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Tomc
Bass
Username: Tomc

Post Number: 803
Registered: 12-2006


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Posted on Sunday, April 17, 2011 - 9:54 am:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Had to throw this out there again. I expected quite a few bigger sacks at Media Saturday. Now tell me that the tournaments have not put the hammer on the 15 to 15 and 7/8 inch fish over the last several years. Looks like the 10 lb. sack is going to be the exception this year. It’s going to be 9 something to get you into a decent check this year.

Next year I expect 8+ will be a good sack most of the time. It’s still a blast to fish the Dinkmaster events. We’re just fishing for smaller fish while still weeding through big slots.

There will be a few tournaments with some great under sacks with the right conditions, but it’s gonna be the exception, not the rule as in years past

Seventeen 10 lb. sacks April 17, 2010.
Zero 10 lb. sacks April 16, 2011.

Eight 10lb. sacks March 6, 2010.
Three 10lb. sacks March 12, 2011.

Here is the link to our discussion last October on the fishing pressure the tournaments provide to the target fish. http://www.fishingtexas.net/discus/messages/10/12846.html?1291510658
Thanking the Lord, all day long

--- tomc
Picou
Wall Hanger
Username: Picou

Post Number: 4090
Registered: 8-2004


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Posted on Sunday, April 17, 2011 - 8:06 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

IMO, we are just experiencing a growth period change. How many 16 1/8 - 16 1/4 inch fish are you catching now? I know that I have caught a lot of those that were barely in the slot the last couple of tournaments.

I would have to look at the growth rates of bass and see what the stages are. It seems they grow 8 inches the first year, maybe 4 the next, and it tapers down from there. Of course, this is also based on the forage and lake population.

The onset of the white bass in Fork may have reduced the forage base to the point that the growth rate is slightly slower. Maybe the hatch that we are targetting had a problem or die off several years back.

There are still plenty of fish in the lake and I think we are just seeing a result of something that happened years ago. All of these 12 - 13 inch fish we are catching now will be 15 - 16 inches shortly and hopefully there is a healthy population of 8 - 12 inch fish to replenish these when they get in the 17 inch range.
Thank you Lord for my family and the waters I get to fish

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Picklefork
Crappie
Username: Picklefork

Post Number: 439
Registered: 12-2009


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Posted on Sunday, April 17, 2011 - 9:59 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

What Picou said....
Redskeeter
Moderator
Username: Redskeeter

Post Number: 1366
Registered: 8-2007


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Posted on Monday, April 18, 2011 - 7:06 am:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Tommy,
You could be on to something !! Really I hope not....

Look at our season for example..
Granted--there have been some serious distractions health wise with Kay. But, I'm the one who either puts us on fish or NOT..
I can openly say I have not adapted to the new conditions of the lake(no grass) all our spots--save one or two are DEAD....

To be successful we need to re:pattern the fish, as of right now we haven't done that and our limits have suffered because of it..

It's all relative to the majority of limits you see of late--except for bed fishing.. Even that requires some home work under the present conditions..

It'll all even out as we adapt and the lake hopefully reverts back to its old self..
****I Hope **** I flat out don't have the time any more to invest in finding them again like years past..
KBD Fishing
Tomc
Bass
Username: Tomc

Post Number: 804
Registered: 12-2006


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Posted on Monday, April 18, 2011 - 7:09 am:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post


quote:

How many 16 1/8 - 16 1/4 inch fish are you catching now?


We have always caught a few of those every tournament. What I am seeing is a bunch of fish under 14 inches and a bunch over 17 inches.

quote:

There are still plenty of fish in the lake


Agreed


This year everyone is toting around the 13-14 inchers. I just don’t see it catching up. The target base of fish in the 15 inch range has been taking a licking.
3 Media events, 283 entries, five 10 lb. sacks.
Thanking the Lord, all day long

--- tomc
Ozziefish
Lunker
Username: Ozziefish

Post Number: 1864
Registered: 8-2004


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Posted on Tuesday, April 19, 2011 - 9:04 am:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Tournaments have killed them...or at least a large portion...
OzzieFish
"Glory to GOD in the Highest"
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Picklefork
Crappie
Username: Picklefork

Post Number: 440
Registered: 12-2009


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Posted on Tuesday, April 19, 2011 - 9:43 am:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Well I guess you guys should quit fishin' tourneys then......hahahaahaaaa...I guess TPWD's master plan is working....Course in the last two years fish have actually been measured ????? just sayin'.....hahahahaahahaa
Zeeter
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Username: Zeeter

Post Number: 1150
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Posted on Tuesday, April 19, 2011 - 9:54 am:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

.....I don't know what you girls are talking about. Good lord, you're complaining about not catching 15-16 inch fish and saying there are too many big slots. Seems like the master plan is working to me as well. Good lord willing we'll keep finding the right size fish and catching big slots to go along with them.

I agree maybe you old farts need to quit fishing tourneys, hahahhaha bawhahahahaha Just kidding.
Catching Big Ole PIGS... It's Awesome Man
Zach Hughes

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Ozziefish
Lunker
Username: Ozziefish

Post Number: 1865
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Posted on Tuesday, April 19, 2011 - 11:23 am:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

I think your right...
OzzieFish
"Glory to GOD in the Highest"
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Tomc
Bass
Username: Tomc

Post Number: 805
Registered: 12-2006


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Posted on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 - 7:50 am:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Nobody is complaining, just sharing observations. I do think it will be interesting to see how things play out over the next 5 years.

I keep expecting to see a ton of good April sacks and it never materializes. I remember when I first started hitting the tourney scene 2 years ago. 10, 11 and even 12 lb sacks were the norm. You all remember that 2 day deal they had a couple of years ago, and you all were throwing down back to back 11 lb and 12 lb sacks. If I remember right there were about 5 or more teams that were doing that. Back to back 10 lb sacks did not even get a sniff.

Those days are gone……
Thanking the Lord, all day long

--- tomc
Cameron
Minnow
Username: Cameron

Post Number: 49
Registered: 1-2009

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Posted on Sunday, May 8, 2011 - 2:41 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

How many of those 10lb sacks came out of grass last year?

How many people got to bed fish this year?

Wind? Weather?

Should be the best post spawn bite in years now...
J_c_outdoors
Bluegill
Username: J_c_outdoors

Post Number: 167
Registered: 3-2009

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Posted on Sunday, May 8, 2011 - 11:37 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

I agree with PQ on year classes of fish. We caught a load of 16 1/2 to 17 1/2" fish Saturday. They were last falls perfect unders. Lakes go through cycles and fish adapt much quicker than the angler. That's why very few teams can dominate a trail over a few years.
I like that things change and we have to adapt, learn new techniques and work hard to stay in the game.
We also caught a load of 13" that will look good this fall and early spring 2012.
I wonder how the deep bite will change with the bass having to compete for shad against the white bass. No grass has changed the game more than anythig IMHO.
Still the greatest lake I have ever fished but Toledo Bend has become a close runner up in my book.
I think the competition on Fork is as tough as any lake.
Tomc
Bass
Username: Tomc

Post Number: 837
Registered: 12-2006


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Posted on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 - 8:16 am:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post


quote:

The team conducted creel surveys on tournament anglers and non-tournament anglers and worked out a mortality ratio. Similar studies have shown that tournament fishing pressure alters the size structure of bass in a lake if tournament anglers are killing three times as many fish as non-tournament anglers.




I thought this was an interesting statement in the Dallas Morning News article from Sunday.
Thanking the Lord, all day long

--- tomc
Tomc
Bass
Username: Tomc

Post Number: 839
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Posted on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 - 6:59 am:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Here is the complete article for those that missed it. I am not agreeing with everything Sasser says of course since he has been an opponent to tournament fishing over the years. Still an interesting read overall.



quote:

By RAY SASSER

Related items Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials have called a scoping meeting in Bowie on Thursday to discuss the state of the largemouth bass fishery at Amon G. Carter Lake in Montague County.

The report is not positive. There’s significant evidence to indicate that fishing tournaments are harming the 1,848-acre lake’s largemouth bass population. District biologist Bruce Hysmith said his team launched a study after surveys at Amon G. Carter indicated a decline in the number of bass that were 18 inches or larger.

“We tagged 782 fish and had a pretty good idea that there was a problem before the tag returns even started,” said Hysmith. “We had trouble catching enough fish for the study. We kept re-catching fish that we’d already tagged.”


The team conducted creel surveys on tournament anglers and non-tournament anglers and worked out a mortality ratio. Similar studies have shown that tournament fishing pressure alters the size structure of bass in a lake if tournament anglers are killing three times as many fish as non-tournament anglers.

At Amon G. Carter, tournament mortality was 2.5 times higher than mortality from anglers who keep fish to eat and eight times higher than catch-and-release fishing. Virtually all Texas bass tournaments practice catch-and-release fishing but the fish are held in bass boat live wells for hours, then handled at the weigh-in before release.

A Lake Fork mortality study indicated that 30 to 40 percent of the fish that come through a tournament weigh-in die from the stress. The loss is called delayed mortality and it varies with the weather.

Hot weather is tough on the fish and so is windy weather that causes captive fish to slosh around inside the live well, an aerated compartment designed to keep fish healthy. A small percentage of bass that are caught and immediately released will die from the experience but catch-and-release mortality is much lower than tournament mortality.

Bass boat live wells are infinitely better than they once were but Hysmith and other state fisheries biologists are concerned with the impact tournaments are having, and not just at Amon G. Carter.

Large lakes like Sam Rayburn (114,000 acres) or Lewisville Lake (29,000 acres) are big enough to withstand tournament pressure. For every Texas-sized lake, there are a dozen smaller lakes. Given the size difference, tournament angling pressure is five times greater at Amon G. Carter than at Sam Rayburn.

Tournament fishermen, even those who compete in small bass club tournaments, are much more efficient than the average angler. In fact, the only difference between the best bass club tournament angler and the top pros is the sponsorship support that allows pros to travel the country and compete in professional-level events.

“I suspect these small bodies of water are taking a beating,” said Hysmith. “Lake Nocona (1,470 acres) is another one that gets a lot of tournament pressure. What we’ll do at Monday’s meeting is get the bass fishermen together and explain to them the results of our study.

“We’re interested in how bass anglers, both tournament and non-tournament anglers, feel about this issue. There will be a question and answer period.”

Hysmith said the logical way to address the situation is to discourage tournaments at Amon G. Carter by imposing a slot limit that protects fish between 14 and 21 inches and allows anglers to retain only one fish above 24 inches.



Thanking the Lord, all day long

--- tomc
Ozziefish
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Username: Ozziefish

Post Number: 1893
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Posted on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 - 11:04 am:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

"Tournament fishermen, even those who compete in small bass club tournaments, are much more efficient than the average angler. In fact, the only difference between the best bass club tournament angler and the top pros is the sponsorship support that allows pros to travel the country and compete in professional-level events."

Just what I thought...All I need is a good sponsorship and I'll be whipping KVD butt!!
OzzieFish
"Glory to GOD in the Highest"
www.visionlure.com
www.doublezzcustomlures.com
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Picou
Wall Hanger
Username: Picou

Post Number: 4134
Registered: 8-2004


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Posted on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 - 11:15 am:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

LMAO........
Thank you Lord for my family and the waters I get to fish

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Tomc
Bass
Username: Tomc

Post Number: 840
Registered: 12-2006


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Posted on Thursday, May 19, 2011 - 7:58 am:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post


quote:

Just what I thought...All I need is a good sponsorship and I'll be whipping KVD butt!!




You da man Oz
Thanking the Lord, all day long

--- tomc

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