Walleye Derby Pinehurst

[Hunter Trav]

Originally Posted by pikeslayer22

There are a few things that really bother me with the tourneys...one being double standards...enter a derby and cull fish all day no laws broke....sport angler culls he is breaking a law??? Might need to join one to get a better feel for it, I have a hard time believing the mortality rate would be as low as even10%

There is no need for an average sport angler to cull fish. Its either legal to keep, or its not, and from there you decide if your taking it home or putting it back. End of story. Also, I'm guessing the average sport angler doesn't have his/her boat equipped with a proper live well w/ aerator to help insure the safety of the fish they might be culling. I know the fish I put in my live well this year at Pinehurst came out with more vigor than when they went in. I had a hard time getting them out, and they had a hard time weighing them cause they were wanting to jump right off the boat...

[keep6matt]

I have fished this lake for over 25 years and it has been nothing short of a great fishery on a consistent basis. The MOST damage done to that lake was the catch and keep limits set, initially it was 3 any size back when "mud bay" was open to fishing. Then when the Alberta fisheries discovered that was the fish prime spawning area every spring they shut it down (thank goodness) and reduced the limit down to one any size. My last tourney attempt there produced the lowest weight in the tourney's history and it wasn't due to low populations but it was a late spawn and a majority of the fish were still in the bay in spawn mode. Don't get me wrong I like a good walleye shore lunch as much as the next guy but in the grand scheme of things and how little good viable lakes Alberta has left, I support and applaud the tag system because it does regulate a proper harvest from lakes such as these. I see absolutely no harm with having a tourney held there every year because it does provide very valuable info to SRD as they have personal on the weigh in boats along with F&W officers there. The anglers that do participate cherish and uphold the highest standards of ethic when they are fishing the lake more so then your every day "catch and keep" anglers. So prior to pointing fingers at tourneys maybe look at the whole picture first, I have seen it all at that lake from the above mentioned years of fishing there. Think about it, look at the valuable time saved for SRD to achieve their studies by having the highest ethical fishermen such as tourney participates do the work for them so they can really get an accurate forecast of that fishery for the following year(s) of the walleye health status and populations. I have been on both sides of the fence....have you? My PERSONAL opinion is to zero or have the perch limits set at 5 only because hey that is the prime food source for walleye and pike but no we have every Tom, Dick and Harry keeping 5 to 7" perch almost on a daily basis across Alberta thus starving off the walleye...look at Calling Lake for instance...prime example, same with Pigeon. Take away the food and the predators starve. That's all I have to say...bottom line common sense.

[cube]

First of all Walleyedude if you look at my first post you will see that I'm not against the Pinehurst tournament per say. I would only like it moved because the facilities there are terrible for a tournament of this size and caliber. If they put in an extra boat launch, more bathrooms, a parking area, large field for meeting tents etc. I would not have a problem with it.
I only said I could understand how others might feel ripped off given that the tags issued are significantly lower even though they have a much higher priority in the system than tournaments. If you would like to change it have the government give tournaments a level 3 priority and the general public a 5 officially (as that is what appears to be in fact happening here) I would not care as long as the changes that have been made recently i.e. cold water period etc remain in effect.

I think moving the tournament to a lake that has more facilities and extra quota like Pigeon would be a good idea. You have a few thousand under subscribed licences available every year that could be easily displaced by the tournament caused fish deaths. There is multiple boat launches at the lake there is large staging area's in the communities there etc. It would be a win win with no perceived hypocrisy.

as to some of your other comments.

Originally Posted by Walleyedude

You still haven't shown me anything that's unfair. The only reason that I can see for objecting to a tournament being held on Pinehurst, or any lake, is personal greed or selfishness. I believe if you turn this around you could say the same about tournament anglers being selfish and the only reason they want to fish this lake is for personal gain and selfishness.Your objection to the tournament being held is that it might cost you personally, or "rob" you of the opportunity to harvest a fish, and you believe that your rights should trump those of tournament anglers. According to SRD allocation the general public’s rights do indeed trump yours as a tournament angler

In a lake with a healthy fishery, If the lake has a healthy fishery why is it on tags as vulnerable or one that is deemed able to withstand the fishing pressure by SRD, you have two different groups enjoying it in their preferred way. Again with the new rules I personally don't care As long as they're following the rules, those 150-200 tournament fishermen have every bit as much right to the resource and to fish on Pinehurst or any lake as anyone else. NOT according to SRD's allocation they don't

Anything else would be unfair in my opinion. Did not say that giving CFE's the lowest ranking priority was fair.

Even you would have to admit holding a tournament on a lake classified as collapsed or vulnerable could look bad in the general public’s eyes. Therefore perhaps you and the tournament guys could lobby to have it a non tag lake. I certainly think Pinehurst could with stand the pressure for the reasons I have already stated back in my post refering to Moose Lake.


If Pinehurst had better facilities ie. a place the public could easily launch on tournament days, more bathrooms, camping spots reserved for the public etc. I would love to come down and watch the tournament. I think I would learn allot and become a better fisherman to boot. Perhaps the Pinehurst tournament could be moved to Lac La biche which has much better facilities when it recovers a bit better.

[keep6matt]

If you only seen how quickly the boats are launched and loaded during the tourney days it would blow your mind and actually would be a good eye opener for the general public as in how to properly unload/load your boat in a VERY timely manner, each vessel is done in mere seconds and the efficiency of the tourney volunteers is once again mind blowing. What I usually see at for say, Pigeon Lake of the average person trying to load their boat would equal to 6 tourney guys loaded to the one at Pigeon...its like a pit stop at the Indy, quite incredible to say the least.

[cube]

Originally Posted by keep6matt

If you only seen how quickly the boats are launched and loaded during the tourney days it would blow your mind and actually would be a good eye opener for the general public as in how to properly unload/load your boat in a VERY timely manner, each vessel is done in mere seconds and the efficiency of the tourney volunteers is once again mind blowing. What I usually see at for say, Pigeon Lake of the average person trying to load their boat would equal to 6 tourney guys loaded to the one at Pigeon...its like a pit stop at the Indy, quite incredible to say the least.

Totally agree with you. I would love to see a code of best practices posted at boat launching area's.

I think your post above is yet another good reason to have the tournament on Pigeon or someother lake where the general public could see and learn. I also think it would be a good chance for positive PR for your sport. You could explain to the general public how you have made many changes to dramatically drop the mortality rates and how well the fish are looked after.

[pikeslayer22]

Perhaps the Pinehurst tournament could be moved to Lac La biche which has much better facilities when it recovers a bit better.

This^^^^^^^^^^...Keep6 you talk about catch and keep anglers in your #62 post... i know a few guys that enter these tournys and they are about as catch and keep as anyone i have met...you kind of make it sound like a tournament fisher is "Holier than Thou"

[keep6matt]

Originally Posted by pikeslayer22

Perhaps the Pinehurst tournament could be moved to Lac La biche which has much better facilities when it recovers a bit better.

This^^^^^^^^^^...Keep6 you talk about catch and keep anglers in your #62 post... i know a few guys that enter these tournys and they are about as catch and keep as anyone i have met...you kind of make it sound like a tournament fisher is "Holier than Thou"

Never said that and please do not put words in my mouth either. I clearly stated I have been on both sides of the fence and do like a shore lunch as much as the next guy too, so please re read what I posted. I have done the Pinehurst Lake tourney 3 times in my life and have done others as well and simply stated that the code of ethic practiced by tourney anglers are above and beyond what most everyday angler practice. I am an "everyday ordinary angler" like most on here. My post was not placed as a debate tool only as what I have experienced and observed in the 25 + years of me fishing Pinehurst Lake. Chose your words carefully my friend before you post.....

[cube]

Originally Posted by Hunter Trav

There is no need for an average sport angler to cull fish. why should a tounament angler be allowed to upgrade and the general public not. Using the same logic,it's either a fish you want to weight in or it's not no reason for culling end of story Its either legal to keep, or its not, and from there you decide if your taking it home or putting it back. End of story. Also, I'm guessing the average sport angler doesn't have his/her boat equipped with a proper live well w/ aerator there are far more boats out their in the general public domain that do indeed have such live wells than perhaps your aware of to help insure the safety of the fish they might be culling. I know the fish I put in my live well this year at Pinehurst came out with more vigor than when they went in. I had a hard time getting them out, and they had a hard time weighing them cause they were wanting to jump right off the boat... sounds like a stressed fish to me

.

[keep6matt]

Here for your shore lunch....its much cheaper than the average $1500 per lb us sportsman would pay for walleye after its all said and done LMAO,,,just trying to put some humor to this awfully serious thread, come on lighten up people and enjoy the sport of fishing...geeez!

http://www.billingsgate.com/index.html

[cube]

Just to play devils advocate for a moment. I have fished this lake for over 38 years so have an idea about the lake as well.

Originally Posted by keep6matt

I have fished this lake for over 25 years and it has been nothing short of a great fishery on a consistent basis. Hence why you should ask the walleye and tournament guys that sit on the Fisheries Management Round Table to have Pinehurst opened to a limit of 1The MOST damage done to that lake was the catch and keep limits set, initially it was 3 any size back when "mud bay" was open to fishing. Actually it was all the illegal netting that was going on. They used to put nets all the way across Snugs cove/mud bay When you arrived you'd see this many times a year. Then when the Alberta fisheries discovered that was the fish prime spawning area every spring they shut it down (thank goodness) and reduced the limit down to one any size. My last tourney attempt there produced the lowest weight in the tourney's history and it wasn't due to low populations but it was a late spawn and a majority of the fish were still in the bay in spawn mode. Don't get me wrong I like a good walleye shore lunch as much as the next guy but in the grand scheme of things and how little good viable lakes Alberta has left, I support and applaud the tag system because it does regulate a proper harvest from lakes such as these. I see absolutely no harm with having a tourney held there every year because it does provide very valuable info to SRD If you ask SRD or the fisheries biologist they will tell you it is VERY poor data that they get from this. They would get much better data from a netting study that resulted in the same mortality that the tournament causes as they have personal on the weigh in boats along with F&W officers there. The anglers that do participate cherish and uphold the highest standards of ethic I guess that's why there are all these rules and ethics clauses that participants must sign off on because all tournament anglers are so ethical when they are fishing the lake more so then your every day "catch and keep" anglers. So prior to pointing fingers at tourneys maybe look at the whole picture first, I have seen it all at that lake from the above mentioned years of fishing there. Think about it, look at the valuable time saved for SRD to achieve their studies by having the highest ethical fishermen such as tourney participates do the work for them so they can really get an accurate forecast of that fishery for the following year(s) of the walleye health status and populations. Again the studies are very poor info compared to what a peer reviewed study would contain. I have been on both sides of the fence....have you? My PERSONAL opinion is to zero or have the perch limits set at 5 only because hey that is the prime food source for walleye and pike but no we have every Tom, Dick and Harry keeping 5 to 7" perch almost on a daily basis across Alberta Not in Pinehurst you don't, the walleye have eaten them all thus starving off the walleye...and not just the walleye, the pike population has plummeted in that lake with this mono species management philosophy look at Calling Lake for instance...prime example, same with Pigeon. Take away the food and the predators starve. So why should not the pike and perch also be protected in the same manner as the walleye That's all I have to say...bottom line common sense.

Again I'm not anti tournament but the above is how allot of the general public perceive you. You need to change a few things perhaps not fish tag/vulnerable lakes and do a better job on your PR

God Bless and have a great season

[keep6matt]

I will never ever comment on "nets" again on here because I got ripped to shreds on my opinion of that subject. You have many great additional points to my initial post Cube, will not argue anything you have stated....I am not posting on this thread anymore, I said my observations/opinions, enuff said and have a great day everyone!

[Hunter Trav]

why should a tounament angler be allowed to upgrade and the general public not. Using the same logic,it's either a fish you want to weight in or it's not no reason for culling end of story

Well this is very true, and I cannot argue with that. Either way its tough to enforce the culling rule, so I guess it would be better to have people properly informed about how to ensure the fishes safety in doing so. If done in a proper aerated live well, I'm really not against culling provided the fish remains healthy and is looked after. The problem being those that don't have live wells would try and do so with stringers over the side of the boat, and any fish which might be released probably not make it...

there are far more boats out their in the general public domain that do indeed have such live wells than perhaps your aware of

I am aware that alot of boats do have them, I'm also aware that most "tin boats" do not. I'm willing to bet that there are more boats out there that do not have live wells on our lakes, as there are ones that do...

sounds like a stressed fish to me

No more so than the average joe angler not handling their fish properly. And really once they're revived in the live well, they are quite calm and relaxed. Once you try to handle them again they are full of p**s and vinegar, and when they are put back after weighing they swim away quite readily, and live to see other day...

Just to play devils advocate for a moment. I have fished this lake for over 38 years so have an idea about the lake as well.

Sounds to me like your just ****ed about having to share the lake with others...

[cube]

Originally Posted by Hunter Trav

Sounds to me like your just ****ed about having to share the lake with others...

Actually not at all.
I would love to watch the tourney if the facilities were better. i.e. more outhouses, electrical hook ups so I would not have to listen to all those generators running all day and night, Parking areas for the participants, a launch reserved for the general public so my wife would not feel stressed having to back the trailer in, some reserved space so I would not have to go out on the Monday or Tuesday before and hog camping spots but not actually use it until the weekend like many of the tournament anglers do, etc.

I truly think it would be a very interesting thing to watch and I would learn allot. So no I would not mind sharing the lake with the tournament participants one bit.

Have a great season

[huntsfurfish]

Originally Posted by pikeslayer22

Hope that is a false rumor or say goodbye to another good lake!! Question for the torunament guys...How many fish caught during the tournament and the week prior and what is the mortality rate of all the fish released??

Likely at worst, same/similar as anyone else.

Have not read though this thread yet(so not sure whats ahead).

[Hunter Trav]

Originally Posted by cube

Actually not at all.
I would love to watch the tourney if the facilities were better. i.e. more outhouses, electrical hook ups so I would not have to listen to all those generators running all day and night, Parking areas for the participants, a launch reserved for the general public so my wife would not feel stressed having to back the trailer in, some reserved space so I would not have to go out on the Monday or Tuesday before and hog camping spots but not actually use it until the weekend like many of the tournament anglers do, etc.

I truly think it would be a very interesting thing to watch and I would learn allot. So no I would not mind sharing the lake with the tournament participants one bit.

Have a great season

Not sure why you would try and make your wife back a trailer in the lake when all the tourney guys are launching, all you need to do is wait a bit till their done, and you'll have it all to yourself. Launching at a tourney is very organized because it has to be. If you feel the need to go to a lake hosting a tourney on that same weekend, then really you just need to be a bit more patient. I can understand not wanting to go and get a campsite early in the week, but they are going to be changing that for next year according to what they announced. And as far as generators running all day and night, no one is around hardly during the day cause they're gone fishing. And most guys shut down everything by 9-10 at night so I'm not sure how that is bothering anyone. If your in a trailer your hardly going to hear it. I was in a tent I it never bothered me any. Most guys have nice quiet Honda or equivalent genny's anyway, so its really not that loud...

[Ukrainankiller]

Have to laugh at how these tournament guys think their way more ethical and better fisherman then us average everyday angler. It's not the fact that we don't want to share the lake it's the fact it's on a draw system to keep walleye. Don't say you guys don't kill fish when you do. It just seems hypocritical that they allow derbies on a critical lake.

[Hunter Trav]

Originally Posted by Ukrainankiller

Have to laugh at how these tournament guys think their way more ethical and better fisherman then us average everyday angler. It's not the fact that we don't want to share the lake it's the fact it's on a draw system to keep walleye. Don't say you guys don't kill fish when you do. It just seems hypocritical that they allow derbies on a critical lake.

Actually we said that mortality rates were quite low. There will always be the odd fish that doesn't make it due to certain circumstances. But it goes against the guys who don't look after their fish, which could cause them to lose out big time. There is nothing to lose for the everyday angler that doesn't take proper care in handling a fish, cause the chances of there being a F&W officer there when it happens is slim to none. Also, the fact that you can get tags for the lake says to me that it isn't as critical as they make it out to be. Personally I believe the SRD uses it as an excuse for a cash grab tag system they have created. If it was really bad, it would just be a zero limit...

[Salavee]

Originally Posted by pikeslayer22

Hope that is a false rumor or say goodbye to another good lake!! Question for the torunament guys...How many fish caught during the tournament and the week prior and what is the mortality rate of all the fish released??

Immediate mortality is obvious but delayed mortality has yet to be quantified and documented. There have been a couple of these disasters in years gone by as a result of tournaments.. Lesser Slave comes to mind. Anybody who questions the fact that delayed mortality is a negative factor with any live-release protocol should re-think the whole live -release scenario. Ten percent mortality is certainly in the ball park, and natural bait ( live leeches in particular) and deeper water are the biggest contributors. IMHO, there are also better ways to conduct a Walleye Tournament other than live weigh-in. For some strange reason fish don't enjoy boat rides ..especially in rough water.
Tournaments are great fun but a massive influx of anglers hitting a particular waterbody for a day or two of intensive Walleye fishing is gonna negatively impact the population ..even if the Walleye population is healthy.
Been there, Done that and would sure like to see some additional changes regarding Tournament licensing on all our lakes.
__________________

[huntsfurfish]

Originally Posted by Ukrainankiller

Have to laugh at how these tournament guys think their way more ethical and better fisherman then us average everyday angler. It's not the fact that we don't want to share the lake it's the fact it's on a draw system to keep walleye. Don't say you guys don't kill fish when you do. It just seems hypocritical that they allow derbies on a critical lake.

So you really don't want to share

uk we(tournament anglers) are just anglers too.

You are fishing for "fun" so are we!

[Walleyedude]

Originally Posted by cube

First of all Walleyedude if you look at my first post you will see that I'm not against the Pinehurst tournament per say. I would only like it moved because the facilities there are terrible for a tournament of this size and caliber. If they put in an extra boat launch, more bathrooms, a parking area, large field for meeting tents etc. I would not have a problem with it.
I only said I could understand how others might feel ripped off given that the tags issued are significantly lower even though they have a much higher priority in the system than tournaments. If you would like to change it have the government give tournaments a level 3 priority and the general public a 5 officially (as that is what appears to be in fact happening here) I would not care as long as the changes that have been made recently i.e. cold water period etc remain in effect.

I think moving the tournament to a lake that has more facilities and extra quota like Pigeon would be a good idea. You have a few thousand under subscribed licences available every year that could be easily displaced by the tournament caused fish deaths. There is multiple boat launches at the lake there is large staging area's in the communities there etc. It would be a win win with no perceived hypocrisy.

as to some of your other comments.



Even you would have to admit holding a tournament on a lake classified as collapsed or vulnerable could look bad in the general public’s eyes. Therefore perhaps you and the tournament guys could lobby to have it a non tag lake. I certainly think Pinehurst could with stand the pressure for the reasons I have already stated back in my post refering to Moose Lake.


If Pinehurst had better facilities ie. a place the public could easily launch on tournament days, more bathrooms, camping spots reserved for the public etc. I would love to come down and watch the tournament. I think I would learn allot and become a better fisherman to boot. Perhaps the Pinehurst tournament could be moved to Lac La biche which has much better facilities when it recovers a bit better.

I don't think you can turn it around. I want to go and participate in a tournament, I may gain, I may lose, but I'm just there to enjoy fishing, the same as any other angler on the lake. I have no interest in limiting others access to the lake or their fishing, as long as they follow the rules. That's where those that are anti-tournament and I differ.

As foe Pinehurst being a vulnerable lake, tbe tournament is approved by SRD, and the application process is rigorous, so no, I don't feel it's anything that the tournament anglers should be apologizing for.

If your argument truly boils down to the lack of facilities and you being inconvenienced for a weekend, then you really don't have much of an argument. It's a public lake, with public facilities, and we all have to share. Do like I do during Stampede and get outta dodge lol.

[cube]

Originally Posted by Hunter Trav

Not sure why you would try and make your wife back a trailer in the lake when all the tourney guys are launching, all you need to do is wait a bit till their done, and you'll have it all to yourself. Launching at a tourney is very organized because it has to be. If you feel the need to go to a lake hosting a tourney on that same weekend, then really you just need to be a bit more patient. I can understand not wanting to go and get a campsite early in the week, but they are going to be changing that for next year according to what they announced. And as far as generators running all day and night, no one is around hardly during the day cause they're gone fishing. And most guys shut down everything by 9-10 at night so I'm not sure how that is bothering anyone. If your in a trailer your hardly going to hear it. I was in a tent I it never bothered me any. Most guys have nice quiet Honda or equivalent genny's anyway, so its really not that loud...

Hunter Trav, if you will, the very start of this thread shows tournaments have a PR problem. Not sure how making the general public have to wait to launch is going to make them feel more warm and fuzzy toward tournaments. While your point of view is the general public is coming to YOUR TOURNAMENT LAKE, their point of view is that you are coming to their lake hence why they may say why can't you wait and be patient while the public launches their boats at prime time. Again a warm and fuzzy issue. As for the generators comment it was not specifically aimed at tournament participants. I have been their many many times only to hear no less than 10 generators running, just in our loop! Believe it or not I don't go to a Provincial Park by a lake to hear gas engines running all day, so while I don't really like the idea of the expanded camping necessarily the one upside I could find was people in general no longer feeling the need to run their generators while I sit quietly by my fire etc. (Not everybody has a Honda or is considerate with its use)

Have a great season.

[huntsfurfish]

Originally Posted by Walleyedude

I don't think you can turn it around. I want to go and participate in a tournament, I may gain, I may lose, but I'm just there to enjoy fishing, the same as any other angler on the lake. I have no interest in limiting others access to the lake or their fishing, as long as they follow the rules. That's where those that are anti-tournament and I differ.

As foe Pinehurst being a vulnerable lake, tbe tournament is approved by SRD, and the application process is rigorous, so no, I don't feel it's anything that the tournament anglers should be apologizing for.

If your argument truly boils down to the lack of facilities and you being inconvenienced for a weekend, then you really don't have much of an argument. It's a public lake, with public facilities, and we all have to share. Do like I do during Stampede and get outta dodge lol.

agree

[Hunter Trav]

Originally Posted by cube

Hunter Trav, if you will, the very start of this thread shows tournaments have a PR problem. Not sure how making the general public have to wait to launch is going to make them feel more warm and fuzzy toward tournaments. While your point of view is the general public is coming to YOUR TOURNAMENT LAKE, their point of view is that you are coming to their lake hence why they may say why can't you wait and be patient while the public launches their boats at prime time. Again a warm and fuzzy issue. As for the generators comment it was not specifically aimed at tournament participants. I have been their many many times only to hear no less than 10 generators running, just in our loop! Believe it or not I don't go to a Provincial Park by a lake to hear gas engines running all day, so while I don't really like the idea of the expanded camping necessarily the one upside I could find was people in general no longer feeling the need to run their generators while I sit quietly by my fire etc. (Not everybody has a Honda or is considerate with its use)

Have a great season.

So really what your saying is no one should be allowed to go to a provincial campsite unless they are quiet and don't get in your way at the launch. Unfortunately that probably won't happen, so why not find an out of the way lake to go and enjoy your quiet time at. Its not that hard to do, even in Alberta...

[Ukrainankiller]

Originally Posted by Hunter Trav

So really what your saying is no one should be allowed to go to a provincial campsite unless they are quiet and don't get in your way at the launch. Unfortunately that probably won't happen, so why not find an out of the way lake to go and enjoy your quiet time at. Its not that hard to do, even in Alberta...

Hunter Trav. You say if a fish dies the team either losses weight or is disqualified. Why don't they have to pay a huge fine and risk loseing their Liscence and maybe a court date like the rest of us. Or do guys get suspended for fishing in the next derby or get suspended from the tour. Just asking.

[cube]

While I'm sure many will feel I'm delusional in saying this here, here goes.

Originally Posted by Hunter Trav

So really what your saying is no one should be allowed to go to a provincial campsite unless they are quiet I do indeed think that people who are going to a shared space should be respectful and that would include being reasonably quiet and don't get in your way at the launch Yes I happen to believe no one entity should be able to block the only boat launch on a lake for hours a day. Unfortunately that probably won't happen, so why not find an out of the way lake to go and enjoy your quiet time at. Its not that hard to do, even in Alberta...Fact is, or perhaps rather was, Pinehurst was such a place and, hence, why I feel that a tournament of this size, caliber, and prestige could be perhaps better located.

Have a great season

[Walleyedude]

Originally Posted by Ukrainankiller

Hunter Trav. You say if a fish dies the team either losses weight or is disqualified. Why don't they have to pay a huge fine and risk loseing their Liscence and maybe a court date like the rest of us. Or do guys get suspended for fishing in the next derby or get suspended from the tour. Just asking.

Do you get charged and have to go to court or pay a huge fine if while in the process of catching and releasing a fish, it doesn't survive? No, you don't, unless you try and keep that fish for the table. So why should someone be charged because they're fishing in a tournament? If anything the tournament angler already pays a far harsher price than the average angler as they lose their weight or get disqualified for doing something the average angler can do without consequences.

[Hunter Trav]

I say, just don't go to Pinehurst on the weekend they are having the tourney. I'm not sure why anyone would insist on going at that time anyways other than to participate in the tourney itself...

[Hunter Trav]

Originally Posted by Walleyedude

Do you get charged and have to go to court or pay a huge fine if while in the process of catching and releasing a fish, it doesn't survive? No, you don't, unless you try and keep that fish for the table. So why should someone be charged because they're fishing in a tournament? If anything the tournament angler already pays a far harsher price than the average angler as they lose their weight or get disqualified for doing something the average angler can do without consequences.

Not to mention the fact that they pay a $600 entry fee on top of their fuel, camping fee and everything else. No chance of getting it back if your not extra careful in how you handle your fish...

[Walleyedude]

Originally Posted by cube

While I'm sure many will feel I'm delusional in saying this here, here goes.

Have a great season

I don't think it's delusional at all. I'd like to think that most people try to be respectful.

However, I also think that goes both ways, others can be respectful and courteous to the tournament guys that only ask for a couple hours a day for one weekend a year. It really isn't a huge inconvenience to anyone.

[cube]

Originally Posted by Walleyedude

I don't think you can turn it around. I want to go and participate in a tournament, I may gain, I may lose, but I'm just there to enjoy fishing, the same as any other angler on the lake. Actually that’s not true according to the regs, as soon as money is on the table it says you are not just there to enjoy the fishing and, hence, you require a tournament licence. I have no interest in limiting others access to the lake or their fishing, as long as they follow the rules. That's where those that are anti-tournament and I differ.

As foe Pinehurst being a vulnerable lake, tbe tournament is approved by SRD, and the application process is rigorous, so no, I don't feel it's anything that the tournament anglers should be apologizing for. Did not say I wanted an apology, what I said was it has bad optics for the sport of tournament fishing.

If your argument truly boils down to the lack of facilities and you being inconvenienced for a weekend, then you really don't have much of an argument. Given that Pinehurst is the ONLY tournament on the WCWT that does not have multiple campgrounds, multiple launches, no tags etc. it would seem others must think I have a valid point. It's a public lake, with public facilities, and we all have to share. Do like I do during Stampede and get outta dodge lol.

.