Sonar Boss Jig Head. I was throwing it on a FX Custom Rods Spin Pole with a Shimano Vanford spooled up with 15-lb. Sufix Camo Braid and Sunline 8-lb. Sniper. Running around all day, this fish stayed perfect in the Phoenix Boats 920 Elite livewells with the PowerHouse Lithiums giving me the power to run the livewells all day long.
“There were two of them on LiveScope, and when she ate, I thought it was a gar because they both looked 3 feet long on LiveScope. It took me 10 minutes to get her into the boat. When I landed her and put my hands around her, I thought it was potentially a new lake record.
“After weighing her, and seeing she went 11-3, I had to sit down and stop fishing for 10 minutes due to the shaking. It was definitely the bite all fishermen dream of having, and some don’t ever even get that bite of a lifetime. I’m still at a loss of words. So much could have gone wrong, and everything went perfect. I believe that was a gift from the Good Lord. The past couple of tournaments it seemed like every thing has gone wrong when it comes to losing fish, and I believe it was all leading up to this. Truly a once in 10 lifetimes fish for this lake. She measured 26 3/4 inches long and 19 3/4 inches in girth.”
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Poor shawn, I bet you are also against the money that these Tournaments bring in to the local economy. While the fish may die and that would be sad How many cows, pigs, and chickens have been killed because you wanted a burger, ribs, or wings? Do you really believe they would have had the tournament if the known percentages of release death would have altered the overall health of the Bass population in the lake?
And now that fish is dead.
I happy to see folks catch large fish but tournament fishing is bad for the fish.
Studies show live fish released miles from where they were caught die soon after.
Sad.
The better idea is to have them weighed at the time of catch and released back where they were caught immediately.
Lets do what is best for the animal, not the sponsors and media. Put a camera inn the boat and live stream to the audience.
AI Overview
Learn more
Yes, bass can die after being caught and released in tournaments, with factors like water temperature, handling, and prior tournament pressure influencing their survival.
Here’s a more detailed explanation:
Delayed Mortality:
While some bass may die immediately due to injuries or improper handling, many appear healthy at weigh-in but die later, a phenomenon known as “delayed mortality”.
Factors Affecting Survival:
Water Temperature: Higher water temperatures significantly increase mortality rates.
Handling: Proper handling, including keeping fish in the water as much as possible and avoiding prolonged exposure to air, is crucial for survival.
Livewell Conditions: Overcrowding or poor water quality in livewells can also negatively impact fish survival.
Hooking and Handling Injuries: Fish hooked deep or injured during handling have a lower chance of survival.
Prior Tournament Angling Pressure: Bass caught in multiple tournaments may have lower survival rates.
Tournament Mortality Rates:
Studies have shown that initial mortality (fish dying at weigh-in) can range from 2-14%, while delayed mortality can add to this.
Impact on Bass Populations:
While some fish may die as a result of tournaments, the overall impact on bass populations is considered minimal, especially in large bodies of water.
Recommendations for Reducing Mortality:
Catch-photo-release tournaments: Consider tournaments where anglers only photograph the fish and then immediately release them.
Release sites: Release fish away from tournament sites to reduce the risk of immediate recapture and further stress.
Water Temperature: Avoid holding tournaments during periods of high water temperatures.
Proper handling: Ensure anglers are properly trained on how to handle and release fish.
There’s a video of the fish swimming off perfectly fine. Did making this comment make you sleep better at night knowing the fishing industry might change due to it upsetting Shawn?