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stout-trout – I regularly check the bass clubs calendars so that I can avoid fishing those same lakes. As mentioned previously, I hate fishing when there are a bunch of bass boats running around on the lake I want to fish. So, yes, I do frequently look at those sites to see where they are holding the weekend tournaments.
Therapist – I don’t like tournaments. Never have, and probably never will. When I drive to a lake, I always look forward to that first glimpse of the lake. As many people do, I want to see glass. I want to see empty, flat, shiny water. So when that lake first comes into view and you see a parking lot full of trailers, and the water covered with boats zipping here and there. It makes your heart sink. This is why I like to check the calendars.
It has nothing to do with impact to fish. Catch and release isn’t my concern. It’s the experience. And the last thing I want to do while fishing is race the bass boat next to me across the lake. it’s even worse when I leave the boat at home and fish from the pontoon.
Greg – It’s not just SUBA that holds tournaments. It’s also Utlimate Bass, Utah Bass Federation, etc. Between all of you, there are a lot of tournaments happening.
I’m kind of glad this ruffled a bunch of feathers for many of you. I’ll work on my patience and try to be more accepting of others and their ideas. Just don’t get close enough for me to snag you with my fly rod! (I’m a crappy caster, by the way…)
I’m not a fan of tournament fishing either, but it is nothing against the tournament fisherman themselves, or that I catch any fewer fish when a tournament is on…it is the annoyance of having lots of boats on lakes as small as Sand Hollow, zipping this way and that. They come in and cut you off, drop tm, cast 4-5 times, pick-up the tm, and zoom out of there at 60mph…lol. My Brother and I always chuckle. Not to mention the increased numbers of spawning class LMs we see dead at the marina after tourneys…sad. And for heavens sake…DO NOT FIZZ LM’S AT SAND HOLLOW! The lake is not deep enough to require that, and you are just killing fish. 2 cents given.
Don’t get me started on the ignorance of wake/surf boarding boats…
the only thing I can see about the hate for bass tourneys is maybe that pbh should try one ore don’t you have what it takes to be cometive
I’m competitive. I’m confident I could hold my own in a tournament, if I chose to participate. I’m confident enough that I’d still use my fly rod and think I’d have a fair chance to compete with the every-day bass tourney group. I just choose not to – believe me, I’ve had plenty of opportunity to do so.
Fishing is something I do to enjoy the outdoors, and to relax. There is nothing “relaxing” about competitive fishing (for me). So I don’t participate.
My competition is with the fish – not the other anglers. I’m trying to outsmart my pisciverous friends, not the a-hole in the other boat. I pay attention to other anglers on the water, and want to do better than them – but not for bragging rights. I do it because I have to prove to myself that I can fool the fish into taking my fly / lure.
I have to admit: I don’t like bass fishing shows either.
Everything about it is “hurry, hurry, hurry” and “fast, fast, fast”. As mentioned by another person on this thread, it’s funny to watch a boat go zipping into a cove, drop the tm, cast 5-6 times, pull the tm, then go zip out of the cove across the lake to the point that the other boat just zipped away from. Hurry, hurry, hurry.
I’m sure many people enjoy participating in fishing tournaments of this nature. It’s not for me. But if I ever do participate, I’ll get some funny looks pulling in those bass with my fly rod while all the other participants are throwing hula-grubs! I get those funny looks now, while standing on the bow of my Ranger fly-casting!
The show “Major league fishing” is pretty fun to watch, as far as fishing shows go. There’s an adrenaline rush with competition against other people. I miss that about competitive sports. I’m sure most of those tourny anglers do plenty of casual “unwinding” type fishing.
PBH,
What a weird rant man I don’t get it…my biggest problem with bass tournaments in Utah is they are so far away due to the fact the best bass fishing is several hours south it seems. I am from Michigan where you can find bass in a mud puddle it was and still is my favorite…I had to take a quick run home last weekend to help my folks out with their house and got to hit the neighbors private pond for some largies…caught 42 in two hours of fishing let all the good spawners go and filleted these up for my folks…nothing like the explosion of a largemouth bass hitting a surface plug…also got some nice frog legs where I live…the one picture of my mom holding a bass is actually at a local lake, the stringer full is a private pond that houses plenty of stud bass but seems to have an abundance of mid-size bass so we enjoyed some catching and some eating.
You cannot win a bass tournament with a fly rod.
If so every idiot with a bass boat would have one on the deck.
Not trying to insult, just saying.
that pic of the stringer of bass will haunt my dreams forever. You should have had a graphic warning message for us bass huggers. [:P]
I hope Cliff doesn’t see that picture. I’m worried that his head might explode.
That is nothing compared to what I could post but u have to remember bass in michigan are like trout here…they are in every body of water sustained by natural reproduction…
PBH,
What a weird rant man I don’t get it…
…I had to take a quick run home last weekend … and got to hit the neighbors private pond for some largies… we enjoyed some catching and some eating.
Now, imagine how you would have felt if you pulled up to that pond and 15 boats were on the water already having a tournament!
It kind of makes you just want to turn around and go back home.
You cannot win a bass tournament with a fly rod.
Why not??
If so every idiot with a bass boat would have one on the deck.
you calling me an idiot??