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Free Bass!

8K views 48 replies 24 participants last post by  pink_in_the_gills 
#1 ·
If anyone likes to eat bass then go to the Crocker Ramp & you'll see dozens floating & easy for the pickens thanks to the bass tournament guys that just dumped them there instead of taking the time to visit shore fishing spots & give them to shore anglers that might want them instead of letting them go to waste.

I was pulling my boat out just as they were starting their weigh in of their small tourney (15 boats or less I'm guessing). They weren't even half way through their weigh in & I had already counted at least 12 bass floating belly up. Watch the one young guy dumping 5 bass of which 3 were dead & he tried to shove the dead ones under the dock. Another guy only had 2 bass to release, one of which looked to be a 6 LB. & it was barely swimming on it's side.

I have read studies about tournament bass survival & that they average around 15% mortality but I'd estimate that the tournament out of the Crocker ramp had around 50% mortality or more. If that's going to be the case then maybe these tournament guys need to stop having tourneys when the water temp is 80 degrees. It made me sick seeing all those dead bass especially those big 5 LB+ fish.
 
#8 ·
You may be pleasantly surprised by the taste of smallies from LSC. A few years ago I was reading posts from a guy on another site who went on and on about how good there are, so I decided to try a couple. I trimmed them up really well and fried them just like I do perch and walleye. If I am catching ample perch/walleye I don't keep them, but once once or twice a year since them I have kept a few for the table and have enjoyed them.

🎣🎣🎣
 
#3 ·
Just a couple questions from a non-angler (but I'm always curious to learn stuff)

Is there anything against the rules doing this? If the DNR were there, would they get cited for anything?

If someone did walk up and wish to take them from the anglers rather than have them dumped in the lake, is that legal to have in your possession, or would you need a license too?
 
#4 · (Edited by Moderator)
You would need to have a license to have the fish in your possession. Any fish that an angler gives away to someone else counts towards his daily limit so say if a guy goes out walleye fishing on the DR, catches his 5 walleye limit for the day & then gives all 5 fish to people in another boat, that same angler can't keep or give away anymore walleye that he catches in that same day.

As for the legality of throwing dead fish back into the lake I have never heard of it being illegal. There's always some dead fish at tourneys but I have never seen this many dead fish from such a small number of boats that were fishing in this tourney, though I'm sure this is a regular occurrence during the summer due to the high water temps.

I fished in the Alpena Bass Club's MegaBucks tourney on Long Lake many years ago & out of the 41 boats there ended up being 4 dead bass which one of the members took home for himself.
 
#5 ·
Zib, the response that I've always read and heard from the bass tournament guys is "we bought our license so we can legally keep/kill 5 fish". This (the poor livewell care of bass) has been going on far too long. I have no idea if they are MI clubs or clubs from out-of-state but unless there are some serious changes in the managing of these club tournaments that continue to allow these unnecessary fish kills to happen, I believe the negative impacts to the LSC community and fishery far outweigh any positive economic gains the local businesses supposedly draw from participants in these tournaments. If you don't have a fully functioning livewell and don't know (or care) how to keep your fish alive, you shouldn't be allowed to participate in this ongoing waste what I feel is a valuable resource.
 
#6 ·
I'm not exactly sure which club it was but all the boats were Michigan boats from what I seen. Also several guys had on fishing jerseys that had West Michigan Bassmaster or Western Michigan Bassmaster on them.
 
#11 ·
I like the taste of bass, both large mouths and smallies. I don't really catch and keep enough of them to make any difference in their population, so I really do not worry about that part of it when I do get one or two. I take them home and eat 'em. I did catch a 22-1/2" smallmouth once, and I did release that one. That was my biggest ever.
 
#12 ·
I have no problem with anyone eating any fish (yes, even muskies) caught legally. It's when anglers knowingly and intentionally kill fish for "sport". Does it really take that much effort to add ice to your livewell and keep it constantly running during the hot months? Or just do what Mini does and just release your fish away from the ramp if you know you're not going to place. That's intelligent use of the resource.
 
#47 ·
OK, I know this will get a rise out of everyone, and frankly I don't care, and this post is a prime reason I use this site for pure entertainment, and rarely post. I am one of those b**sholes ,and I along with all the others spend a lot of time effort and money to enjoy our sport, and protect the fishery. If nobody saw the fish this post would never happen. For all of you concerned people out there, I never hear a peep about all of the out of season fish kept,over limit catches, and fish caught and sold during ice season, all illegal, and all of which I have personally reported on numerous occasions, especially when the walleye are "biting".

Interesting response though...look at the avatar......I see seven limits of fish dead in the picture..... just sayin.
 
#24 ·
I have not personally watched many weigh ins but I had the opportunity to watch the Mitchell Bay Open weigh in last month, where I have a seasonal trailer. The local MNR was present and monitored the event and weigh in. I was told if too many bass die, it will put the event in jeopardy of succeeding. The care that was taken to keep the fish healthy was quite obvious to the spectator.
 
#27 · (Edited by Moderator)
One would think in this day and age they could come up with a way to record, weigh and or take length of the fish, and then release it on the spot. Even with the fish living catching it at the Belle River hump then dumping it at the Clinton River mouth (after bouncing around in a live well for hours) can't be in the best interest of the fish. Imagine someone picking you up, keeping you in the back of a box truck and then dropping you off in Nevada somewhere
.
 
#33 ·
You need to read the posts in the thread again because its NOT ABOUT THE FISH DYING. Its about dead fish being tossed back in the water going to waste.
 
#35 ·
All I do is fish for Bass here and Florida. I do not Tournament fish, because I really believe that the kept fish, specially during hot days, will not survive. Taking a picture with the weight of the fish should suffice for any Bass Tournament. Seeing big dead fish after a Tournament has to be gut wrenching.
Also not all Bass Boat operators are jerks--I see a lot of other Boat drivers that are jerks. Boat owners and drivers should go to Power Squadron and/or Auxiliary Coast Guard Classes, just my .02 cents!!
 
#36 ·
Besides just being courteous, there are a lot of rules out on the lake that the average guy does not know before he takes a boat out for a spin. The basic coast guard squadron class is a great class. I took the class when my sons were growing up, and before I ever let them take the boat out without me on it, they had to take the class themselves. I feel it should be mandatory for anyone that wants to skipper a boat to take the class and get a driver's license for it. Just my opinion.
 
#41 · (Edited by Moderator)
All I can convey is my own experiences. First, I started bass fishing on LSC only 4 years ago - and to get into it I signed on as a co in the BFL tourneys. So yes, my experience is not extensive. I fish with 6-7 different guys in these tournaments in a given year - including a mix of pre-fishing - if I manage to fish al the events. The guys I have fished with do take care - add keep alive juice like Rejuvenate, ice, hydrogen peroxide (that was a new one to me), etc. to try to keep the fish alive.I lost two fish in the last tournament because I didn't have a needle to fizz them and the belly weights I used wouldn't hold in the rough conditions.

I think its despicable that guys dump dead fish - at a minimum they should give them to the shore fisherman. I also would like to see some of the smaller local tournaments have some sort of release boat to release the fish out in deeper, cooler waters and not the Clinton river - but that's probably not realistic either given the size of tanks that would be required to keep upwards of 100-150 fish alive for the weigh-in duration.

The BFL tournaments have a pontoon boat with multiple tanks. They inspect all fish, and have a young lady that fizzes those that are floating belly up. The dead ones go in a cooler that I believe is donated to a shelter (I'm not 100% on this, but that is what I have heard). The others are taken out to deeper water where they are released.

The "honesty" approach would work great in an ideal world - you know, one where no one drives over the speed limit, jay-walks, or stretches the truth about the size of a fish.

I apologize for going off a bit, but I get tired of hearing the bashing that goes on here of "ba**holes". I used to like this site for actual reports on fishing and moderators that controlled the bashing. Maybe we could get a separate forum just for bashing ba**holes. Have a contest for ba**hole of the week with pictures and videos to back up the observed behavior? Personnally, I see more a-holes driving the big tuna boats that send out a 6 foot wave..... Again, that's just my limited experience.
 
#45 ·
I apologize for going off a bit, but I get tired of hearing the bashing that goes on here of "ba**holes". I used to like this site for actual reports on fishing and moderators that controlled the bashing. Maybe we could get a separate forum just for bashing ba**holes. Have a contest for ba**hole of the week with pictures and videos to back up the observed behavior? Personally, I see more a-holes driving the big tuna boats that send out a 6 foot wave..... Again, that's just my limited experience.
I was not implying you (i.e. tourney bass guys) are all this way. I've been fortunate to have fished for over 50 years around the US. As a non-tournament but hard core fisherman who respects, seeks, and enjoys catching (sometimes, lol) all species of fish, both freshwater and saltwater - there seems to be a prevailing/worsening 'attitude' among bass anglers and rude behavior. Of course we have all experienced the jackarses on jetskis and in tuna boats that should never be allowed on the water. I've even had a kayak fisherman paddle 10 feet from me right through the spot I was casting - and he smiled at me while doing it! But aren't we all part of the same fish-loving brother (and sister) hood? If we witness bad behavior we need to do something to stop it. Report the violators to the DNR and make sure smallies aren't being wasted unnecessarily. I am sure this ticks off all the local LSC guys like Bondy, Balog, Marcel V., etc. who make their living off that lake and treat the fishery with respect. I'll bet my favorite combo that there are plenty of MI and out of state anglers who are extremely jealous of the bass fishery LSC is and dare I say are intentionally treating it, well... you can guess where I'm going with this... Why I visit this site is because it is dedicated to Lake St. Clair. I recognize how special it is and I live an hour away and don't often get there because of work and family. I almost never bring a bass (or any fish I intend to release) into the boat. I keep them in the water and release them immediately. Not saying everyone should do so. When I do catch that 6lb smallie I'll take a photo : ) The trend with boat flipping bass is the most ridiculously lazy thing ever. I'm 57 and if I can reach down and unhook a fish anyone can. Or just buy and use your net. Trust me, treat the resource with respect and you'll feel better. And, be a better person for it.
 
#42 ·
Well said. May I add that some of the "new age" bass guys are cocky, inconsiderate in many ways ie. zooming thru packs of boats knowing they won't get chased down, fishing too close, a**holes at launches and power loading, and pretty with their crooked hats and earrings. Sounds like I'm talking about Mike Iaconneli-the current bass role model.


It's not "all"
 
#46 · (Edited by Moderator)
I've seen these posts on here for over a decade...and just like this post no one has pictures, can name the organization or had balls enough to find the tournament director and direct their concerns to them....Posting on the net with viritually no facts does little to solve the problem other than stoke up the rest of the Anti tournament crowd..and that solves nothing...If you have an issue man up and talk to the offenders..any less and your part of the problem..When you do run your mouth you better know what you are talking about though...Especially with something like powerloading...Or you may look like a fool..
 
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