I hate fishing tournaments

WildmanWilson

WildmanWilson

Hatchling
Staff member
Some people love the competition and I get that part. It’s getting out of control though. We have hundreds of tournament boats crammed together and people lined up to fish the same spots. Ky and Barkley is becoming unfishable. 300-400 boats some weekends from just the tournaments. I’d like to see some kinda limits in place. I know a few guys that are selling their boats because it’s gotten so crazy.
 
I would like to see the number of tournaments allowed per weekend to be regulated by size of the waterway. I would also like to see the number of participants to be limited. People can say what they like but it's nothing but glorified gambling addiction. Kayakers need flag poles on their vessels to keep me from running over them while I'm running 80 down the lake in my glitter rocket.
 
Not a fishing tournament but I’d say a few can relate. My dad and I used to trout fish in ETN at least once a year for a father/son outing. Anyway, I hadn’t been to the headwaters of the Hiwassee in years but in Fall of 2020 my niece got married probably about 40 miles from there. I drove my wife and daughter there to show them one of my old haunts and there were kayakers (not the fishing type) and tubers freakin everywhere. We used to trout fish all day and all we’d see were waders then a few would bring those drift boats when they ran the generators. I know there’s worse things people can do and at least they were enjoying the outdoors but I was pretty sad thinking about how it used to be.
 
xbokilla said:
Not a fishing tournament but I’d say a few can relate. My dad and I used to trout fish in ETN at least once a year for a father/son outing. Anyway, I hadn’t been to the headwaters of the Hiwassee in years but in Fall of 2020 my niece got married probably about 40 miles from there. I drove my wife and daughter there to show them one of my old haunts and there were kayakers (not the fishing type) and tubers freakin everywhere. We used to trout fish all day and all we’d see were waders then a few would bring those drift boats when they ran the generators. I know there’s worse things people can do and at least they were enjoying the outdoors but I was pretty sad thinking about how it used to be.
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Semi related. Last time I went trout fishing in some real slow water, these college kids came through and didn’t see me. I was wading. They fired up about 9 dubes at once and just fogged me out, I mean I was caughing as they went by. They had a little pow wow, the girls all took their tops off, said “sorry man, don’t call the cops”.

I wasn't calling the cops anyway. 🤷‍♂️. My wife was not enthused when I told her.
 
Same way here. Two Saturdays ago, there wasn’t an open parking space at Paintsville due to at least 2 tournaments going on simultaneously. Happens at Dewey too. Resource gets hammered no doubt. Plus they weigh all the fish at the ramp and release them there, unnaturally redistributing the bigger fish. I’m not a fan but get why others are.
 
RLWEBB said:
Same way here. Two Saturdays ago, there wasn’t an open parking space at Paintsville due to at least 2 tournaments going on simultaneously. Happens at Dewey too. Resource gets hammered no doubt. Plus they weigh all the fish at the ramp and release them there, unnaturally redistributing the bigger fish. I’m not a fan but get why others are.
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I guess it's like that at every lake in the state. Nolin and Rough are hammered completely to death every weekend from mid March to October, the fish know the serial numbers on the baits before they even get to them. After all that, the Amish wipe everything else out. Walleye are essentially gone at Nolin so much that the Yoders are spider rigging for crappie now regatta-style.
 
I’m not a fan. Didn’t use to mind them at all but it seems like I encounter more fishermen each year that have no etiquette. If you’re not in the tournament you don’t matter. It’s not just while I’m fishing but also duck hunting.
 
Oldrook said:
I’m not a fan. Didn’t use to mind them at all but it seems like I encounter more fishermen each year that have no etiquette. If you’re not in the tournament you don’t matter. It’s not just while I’m fishing but also duck hunting.
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Courtesy while on the water just doesn't seem to matter to a bunch of addicts looking for fame and fortune. I used to enjoy fishing them for fun but it has gotten completely out of hand.
 
ribsplitter said:
Courtesy while on the water just doesn't seem to matter to a bunch of addicts looking for fame and fortune. I used to enjoy fishing them for fun but it has gotten completely out of hand.
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It was getting silly when I quit. I hooked into a bass and couldn’t reach the net, my “boat partner” told me to get bent, he was fishing against me when I asked him to hand me the net.

I’d have jumped in the water to get his fish in the boat.
 
B. M. Barrelcooker said:
Make it kayak tournaments only.

Get rid of the high speed rocket boats
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I got a good friend who was in like a Kayak Tournament fishing league back about 10 years ago. He says it can get pretty competitive too but I guess without the motors it’s not as crazy. He did get out though. He said the tournament competitiveness was taking the joy out of it and since it was like a “league” you had to fish in so many tournaments to be eligible for end of year prizes and such. Even in Yaks, they fished some big waters at times too.
 
IMO too many people and too many boats/floating device of all type have created unpleasantness for anyone seeking solitude in their fishing. You have to walk a long way on small steams to get away from it. Or you can buy a boat that has the power system to suit your water and just get in there and trade punches with them. Etiquette ? Nah. You will be only one out there who knows what it means.

Many trout rivers are overrun with kayaks. Like hundreds a day. Some church groups with coolers of beer are the worst to share water with. Seriously
 
Bee said:
IMO too many people and too many boats/floating device of all type have created unpleasantness for anyone seeking solitude in their fishing. You have to walk a long way on small steams to get away from it. Or you can buy a boat that has the power system to suit your water and just get in there and trade punches with them. Etiquette ? Nah. You will be only one out there who knows what it means.

Many trout rivers are overrun with kayaks. Like hundreds a day. Some church groups with coolers of beer are the worst to share water with. Seriously
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What’s the solution ?
 
B.M. Barrelcooker said:
What’s the solution ?
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I’d like to see a limited number of boats allowed in tournaments. That means all tournaments combined. You can see 300 boats or more some weekends.

Also release all fish at the spot they are caught. Weigh and release.

Then have some dead periods. Like the month of April and May when they spawn.

Yeah, that’s a pipe dream because money always talks.
 
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