01-13-2013, 03:26 PM
Trout-hunter, I have to agree with you 100 percent.
Bassattttic, I know this won't make a difference to your decision to go ahead with this, but this is my opinion. It has nothing to do with what state you are from or or whether or not I have fished the reservoir you choose. Chesterfield, Devils, and Deep Cr aren't my favorite fisheries so this isn't personal.
These are all small fisheries and shouldn't have tournaments. I know that F&G will give you the permit, but that doesn't make it right or good for the small reservoirs.
Why not choose a large water here in Idaho such as American Falls, Walcott, Salmon Falls, or Blackfoot. Or have one in Utah on the many large waters there like Strawberry. If you want it social then restrict the tournament to a certain area of the lake.
Or choose somewhere that needs some harvest. Why not a tournament on Montpelier Res for perch. You could have winners for the largest the smallest, and the most pounds in two hours. Then have a fish fry!
I know that more fish can be stocked, but it is the hold-over fish that everyone comes to fish for. In a tournament people release many "good" fish in the search for a "winning" fish. I have to wonder what the mortality rate is for all of those released fish. How many have swallowed bait and been hanging on an unattended pole.
I did like your one or two pole rule (not that they had to buy the second pole though). At least it would be attended and the fish caught before it swallowed everything, and had it gills ripped out so it could be released.
As has been said, many come to these reservoirs to fish. The attraction is the hold-over trout not the new stockers. If more of the hold-overs are killed because of release mortality and increased harvest, how long will our small reservoirs continue to be anything but a F&G stocking pond?
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Bassattttic, I know this won't make a difference to your decision to go ahead with this, but this is my opinion. It has nothing to do with what state you are from or or whether or not I have fished the reservoir you choose. Chesterfield, Devils, and Deep Cr aren't my favorite fisheries so this isn't personal.
These are all small fisheries and shouldn't have tournaments. I know that F&G will give you the permit, but that doesn't make it right or good for the small reservoirs.
Why not choose a large water here in Idaho such as American Falls, Walcott, Salmon Falls, or Blackfoot. Or have one in Utah on the many large waters there like Strawberry. If you want it social then restrict the tournament to a certain area of the lake.
Or choose somewhere that needs some harvest. Why not a tournament on Montpelier Res for perch. You could have winners for the largest the smallest, and the most pounds in two hours. Then have a fish fry!
I know that more fish can be stocked, but it is the hold-over fish that everyone comes to fish for. In a tournament people release many "good" fish in the search for a "winning" fish. I have to wonder what the mortality rate is for all of those released fish. How many have swallowed bait and been hanging on an unattended pole.
I did like your one or two pole rule (not that they had to buy the second pole though). At least it would be attended and the fish caught before it swallowed everything, and had it gills ripped out so it could be released.
As has been said, many come to these reservoirs to fish. The attraction is the hold-over trout not the new stockers. If more of the hold-overs are killed because of release mortality and increased harvest, how long will our small reservoirs continue to be anything but a F&G stocking pond?
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