$843,000 Study PROVES Tournaments Are DESTROYING Bass Fishing

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Do you think changes need to be made in tournament bass fishing?

[@mattfleming86]

Absolutely. Even tiny lakes are often getting 1-3+ tournaments a week with a high angler count. The number of post tournament/morning after floaters I have seen in my life is.. absurd. And those are just the short term mortalities... not the fish that die days or weeks later.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

That’s crazy. I fish a lot of smaller impounds that don’t have many tournaments on them but I would be raging if I pulled up to the lake and saw bass belly up. What part of the country are you in?

[@mattfleming86]

@@AaronKellerFishing West Virginia. Its often during the summer when heat+o2 stress is at it's peak. But I remember seeing a lot of the same in VA and TN as well. It seems to increase with the "long" tournaments as well. That much dwell time in a livewell just is not a good idea. Plus you have bacterial/viral/parasitic cross contamination for all the fish that get squeezed together-playing back into that long range mortality. I mean its 2025. I just dont see why every tournament doesn't supply a camera as a cheater-check and go with catch, measure, release. If anything better fisheries would HELP organizers bring people into their tournaments. Everyone wins. Plus you wouldn't have bass removed from their beds during the spawn. I imagine the further they are moved, the greater chances of reproduction failure for that cycle.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I’m in VA so we’re neighbors lol. I like the catch measure release way. I think what they’re worried about is not having weigh-in being less exciting and therefore less money. But for me, I’d put the health of the fish and lake over money 10 times out of 10.

[@Byoung85]

Yes, reduce the number of tournaments, no tournaments during the spawn and stop live weigh ins

[@woodystemms3799]

Anyone who schedules a tournament during the spawn deserves ... *nothing* good.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Are you okay with tournaments in the spawn if they are catch, weigh, and release?

[@jebbohanan2626]

@@AaronKellerFishing Don’t fish during spawning. It’s that simple. If you yank a fish off its’ bed, the shock of that experience will make it start all over again….

[@073286]

Abso fuqing lutley

[@073286]

​@@AaronKellerFishingno, i just out in my long ass post all tournies should be on hold from April til June across the country. If you don't like it, sell your boat. These guys in my area don't fish for fun, it's just a dick measuring contest to see who can become the local legend.

[@colw07]

Bass spawn from January-June in the south. From April-august September up north. Sometimes bass spawn in the fall. So, tell me how’s that possible

[@phillipstiefel5802]

Catch, measure, release OR catch, throw in live well, ride around in live well all day, put in a bag, carry up the hill, take out of bag, dump in a cloths basket, back into a bag, then back down the hill? It’s obvious which is better for the fish.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

@@phillipstiefel5802 that’s my opinion as well. I think the argument for the tournament organizations is without weigh-ins, there will be less money made and therefore less money for the local community. What are you thoughts?

[@adammoke8949]

@@phillipstiefel5802 I’ve had hundreds of fish in my livewell and never any mortality

[@BrooksBabbling]

Liar ​@@adammoke8949

[@alienxyt]

@@adammoke8949 who would you know? You either ate them or released them. You don't know that those fish survived.

[@adammoke8949]

@ I’ve caught the same fish multiple times in multiple places and times of year. There is mortality on a lake no matter if tournaments happen or not.

[@peterm0nroe12]

we didnt even need a study to know tournaments are damaging bass fishing

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I agree but in order for states to make changes they will want to have the data. What’s your thoughts on tournament fishing?

[@peterm0nroe12]

@ think it’s cool, have never actually done it. they definitely need more catch and immediately release tournaments though

[@seangoff9578]

I’m an angler myself and am speaking to myself as well here but anglers are quite delusional about the impact they have on the fisheries. We get mad DNR for a problem we voluntarily create. We need to stop offering money for tournaments and get back to doing it for fun and that would flush out a lot of the irresponsible anglers who are incentivized by the payouts to do things that end up hurting OUR OWN fisheries.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

That’s a good point. I think when money is involved people tend to turn a blind eye. I hope money takes a backseat to conservation in the near future. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@alienxyt]

Just think how that would stretch your dollar too. With no tourney's, gear companies wouldn't be creating "new" baits at such a rapid pace.

[@lantose]

@@alienxyt exactly! A piece of painted plastic with 2 hooks for $6-$12 now for an average depending on the brand, and plastic baits grubs and swim baits that cost $1 each or more!

[@alienxyt]

@@lantose Im looking for some saltwater jig heads and rubber shad for a March trip. I cannot believe the cost! 2 unpainted, 1 ounce jig heads for $14 bucks. That's INSANE! Anyone that fishes has the same sickness and we're being preyed upon.🫤

[@secretbassrigs]

lets start with banning FFS in tournaments

[@marksanko6138]

This is all common sense. The fact that people in the tournament industry fight this says a lot.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

@@marksanko6138 I have to agree, Mark. I can see why tournament organizations push back because at the end of the days that’s their business. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@mikelembke5121]

Study didn't include the recreational fishing that kills 100 percent of fish

[@steverichardson8655]

​@@mikelembke5121Did you even watch the video? If you're saying that recreational bass fishermen kill 100% of the bass we catch you're on glue! Get real troll!

[@jebbohanan2626]

@@mikelembke5121 YES! I’ve seen more people (I will refrain from using, idiots), keeping more fish than they need too, plus bragging about yanking the big one off the bed…. 🤦‍♂️

[@rayminthecat]

the truth hurts. Holding up bass at weigh in is brutal and needs to be done away with.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

It seems to really take a toll on the fish. I’ve had quite a few comments on how many dead fish they see floating after tournaments. Thanks for watching.

[@adamg7984]

I don't know how this can come as any surprise to anyone. This has long been pretty well known that fishing tournament styles of live well to weigh in is really deadly on bass. It has been known for a long time and even before we had studies, people should have been able to know better. But when you see Bass Masters doing it, I'm sure a lot of people for many years just assumed it was no big deal. But as others said, it's common sense that this would be horrible for the fish who have to go through the experience. The practice should have stopped 20 years ago, I'm sure we had more than enough to say how bad it was even by then. And just consider what 20 years less of this kind of crap could mean for the bass populations today.

[@kava8902]

This is why I say if you want to ban livescope because you care about the fishery, ban tournaments at the same time.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Are you okay with FFS as long as catch, weigh, and release is implemented?

[@kava8902]

​@AaronKellerFishing I'm fine with FFS, I use it. I mostly catch and release, unless having a walleye/panfish fry, and I don't fish tournaments. I don't even like largemouth fishing. If I'm fishing bass it's smallmouth. I'm just sick of the people, especially certain pros in bass fishing, who keep saying ban FFS. They make it seem like it's killing tons of fish and then they go and fish tournaments all the time. Before FFS ever existed I had a hunch tournaments were really bad. Not just bass tournaments but also walleye.

[@Hawhyin69]

@@AaronKellerFishing I am

[@JayLee-od8ob]

I agree it's the way to go moving forward.

[@devinwillis7787]

Just ban fishing instead. Would help the fish out

[@markfreiner3282]

Catch and release has always been the best method of conservation. If yoy want to keep your lake healthy we need to use it. We also need to regulate the amount of tournaments on each lake every year.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I agree Mark. Would you like to see tournaments go to length format or try to stick with the weight format in that case?

[@adamg7984]

Don't say regulate, people will get really fucking angry and call you a communist or something. People bitch about regulations all the time but this is why we should have them. Tournament style catch, live well, weigh in, release should have been regulated out of existence many, many years ago. I'm sure it would be difficult though as a lot of major circuits love the spectacle of the weigh in. But who cares about the spectacle if it saves fish, or is anyone going to disagree with me on that?

[@TommyHudson-w1k]

Years ago I quit fishing bass tournaments just because of this reason over the years I have seen countless numbers of bass floating in the water. After the way ends were completed. It was shameful.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Thanks for sharing, Tommy. I’ve seen similar comments on this video. It’s like our conscious tells us that we’re not supposed to be killing the fish unnecessarily. I appreciate you watching and commenting.

[@tiffinmiller8407]

Nice video thanks for the info. Catch and release sounds like a great idea. I also would like to limit the number of tournaments on lakes. There are way too many tournaments. The normal angler is suffering the consequences.

[@ericoakley4388]

At Lake Powell they remove the fish from areas 30 to 50 miles from the weigh in. These fish are taken out of stickups, broken rocks were a lot of crawdads, minnows, etc. occur. They are then released at the boat dock where it’s nothing but slick rock. Thousands of fish each year as you said are removed from the productive waters and released in the unproductive waters.This was a great article.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

That’s sad to hear. Do you like strictly CWR or would you be okay with the slot limit rule?

[@ericoakley4388]

@@AaronKellerFishing I believe in baby steps and it would probably be easier to put in slot limits.

[@WillCory]

Ask yourself how those fish got to the productive areas in the first place???

[@ericoakley4388]

@ Huh? Did they swim or did God put them there?

[@WillCory]

@@ericoakley4388 that's the point they swim and travel all over the lake and return to the areas.

[@reidmiller4267]

I totally agree with the video. I would like to add that there also needs to be a significant reduction in the number of tournaments allowed. I don’t think I’ve been to a lake in recent years when there isn’t a tournament: for a local bass club, a fire department or police department, contractors, etc. Not only does this add to the fishing pressure, it also reduces the number of available camp sites. And of course there’s the obnoxious 5:30 a.m. alarm (aka: 20 or more 300 h.p. boats at full throttle at first light. All things considered, the ever excessive number of tournaments is spoiling the experience of normal anglers and families.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I agree things need to change with tournament fishing. Whether it’s CWR or it’s limiting the number of tournaments/boats. How would you try to lower tournament if you were in charge?

[@bass4996]

I know it will make the Glitter Boys cry but common sense says end tournaments period.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

😂 I've never heard the term glitter boys, that's wild. Would you be okay with a catch, weigh, and release tournament?

[@thomastrain7311]

Weigh in the boat and release immediately. It's too easy. Isn't it MLF that does that? It's one of the tournament fishing shows that comes on tv

[@blakefoster6324]

Got me a really nice glittery bass boats. Ban tournaments. 👍 They put way too much strain on the fish.

[@johnjefferson5933]

@@AaronKellerFishingyes absolutely that’s how they should be done Even if putting one in a live well and releasing it didn’t harm 1 The bigger problem is releasing them 20 miles away from the habitat the allowed them to thrive

[@RobertCurtin-hi2cm]

I couldn’t care less about largemouth bass but having to smell them rotting around the marinas and boat ramps while paddling after summer tournaments is unacceptable and wasteful.

[@TheFishinMortician]

That's one thing better about the kayak scene is the catch, photo, release style carries some less stress on the fish.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

@@TheFishinMortician I agree! And I watch anglers like Greg Blanchard fish tournaments and don't miss the weigh in at all. Thanks for watching!

[@TheFishinMortician]

@AaronKellerFishing Greg definately keeps it entertaining!

[@AaronKellerFishing]

@ he does! He was my biggest inspiration to start my channel and get a native titan

[@robertlane370]

Yeah that 5/0 hook through their jaw isn't as bad for them as riding in an oxygenated cooler water livewell🤣🤣 .. get real libtards

[@Drybone001]

What program or app allows you to do that?

[@scottkeiser3310]

Anybody that fishes recreational has noticed the decline in fishing. It is time to put regulations in place to assure the fishing for the next generation.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I have felt a decline in the last couple years but I wasn’t sure if that was just based on luck and the limited time I have to fish. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@win300mag1]

100%. I’ve been saying it for several years. I live next to Jordan Lake and Shearon Harris reservoir and both are shells of what they once were. The last MLF even here really showed their colors. Especially Harris. It’s a damn shame to watch that lake go from where it was to grinding all day for a bite or two.

[@jebbohanan2626]

I live in Florida. I fish all over my state. In 55 years I have watched a huge decline in fish of all species. Catching five pounders was easy 15 years ago. One is lucky to bring in 2 pounders consistently.

[@projectfishinchannel33]

I'm not really a regulations guy keep it simple just change it to catch picture and weigh or there is a way to keep it honest lot of smart people out there. But to the biggest problem to me especially here in TN is the TWRA specifically to make it short grass is gone has been for over 10 years zero effort to bring it back population decline simple as that and we aren't the only state the wildlife agencies just aren't bringing numbers up in bass you can release all you want if they got nowhere to hide they will get eaten. Lastly any like with generation dams will always be priority not keeping a habitat stable

[@NoToBigBro]

Decline in fish or decline in fishing? They are the opposite?

[@rousefire]

About ten years ago I made a post on a popular bass forum about how I thought our lakes were declining and more stringent regulations should be applied. I was met with universal disagreement.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

@@rousefire you were ahead of your time! People don’t like change and tend to look the other way if they can keep the status quo. Sometimes it’s not about saying what people want to hear but saying what’s right. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@coloradoelkhunter7367]

Same here

[@Steve13lb12oz]

Problem is that lots of people say they are for the conservation of fish but they are not. You mentioned Randy Blaukat. He constantly whines about FFS but when you look at his history, he is a spawn specialist that has been in catch, keep, weigh tourneys for decades even though he hasn’t been in the running to win anything in forever. He claims to care about the fishery but his actions speak louder. The tourneys are getting bigger, more frequent, and scheduled to align with the bass spawning season. The MLF catch and release program is the least they could do. Also need to charge the entities running the tourneys a significant per boat fee and then have a severe fine per fish that does not get released in good health. It’s all about the mighty dollar. It’s not a sport, it’s a corporate money grab. Hit them where it hurts. Make regulations that all local tourneys over ~30 boats register with the FWC. Manage the fishery instead of all the whining.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Dang Steve, that comment was spot on in a lot of places. I appreciate you watching and your ideas!

[@partner348]

"Randy Blaukat. He constantly whines" I quit watching his channel cause he's always cryin' about somethin'.

[@whitefishfins]

Randy whines about conservation, and protecting the fisheries - he has a platform and he uses it. Not sure why the hate.

[@richardbossman9875]

Because he is a hypocrite. He way over hyped new electronic and it’s impact on people being able to catch fish and he is completely crickets when it comes to tournaments ruining fishing more than anything else that has come along in three decades.

[@adamg7984]

Yeah, we have a lot of people who will claim to care but fish on a spawning bass bed because they're self centered, self entitled, etc. Human beings at their core are self centered, that's why it's really important as fishermen to hammer into every fellow fishermen how important it is to be mindful and respectful to the fish we love. Just about every single one of us could do better, myself included, when it comes to treating fish well and not fishing for them at times of the year that are bad for the fish.

[@ifishcatfish]

Why bass fishing alone? It is destroying catfishing and crappie fishing just the same..

[@AaronKellerFishing]

In the study they only looked at bass but I believe it! Have you seen tournaments affect your local lakes?

[@ericoakley4388]

Trout also, there are two ice fishing tournaments coming up out here where fish fish are counted and measured dead at the end of the day. 500 entrants and if you’ve never ice fished it’s incredibly productive.

[@timmontano8792]

"Tournaments Are Destroying Bass Fishing." What boggles my mind is that it took a nearly million-dollar study to prove what bass fishermen with common sense already knew would happen. With all of the money and marketing behind many of these tournaments, destroying bass fishing is the only thing that could happen.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I agree. The sense I get from the comment section is most people know that tournaments don't help the quality of bass fishing. I think the reason people hesitate is because tournament organization have been saying for years that their number 1 goal is conservation. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@timmontano8792]

@ I think what the bass organizations were referring to was conserving their profit margins, not necessarily conserving the bass that bring in their profits.

[@2005champ198]

⁠tournaments certainly affect bass fishing. Could there be other things that have a significant impact as well?When we “already know” tournaments are destroying fishing, and “common sense” guides our evaluation of a problem, we stop looking at the entire picture. Because we already “know.” Appreciate the conversation here. Science should guide our decisions in matters that affect all of us. @@AaronKellerFishing

[@samuelwarden6285]

I live in NW AL and I used to fish the Tennessee river alot. It has gotten to the point where I don't even like going on the weekends when im off of work because its so crowded with bass anglers and tournaments. There is very little parking and the boat traffic is just ridiculous. Thats why I fish creeks in the Summertime. I don't like fishing right beside other people. I grew up fishing this area and the fishing pressure has increased alot in the last several years. 👊👍

[@AaronKellerFishing]

That stinks about the river. The nice thing about Va is there are a bunch of good small lakes that don’t get big tournament on them. The summertime creek fishing sounds like a blast though! Thanks for watching.

[@lansemclain6175]

Same the Chick is starting to suck. Nickajack fishes better, it's closer to the house, and doesn't host near the tournaments.

[@stevefisher2121]

I am an avid bass angler and I have said this for years!!!!! There is way too much pressure and one of my local lakes have taken the steps to drastically reduce the number of tournaments and it is making a difference. This video needs to seen by everyone.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

That’s great that your local lake is doing that. What steps are they taking?

[@stevefisher2121]

@ that’s all for now

[@win300mag1]

All for it! Catch and release is a must. Tournaments during the spawn should be outlawed in their entirety. There is a reason that we are not allowed to hunt in the summer when does are giving birth. I live in N.C. near Jordan Lake and Shearon Harris reservoir and anyone who fishes here will tell you that there has a been a decline, and a steep decline in Harris. Can’t tell you how many 6-8 pounders that I’ve watched floating next to the boat ramps on Harris after a Wednesday evening tournament. Fishing is flat out harder and the same guys who are the first to complain are the same guys who are competing to see how many FFS transducers and 12 inch graphs they can fit on their boats. Something has to give because we are on the edge of a cliff with this issue.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I agree in catch and release. I was thinking about fishing Jordan this year so that stinks to hear. Thank you for watching and sharing.

[@jacksonmunro9501]

The local game and Wildlife need to put restrictions on tournaments . Only way it’ll change, won’t come from the tournament organizers thinking about the environment before their wallets.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

What kind of restrictions would you like to see?

[@m14hh5]

Have a few options available. Have the slot for any fish retained for weigh stations but tournaments can do catch photo release or have someone on each boat to confirm weights before releasing.

[@TCshore1]

Tournaments have destroyed recreational fishing. I have spent my entire career in the sport fishing industry mostly all saltwater from marlin to flounder Cheating yes Ive found lead weights or fish stomach stuffed with bait Buying fish from commercial fishermen to enter in tournaments was common. I admit I retired from the fishing industry after 50 years on the water I wish I could say things were better but MONEY corrupts everything

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Thanks for watching, TC. How would you say they’ve destroyed recreational fishing?

[@TCshore1]

@@AaronKellerFishingNo problem thanks for your courage to bring this to light.

[@2005champ198]

@@AaronKellerFishingrecreational fishing has been destroyed?

[@michaellove9754]

I used to fish a charity bass tournament every year. I also spent a lot of time fly fishing for trout where the whole philosophy of keeping fish wet and in the water is so much different and so much more focused on the animal being released. I noticed how rough the weigh in was on the fish for years and a lot were killed from the weigh in process. It goes like this: at the weigh in you dump the fish out of weigh in bag with no water to put them on the ruler. Thats one minute no water. Then you carry the bag to the weigh in station and weigh them, another minute no water. Then you hold up the fish for pictures: 30-45 more seconds no water. Followed by a short walk to the water, another 30 seconds no water. 3-3.25 minutes no water for the fish. From my experience i think fish have 90 seconds out of the water when it’s hot before extreme stress starts to set in. It was always hard to watch because i knew what was happening. I think the pros do it a little more efficiently but every small tourney i ever fished did it just like this specific charity tournament.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Thank you for sharing. It’s interesting that your intuition said the weigh in process was not good for the fish and you feel more at peace when focusing on the health of the fish. I think if most tournament anglers are honest with themselves, they know tournaments don’t really have conservation in mind. Thanks for watching!

[@davidmeyer9648]

@@michaellove9754 the weight in process at tournaments really sucks in my opinion. If you can’t figure out how to do catch and release without cheaters then ban weigh in tournaments PERIOD!

[@2005champ198]

@@davidmeyer9648 Studies still haven’t proven anything other than a lot of tournament fish die. A lot of people that ride in cars pollute the environment and are killed in crashes. Banning cars isn’t the answer. Focusing on improving safety and looking at how we use cars…..that’s where we focus our efforts.

[@areddfishing7473]

I think less tournaments and length limits. Let’s be real there are way to many tournament trails.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I like the slot limit rule as well. I think it’s a good step in between our current system and fully CWR. Thanks for watching!

[@MichiganBassMan]

MLF does already do Catch, Weigh, and immediate release. Definitely something Bassmaster should consider doing too though.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I’ve commented a few times on the bass YT channel and they get snippy when you talk about CWR. Thank you for watching.

[@David-qo7lz]

At my local 2000 acre lake the tournament big bass have historically been 6-8 lbs. When FFS came out the big bass went to 9-11 lbs. The past two years big bass size has declined to 5-6 lbs. and overall bag weights have gone down. But no one will admit the obvious problem, too many tournaments and too many anglers using FFS.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

It’s funny you say that because I’ve seen a few comments from people saying the bags are bigger than ever. My point to them has been that if things continue the way they are, we may see smaller and smaller bags. Thank you for sharing!

[@David-qo7lz]

@ Sure, bags are bigger NOW on bigger lakes. Obviously the impact will take longer to see on large bodies of water.

[@kurthoelter3495]

bed fishing should be banned, for all fishermen, not just tournaments. the loss of all those fry is going to be felt for years. now with younger and younger tournaments happening, the pressure is beyond what the fisheries can tolerate.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Would you be okay with bed fishing if anglers catch and release?

[@Dylan-si1rn]

Look no further than Lake Fork for the answers. Catch and release w a slot limit.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

You can definitely tell what lakes/states care about their fish! Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@printfish1]

Is there another lake you can show me that the slot has worked?

[@Dylan-si1rn]

There are tons. Most trophy lakes have slot limits. Theres one in KY (can’t remember the name) that is stacked w massive bass. Lake Fork is just the most notable that i know of. Im sure a google search will give ya a long list.

[@Get_Outside727]

Same problem here in Tennessee. Chickamauga and Watts Bar Lakes have multiple tournaments a week and multiple boat ramps. Every weekend and Tuesday and Thursday nights. Absolutely crazy!! The bass fishing is terrible now in my opinion. I fish a lot ( no tournaments) weekend fishing is out of the question for me because of the amount of boats. Every Monday there are plenty of dead bass at the ramps from the weigh ins. Absolutely need catch weigh release or catch measure release.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

@@Get_Outside727 that's terrible to hear. I'm not big on government intervention but it sounds like Tennessee game and fisheries needs to step their game up. Thanks for watching and sharing!

[@TGossOutdoors]

I have to disagree with you about the state of fishing on those lakes. I lived there for 4 years, arguably during the surge of fishing pressure due to covid. Didn't move to NC until last year. The fishing was great and I didn't notice any fishing issues.. Just because the fishing was bad for you doesn't mean it's terrible?

[@AaronKellerFishing]

@ what parts of NC do you like to fish? I’m not too far from the border.

[@TGossOutdoors]

@AaronKellerFishing Kerr Lake, Falls etc. I'm in Oxford

[@Get_Outside727]

@ just because the fishing was good years ago doesn’t mean it’s good now. In the 50 plus years I’ve been fishing, it’s not that good. Show up at Dayton or Chester Frost Ramps on Monday and you’ll see. It’s usually the guys who want to fish a bunch of $20 tournaments a week that think it’s great. Gotta try to win something to pay for the expensive fishing equipment that you can’t afford. Some people just don’t care about the future of fishing on some of these lakes.

[@jamesborders9841]

LIVESCOPE SUCKS & TOURNAMENT FISHING SUCKS

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Thanks for watching and commenting, James!

[@bruce7992]

YES

[@adammoke8949]

@@jamesborders9841 why does the tournament fishing suck? Do you fish any

[@jpsnone5350]

I'm guessing you have never tried either. give it a go its a blast

[@staceyhartman6825]

AMEN!

[@jheiny1231]

The study seemed to skip around one of the biggest present issues regarding bass mortality. And it's livescope. Let's be honest. More and more fish are being caught more easily. Putting more pressure on the lake. Upping the mortality of the bass from being fatally hooked wrong. And the biggest reason of them all are the live scopers that are targeting open water fish. Nobody talks about this. And it's the biggest issue. U cannot pull a bass out of 25 -35 foot of water and throw it in your livewell and release it after your weigh in and even believe that thing is gonna survive. There's no chance. All of there deep water bass have fin clips on in there livewells and drug the shit out of there water to just keep them alive for the weigh ins. Then they throw them back in the lake to die. They need to ban anglers targeting fish in 20+ feet of water. Mortality from barometric pressure differences is there highest killer rrite now because of livescope. There is proven videos out there on this. Then comes bass being kept in livewells on high heat days

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. How would you suggest they limit anglers fishing in 20+ feet of water?

[@jheiny1231]

@AaronKellerFishing well that's the other problem. Trusting people's integrity. Which everyone knows doesn't work. Now on the professional tournament trails your gonna have a little better faith on the anglers for being a professional. If it was up to me I would ban livescope use everywhere. Doesn't seem to do any good for anything unless your the angler that needs livescope to compete in tournaments. But what is your thoughts on barotrauma in bass and livescope?

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I’m not a huge fan of FFS and have never purchased one because I feel I have more to learn. I prefer watching people that don’t use FFS but it’s hard for me to say it should be banned out right. I think step 1 for people who care about conservation is fixing the tournament kill off issue and FFS could be looked at next. I’ve heard it’s really taking a toll on the crappie in some areas though. Thanks for asking!

[@jheiny1231]

@AaronKellerFishing agreed. I wish I could remember what channel this video i seen was on but it was great. Talked about impacts on crappie and bass fishing with livescope. And the mortality rate being super high when fishing them out of deep water. And it comes down to anglers using livescope to use it responsible. But trusting people you don't know about how good there integrity is is just absurd. That's why I think it should just be banned. Not good for the sport. Not good for most bait companies . Not good for tournaments. For the reason u almost need to be wealthy nowadays to compete. Obviously deadly to our fisheries. Just get rid of it. Be better off.. imo

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I will have to look into fish being killed when caught out of deeper water. You’re the 3rd or 4th person to say that so I’ll have to investigate.

[@ATLOutdoors]

Barotrauma can kill fish alone, then you have hooks/hooksets… all before mentioning transporting them back to weight in. I feel that FFS and tournament fishing has impacted fishing negatively. You’ve got anglers that will use a FFS and fish a bed until all if it’s giants/females are gone. I think being able to target size/fastest growing fish with FFS is an issue.

[@bobwalsh719]

That study is sickening. I have fished Henry Neely before during a Tourney. I am swearing off participating in them anymore!

[@AaronKellerFishing]

The numbers in the study are pretty crazy. What did you see that made you say no more tournament fishing for you?

[@hankdausman8653]

@@AaronKellerFishing not sure about Bob but I fished as a Co angler out of kentucky Lake once while my league had 100 boats, FLW college tournament and Kentucky HS tourney out of two marinas on the north end of the lake. Fishing spots was like waiting in line at amusement parks. Really didn't like it and not what I thought.

[@frankskeen1310]

Catch, measure, weigh & then release.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Thanks for watching and commenting, Frank!

[@jdnotariano]

Tournament fishing is more than just the pros, it’s every one chasing the pros, it’s the local tournaments from high school on up. It’s the tournament culture than needs to get smarter when it comes to not killing fish. I hope they figure it out soon.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

That's exactly right. I think the pros probably kill a lot less bass than the opens and the local tournaments but at the end of the day they set the standard and the example for the sport. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@bobbarnhill8557]

Catch and release tournaments are the future. We have a catch, weight/ photo and release tournament. Works on a small scale.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Do you think weight or photo will be a more popular format?

[@andybales7318]

Fishing will be "extinct" thx to tournament policies, FFS, and the millions of dishonest anglers using FFS....remember this statement

[@2005champ198]

Works on a small scale. Agree.

[@geneelkins1707]

Slot limits work. Catch, weigh and immediate release works, 3 fish limits May to September works, lots of things work. Just do something.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Those are some great ideas! It seems most people are in agreement that something needs to be done. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@markwarren3535]

Problem is enforcement. Typically the Gamie is a local guy. The criminal is a local guy. The judge is a local guy. See where I'm going ?

[@tomrathbun1113]

Ban forward facing sonar. If you're a bass fisherman, use your knowlege and talent. If you're a gamer, stay in your parents basement

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Would you be okay with FFS if all tournaments went to catch, weigh, and release?

[@tomrathbun1113]

@@AaronKellerFishing Everyone knows "live wells" kill fish. Do you think those guys catching bass in 40' of water are letting the fish relieve pressure? Let's go bass fishing and use are hunting ability. Catch measure release. I live in Nebraska, we have thousands of smaller lakes with boat ramps. A meat hunder can harvest all the breeding crappie or catch those few huge beeder bass in a day. ban the spotlighting.

[@Theburningseason]

Think it's bad now give it 5 more yrs of live scope it'll be nation wide

[@RetiredCoach]

It's not the live scope that's the issue. This study state that it's the tournaments that's the issue. I've never heard or read where the biologist are saying that live scope is killing fish.

[@davidmeyer9648]

@@Theburningseason agreed! I fish in a club that 80% of the members use LS. I don’t and came in 5th out of twenty members. My goal is to beat them every time! Very satisfying.

[@user-gj1uh3cm2z]

are they keeping more than 5 fish with livescope?

[@Theburningseason]

@user-gj1uh3cm2z guess u don't know how barotrauma works

[@user-gj1uh3cm2z]

@ in my experience most of the suspended fish you catch on livescope deal with that way better. back before when i had to only fish bottom like on ledges man all the fish needed to be fizzed because they only used the bottom of the lake and werent acclimated. i'm not catching many more (if anything its less) fish now that need fizzing or show signs of it. but thats just my experience yours may be different

[@haroldsfishingadventures754]

How about tournament fishing with 4 transducers and 7 tv screens on deck

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Do you see FFS as a bigger issue or taking the fish to weigh ins?

[@Tinystrom]

Tournaments when water temps are warm, during spawn or during other times the fish are vulnerable need to stop. It’s just common sense. Putting a fish in the live well and bouncing it around the lake when they are already stressed is going to kill them almost every time. Also catching these fish in deeper water more consistently with the advancements in sonar technology will increase these mortality percentages

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Would you be okay with summer tournaments if catch, weigh, and release is practiced?

[@Tinystrom]

@ yes, although it does open more avenues for cheating potentially. I know the kayak bass guys do catch measure release which I really like but I know the standard is weight. All I know is something has to change. We can’t keep giving all the advantage to the fisherman and expect the fish population to be able to keep up

[@chrisfoley3320]

I have fished tournaments my entire life and have also been involved in stocking ponds. One thing people don't realize is if you drop a bass he will die. It may swim off just fine but in 24hrs it will be floating on the surface. If you skin out a bass that has been drop it is blood shot inside all down the spine. They can not recover from being dropped.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I never realized how fragile bass are but I’ve heard a few people saying that. Because you fish tournaments, what’s your prospective on catch, weigh, and release?

[@chrisfoley3320]

@AaronKellerFishing to weigh and release in tournaments with a big pay out would create to much opportunity for cheating. Only mlf can get by with it because they have a judge in every boat.

[@EricScherrer]

What do you mean drop a bass?

[@jebbohanan2626]

Are you talking about “Dropping a Bass in the boat? On a hard surface? Because I know for a fact dropping a Bass into the water doesn’t hurt them one bit…unless Florida Bass are different than other Bass…

[@chrisfoley3320]

@jebbohanan2626 dropping them on any hard surface. Boat floor,ground,rocks.

[@vegasmaker493]

Ban all tournaments to preserve the natural resources we have or be sorry for a bunch of greedy sponsors!

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Would you be okay with tournaments if they were catch and release immediately?

[@vegasmaker493]

Yes, but I think it needs a couple of years to recover from the pressure. Additionally right now it has gone too far towards greed. I grew up watching tournaments and loved them now they’re to big and way too many. The CPR tournament format would be the only way I would allow if I had my way. Additionally not during spawn. The other could be regulating tournament S every other year etc…. I know this would make enemies but better to protect a resource than destroy it.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

That’s definitely more on the conservation side so I can appreciate where you’re coming from

[@adamg7984]

@@vegasmaker493 It's always better to preserve and conserve a fishery than have to rebuild it. I really hope this style of tournament will be a thing of past soon. It's not a new revelation that this type of tournament is very lethal for the bass who are brought to weigh in, and they tend to be some of the biggest and best fish in the waters. Just imagine if this ended 20 years ago, the difference it would have made on these waters, how much larger bass could be. People don't think about these things enough. It's why you should be careful with every fish you catch, be careful right now, right here. Because in a few years, that 10 inch bass might be the 8lb giant.

[@tyeharper5046]

We kayak anglers catch, measure , photo then release. The 5 longest fish win the tournament. That’s the only way to save the fish. Those poor fish are getting beat to death in those live wells coming back to the ramp at 70mph. Come on people we can do better. Do we want our kids to have somewhere to fish or not?

[@tyeharper5046]

Also shoving lead in their stomachs will not make them longer. The picture doesn’t lie.

[@tyeharper5046]

And shoving lead weights in their stomachs won’t make them any longer. The picture doesn’t lie.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I like the passion! Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@jebbohanan2626]

I must agree. Plus, why does one need a vessel that breaks the sound barrier…to go fishing in?

[@andybales7318]

Tournaments & FFS together will end the sport of fishing....there's still time, so get out there while u can....the LIMITED resources, the fish will steadily decline from this point on...just a matter of time....a real damn shame...money, the root of all evil shows its face once again

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Do you think if tournaments go to CWR or a slot limit that will be enough?

[@andybales7318]

@AaronKellerFishing likely won't matter to be honest....with the amount of fish being caught 3,4x as many with FFS including the bigger females as the fish have no where to hide anymore....ability to target the bigger fish with FFS, it's just common sense 3-4x as many fish being caught will equal the amount of fish dying from multiple possibilities...the amount of bigger females being caught by spoon feeding them, will result in more dying from again..multiple possible reasons from deep hooksets, pulling them out of deep water consistently, etc...obviously 3-4x more being caught, dying, and results in less spawning...future is very dark for fishing unfortunately

[@randywilmoth8137]

Andybales is dead on the money!! The real sad part is that professional and amateur tournament bass fishermen have known this forever, and they are the first ones to call themselves conservationist. OK?? We all know that a real conservationist would never use one of God's creatures to play a game with or to make a financial profit from it. Now it's time to prep what you sow!! It's sad that us "real conservationist" have to suffer from their stupidity.

[@andybales7318]

​@@AaronKellerFishingFFS being used in 99% of tournaments, resulting in 3-4x more fish being caught overrides any other rule change....Scopers are able to spoon feed the bigger females much more frequently & easily, which will result in more of the females dying for multiple possible reasons...end result...less females to spawn= less fish....add in millions of recreational anglers using FFS catching many, many more fish...same results & millions of dishonest anglers keeping more than the limit & keeping lunkers....the end result....fish populations declining & eventually the sport of fishing will be a thing of the past

[@JonSmith-s7z]

Catch, weigh, and release with no tournaments during the spawn and the hottest months of the year. Come on bass anglers are your EGOs really that shallow that you will KILL the whole sport??

[@holdengamble]

people have been bed fishing and harvesting fish for years; no issues. NOW, years of tournaments and FFS, it’s OBVIOUS that fisheries are being DESTROYED. it’s not even close. crappie and bass populations are being killed off daily. the bass offshore that are smart enough to not be caught, are being caught because of FFS and it kills them. I don’t need a study to know what I see when I fish. the fishing is worse and worse and it’s going to end up ruining every good fishery in the south

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Thanks for sharing. What state are you in?

[@Steve13lb12oz]

So the answer is that you want to keep hammering the beds and blame some one else. Also I bet….vote blue?

[@holdengamble]

@ I’m not saying that bed fishing is good either. but it’s been done forever and hasn’t had any effect on the fish like FFS has. YEAH BRO YOU CAUGHT ME. I must be a retarded liberal because I don’t agree with you that FFS is a good thing for our fisheries. you’re a clown.

[@holdengamble]

@@AaronKellerFishing Georgia. FFS has killed Lanier. It’s messed up blackshear and Oconee and Sin Clair. these electronic companies push for tournaments because that’s how they make money. we all know how it works. but if something isn’t done we can kiss the quality bass fishing goodbye. crappie populations are being decimated daily by FFS users in GA. I see it with my own eyes at the boat ramp. I have private fisheries and public ones that I fish. The private ones still fish the same; anywhere FFS is used, you may as well not go anymore. it’s sad man. great video.

[@nelhead4807]

It needs to be live video on boats and catch and release. That way you can’t cheat and you’re not hurting fish all at the same time.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I like the idea of a live video feed. I think the issues you’re going to run into are fishing in places with no cell service and the cost of the cameras/equipment. Would you be okay with using length instead of weight?

[@nelhead4807]

@ totally understand that but we have starlink nowadays. The flukemaster has it on his yak. If it’s a big money tournament then it should be required. I’d rather them have this than live scope. And I’d definitely be okay with length but you still have to worry about cheating with that.

[@jebbohanan2626]

@@AaronKellerFishing Just put an observer on every boat. With a video camera. But, let’s be honest, if at all possible, cheating will never stop.

[@captinhook6568]

Ban FFS and reduce the length of tourneys along with the number of tourneys based on the size of the lake on any given day.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Are you okay with FFS if they are doing catch and release?

[@JohnDillon-zh7js]

In San Diego I fish all the lakes since the seventies. It’s not the same anymore. To meny people looking at there screens . Ban ffs from tournaments. Lern To fish the right way. Stop site fishing on there’ beds. That’s killing all the fry. For generations to come. Something has to be done.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Would you be okay with FFS in tournaments where they practice CWR?

[@speckledtruth4577]

2 things. 1. We’ve adopted a lot of catch, weigh, release formats in the Texas Inshore game and it’s helped a lot. 2. You talked about 45% mortality is for both pre and post release. What defines “Pre”? Is that natural causes?

[@AaronKellerFishing]

That’s fantastic about Texas. They seem to have it down pat when it comes to conservation. I’d assume pre release means fish that die before weigh in or fish that are culled. Thanks for watching!

[@speckledtruth4577]

@ Texas’ freshwater game is top notch but our inshore management and mindset is coming around to a more conservation approach. Thanks for the clarification on Pre release mortality. When I heard it I couldn’t think what that actually meant. The post release mortality makes sense.

[@geoffreyslagh7458]

This man is sooo Right!! What can be done?? Is Big Money going to listen to common Sense. Look what happened to the Redfish in the Gulf. Almost wiped them out. Catch - photos,and release. Also Cut Out , forward facing sonar!! Remember guys like Rick Clunn, they Didn't use this. Let's go back to sport fishing.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I’m glad the states are looking into it! I’ve commented on the Bass YT channel before about catch, weigh and release and they got snippy about it. I agree it comes down to money. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@SMF89]

Catching a fish has never been easier with the amount of knowledge and technology out there. No doubt, something has to happen. CPR like MLF sounds like the best option.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I think a lot of people here would like to see some changes happen. Thanks for watching!

[@donaldmartin4980]

Bass fishing today is much, much harder than it was fifty years ago…

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I can imagine! Funny thing about this I’ve seen people comment that tournaments don’t negatively affect the bass. I’m sure it’s a combination of factors but I’m sure more and more tournaments each year don’t help. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@jebbohanan2626]

Fully agree!

[@giacomodolcetti7569]

Here in Italy, bass fishing is slowly dying due to the excessive number of tournaments. What you are reporting is, sadly, very true

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Wow so it’s an international issue then. Do you see a lot of dead bass after tournaments in Italy?

[@giacomodolcetti7569]

@AaronKellerFishing The situation in Italy is controversial and perhaps not easy to understand. The bass in Italy is a non-native species, and therefore it is not possible to introduce more of them. Despite state restrictions on a fish that has been present in the country for over fifty years, tournaments are continuously increasing. The result is extremely difficult and pressured fishing areas. Additionally, there are serious problems with pollution, poaching, and invasive bird species. Unfortunately, the constant tournament pressure is turning places that, until a few years ago, offered excellent fishing days into spots where catching just a few fish can be considered a success. Even though in Italy making a living from fishing, as you do in America, is very rare, I strongly doubt that fishing tournaments will cease. One rule that seems to be more widely accepted is respecting the spawning period by refraining from fishing for bass. Taking one month off from fishing seems like a good investment to ensure better fishing in the years to come.

[@jjh31]

Last year during my spring trip to Table Rock Lake MO they had 6 scheduled tourneys with almost 1700 total boats🤦🏻‍♂️

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Dude, that is insane. Were you fishing as well on your trip? If so, how was the fishing?

[@jjh31]

@ Yeah we were fishing We got there and fished hard on Weds-Fri…then we found out how many boats were going to be out on Saturday we ran in to Branson and putzed around til 3 on Sat. Waited for the onslaught to get off the water and then fished that night. Overall we boated a lot of bass. Not quite the size we were looking for but still had a great time as usual.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

@@jjh31 do you think you'd go back again or choose a different lake next time?

[@jjh31]

@@AaronKellerFishing We have a great time getting a cabin fishing that lake. We have been taking that trip for the last 7 years and this will be year 8. A new body of water has been talked about and this may be the last year we go to TR. That boat total was just the listed boats for that Saturdays events, now multiply that by MULTIPLE weekends of tourneys and those fish are just getting pumbled!!!!

[@AaronKellerFishing]

@ that sounds like a blast. I'm sorry that you're even having to have the discussion about switching lakes. I hope states and tournament organizations can step up in the next few years to get TR back on track.

[@MrFishingOhio]

I’m more curious how they track that 45% of the bass die after a tournament? I only do kayak tournaments so I’m not opposed to a change in how weigh ins are done.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

That’s a good question. I’d like to know as well. I’m assuming they tagged the bass but I’m not 100%. I like the kayak format of catch, measure, release. Thanks for watching!

[@MrFishingOhio]

@@AaronKellerFishingI do as well!

[@gerrylambert9906]

Im a diehard pro at largemouth bass fishing and will never settle for anything except catch and release.. 99 percent of the fishermen i encounter fishing north of toronto release the bass, as a result of this the bass numbers and size is amazing. this should give people food for taught. Gerry toronto

[@AaronKellerFishing]

That’s fantastic. What kind of bass are you fishing for up there, smallies?

[@the45er]

The more money involved in bass tournaments the more difficult it will be to eliminate cheating. Human nature. And while we're talking about "money", that is the very reason fishing tournaments will never be eliminated. Too much big money involved. I personally believe that there are many, many factors that have reduced the quality of bass fishing over the years, tournaments being one of the biggest.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I agree. I think catch, measure, and release can help with cheating. There doesn’t seem to be too much cheating in kayak tournaments. What other factors do you think have contributed to the decline of bass quality?

[@chuckchambers9565]

Tourney fishing has absolutely destroyed the lakes in San Diego area.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I’m sorry to hear that! What changes have you noticed over the years?

[@chuckchambers9565]

@@AaronKellerFishing Smaller catches, Fewer fish Mon thru Fri Tourney Pressure.

[@TimHaunFishing]

It is just common sense. If they want to really prioritize conservation and reduce cheating then they could go to kayak format. Measuring on a ketch board with unique identifier and then release. But if you're culling the best bass in the water every single weekend you're going to kill the fish quality

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I agree with you. I think the counter argument is that without the weigh-ins, there is not as much excitement and therefore less money for the local communities. Thanks for sharing your opinion!

[@nicoduplessis5435]

Nice video. But is this jst for tournament with weigh in fish of is it for cpr ( catch photo release) aswel?

[@AaronKellerFishing]

It’s just for tournaments that have weigh ins. CPR would be allowed. Thanks for watching!

[@charlesreid1599]

The north has limited fishing during the spawn forever and the season is basically shut down for 6 months. I think maybe the south could take the same approach, no tournaments during the main part of the spawn, and shut down tournaments in the 3-6 hottest months. You have to limit the amount of tournaments on each body of water imo, too many on one body of water can’t be good! I love tournament fishing but I don’t want to hurt the fish.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

That’s a great point! Would you be open to tournaments any time as long as they release the fish right away?

[@davidstander]

I am also from up north, I have a camp on the water in Maine. They have had this rule in for years about the spawn and I think it's great but also critical for bass populations. But I would also like to see CMR instead of traditional weigh ins, and I also used to tournament fish. I don't wanna piss people off ,just MO.

[@jebbohanan2626]

@@davidstander I don’t care if it does piss people off! It’s simple common sense. Which “common sense” isn’t as common as it once was.

[@howabouthetruth2157]

I'm pretty sure you are interpreting the slot limit wrong. A slot limit for example of 14 to 20 inches means that all bass UNDER 14 inches and OVER 20 inches must be released immediately. Only fish between 14 and 20 inches long may be kept. This is how slot limits work down here in Florida, regardless of species, in fresh or saltwater. What you are saying doesn't make any sense, because if they could only keep bass "over 20 inches".......that would mean they would be allowed to keep the bigger female bass, which need the most protection. Think about it. Slot limits mean you can keep fish that fall WITHIN the slot limit.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

In VA, the slot limit means those fish in between those lengths are off limits. That means you can keep smaller fish to eat or potentially trophy fish over a certain size (most likely for mounting purposes). Thank you for watching!

[@howabouthetruth2157]

@@AaronKellerFishing After reading your response to me here, I looked up this proposed slot limit of 14" to 20" for the Coosa River system. The biologist in the article/interview explained that on the Coosa River system, studies have shown that the bass experience their quickest growth rates between 14" and 20", and that is the class/size of fish they are trying to protect..........not bass that are bigger than 20". So I stand corrected, as this is a very unique way of imposing a slot limit. Personally, I think they really need to do 2 things nationwide pertaining to ALL bass fishing tournaments: #1: Enforce catch/weigh/document and release all bass in tournaments IMMEDIATELY. Many tournaments have already adopted this practice years ago, and it's a darn good policy. Document weights with photos or an eye witness on the boat. The health & mortality rates of the bass far out-weigh ( no pun intended ) the importance of dragging those fish in livewells hours and many miles away for spectators to "enjoy the weigh-ins" way back at the boat ramp.......because if the fishery is truly suffering, then what's the point to begin with. This is especially important for SPAWNING FISH. #2: ENFORCE AN ALL-OUT PERMANENT BAN ON LIVE SCOPE TECHNOLOGY NATION-WIDE.......NO EXCEPTIONS......AND NO EXCUSES. This will not only protect many quality fish that NEED refuge, but it will put the skill and talent back into tournament fishing. The way I see it, using live scope is about as bad as some tournament angler CHEATING by hiring a professional diver with scuba gear and a water-proof radio, who dives down & visually locates fish for you, and then he contacts you via the radio to tell you exactly where the fish are. I'm not even joking........I'm dead serious. Besides, in some fisheries, biologists have already presented evidence that live scope is definitely harming the fishery.

[@stevevaughn9093]

I'm having trouble searching out a copy of that study. How about a link to the study. I think anyone not invested in bass tournaments has believed they do damage to a lake's population.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I went ahead and linked the article in the description. I agree and it seems if you bring it up to the tournament organizations they act like you’re crazy. Thanks for watching!

[@joeb7508]

I’ve been waiting for a study to show the true detriment that excessive tournament fishing puts on our major impoundments. My vote would be to restrict the number of tournament fishermen on a given day. And ban tournaments during high lake temperature periods.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Thanks for watching! Have you seen the negative effects of tournament fishing where you live?

[@wciii3591]

FFS targets the brooder fish in deeper water. Bed fishing is another big problem.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

@@wciii3591 do you think ffs is a bigger deal or taking the fish to the weigh in?

[@ATLOutdoors]

@@AaronKellerFishingI think mortality is always a risk when fishing. Hook penetration and It is traumatic for a fish to be ripped up from 50-60ft deep up to the surface in cold water in a few seconds.

[@stevefisher2121]

@@wciii3591 agreed 100% - bed fishing should be banned period!!! Let them do their thing without any pressure whatsoever.

[@timothybrennan3600]

How do you ban bed fishing?

[@MrTxawjcoj]

MLF and Kayak fishing is doing it correctly. Catch weigh and release and catch photo and release. Bass don't need to be riding around all day in the live well.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I agree 100%. Do you think the smaller tournament organizations would have to go to catch, measure, and release?

[@user-gj1uh3cm2z]

"According to available data, the average annual mortality rate for largemouth bass in a lake can range between 29% and 41%" - 2006 study

[@brianprice7645]

If the mortality rate as high as they say how do you know that half of those catch and release bass aren't dieing also

[@AaronKellerFishing]

That's a good point! I'd be interested in them doing a study with just catch and release bass. Thanks for commenting.

[@timg185]

Great fisheries continue to produce regardless . Fishery managers have consistently said tournaments are having a minimal impact on the quality of fishing. A lake can only support a certain amount of fish regardless. Since most people don’t keep bass. Tournaments are the only form of harvesting. I’ve heard managers claim more fish need harvested on many lakes. But I’m sure a handful of college kids who are brain washed by the latest trends know better.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I agree about lakes capping out on the number of fish they can support. VADGIF will typically implement a slot limit on those lakes (tournament and recreational). Would you be okay with a slot limit on lakes they determine are “getting worse”?

[@timg185]

@ slot limits are fine on some lakes I think. I also think slot limit just during the spawn might be a good option . To protect certain year classes and hopefully have a better spawn . I’ve also fished small lakes where a few small pockets were protected as sanctuaries. No fishing or boating allowed . There’s a lot of options to improve our lakes without banning tournaments or fishing during the spawn. I’ve also fished tournaments where you can weight in fish early and go back out. If you weight in a 6 pounder at 9 am because you’re close to the launch . That fish doesn’t have to ride in the live well all day.

[@2005champ198]

I like these ideas. No need to ban tournaments all together. I think a lot of folks don’t like the stereotypical “glitter boat” tournament hot head. We’re not all like that. And, like them or not, I still am not convinced that tournaments are “destroying” fishing. I get it. Fish die. But show me where there is science behind the idea that tournaments are the main reason for less successful fishing on a body of water. Lake of the Ozarks is huge. Every weekend of the year there are tournaments held there. Hundreds of tournament boats. For every one or two bass a boat catches….25 miles away from the check in, there are probably 100s of bass not hooked or caught in that area.

[@deatralocklear17]

For me catch and release is the answer. For example, Stick Marsh Farm 13 and Fellsmere Headwater lakes are catch and release. A group of us guys have been traveling down to Palm Bay Fl and staying a week to fish these lakes for several years now. I meet people from Canada, Idaho, and the wildlife officer said he’s met individuals come as far as Mexico to fish for bass. Why? Because of the catch and release.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I didn’t know that about headwaters. That’s awesome! I know when lakes around VA decline they put the slot limit in place to help promote growth. Thank you for sharing.

[@therivergiveth]

There's absolutely no reason to not do CPR for tourneys. They just want those glam photos of the weigh ins. Social media narcissistic behavior.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I think their argument is that tournament wont bring in as much money because they will be “less exciting”. Do you agree with that idea?

[@scottjohnson870]

Ban all tournaments.!

[@AaronKellerFishing]

That's a hot take! Are you okay with catch, weigh, and release tournaments?

[@timothybrennan3600]

Ban fishing. Too many fish are killed.

[@greenman5506]

I vacationed on a MN lake with my family; the prior year, same week, same resort, same lake, we had a blast catching and releasing bass.: but the next year "prefishing" was happening for a bass tourney.ruined the fishing for my son and I. Every weedbed was triple fished every day....stabbers for anchors, triple tv screens, 300HP racing motors,.... Now I have to check tourney schedules on different lakes to avoid this crap like the plague. Validating testosterone fired bass jockeys is killing fish, killing fishing. It is a form of reverse emminent domain: "public resource pain for private gain". New tournament rules: no motors, no electronics, just oars and all hooks barbless: that creates the proper frame for competitive angling, imho.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I’m sorry you and your son didn’t have fun. It stink you have to keep up with all the trails just to find a good place to fish. I tend to spend a lot of time on smaller impounds around me. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@johnx4181]

Ban bed fishing

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Would you be okay with bed fishing as long as it was catch, weigh, and release?

[@johnx4181]

@AaronKellerFishing yes But ask yourself this. Do you think a multi billion dollar industry are not going to be conservation it's? Not in thier vested interest.

[@brandonackersonfishing5738]

Just curious how do they calculate post mortality numbers? If the fish are released alive did they find them floating later?

[@Apollyon-er4ut]

I've seen this in our area on the small mouth. Two major lakes are tournament targets. The quality/size of the fish has MAJORILY declined in the last 30 years.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Thanks for sharing. What part of the county?

[@Apollyon-er4ut]

@@AaronKellerFishing NE Kalifornistan, up in the Sierras. One lake used to be noted for 6# smallies pretty common, but they just don't exist any more.

[@DividedWeAllFall]

Catch, weigh/measure & release. Enough is enough.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

@@DividedWeAllFall agreed, agreed, and agreed! Thanks for watching.

[@WillCory]

The cost of the study is irrelevant and as a Texas resisdent we say hold this case of beer.... State of Alabama put more effort into habitat and stocking programs this wouldnt be a issue.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Texas seems to be doing a lot of things right! There are a lot of factors. In your opinion what do you think the tournament morality rates are?

[@bryangregory4366]

I fish tournaments and if I kept my creel limit of ten fish l would kill more in one trip than I do all year tournament fishing. Everyone is looking over the real problems it is habit, lake levels during spawn, new houses killing weeds on shorelines. Example: they're more tournaments on Guntersville lake than any lake in Alabama it has been thriving for years because it has habitat for reproduction less lake level fluctuation aquatic vegetation bass spawn out away from bank. Coosa river lakes with water levels down have rotted alot of spawning stumps out more fish spawn on the bank instead of stumps in 2 and 3 feet of water . Fish spawn on the banks water level drops kills eggs or fry .

[@AaronKellerFishing]

@@bryangregory4366 those are all great counterpoints. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Would you still fish in tournaments if you had to measure your fish and take a picture like kayak fishing?

[@bryangregory4366]

I really don't know that much about the kayak procedure. But I'm sure I would still want to compete. The main problem I have is singling out tournament fishing if you're going to have a slot limit it should be the same for everyone. You could legally catch and keep fish in the slot go twenty miles away and weigh in kill fish and eat them. Still had a tournament but killed all the fish caught.

[@lightfeather9953]

How would you have any clue how many you kill? Rationalizing, deflecting (what about unrelated problem instead of me?), ignoring scientific evidence. I wish tournament anglers that prefer weigh ins would just admit it: they don't care that they kill a lot of fish. Not for food, but just for a stupid competition. I'll never understand that mentality towards wildlife.

[@TEAMCJR]

@@lightfeather9953dude there are krill limits for a reason!!!!!!!

[@EricScherrer]

Why can't it be both?

[@christhomas8749]

They don’t need to eliminate tournaments at Lake of the Ozark, but there definitely need some limits to the number of them installed. And “NONE” during the heart or the spawn.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Would you be okay with tournaments in the spawn if they were all CWR?

[@Fish-Erman]

Tournaments kill so many bass it's obscene, but these "pros" don't care. They'd rather fish for money than to get a real job. Ban fishing tournaments now. Bring on the hate, I don't care because I know I'm 100% right, I've seen it for decades while living on a lake.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Would you be okay with catch, weigh, and release tournaments?

[@Fish-Erman]

@@AaronKellerFishing No, for a lot of legitimate reasons I just don't agree with tournaments, and I am as hardcore a fisherman as you could ever meet. I don't see why tournaments are necessary, just go out and fish and enjoy it, without it needing to be a contest.

[@michaelbyrne9737]

Catch fish, call in drone, drone arrives, put fish on measuring tape, fish goes back in water where it was caught. Change name of weigh in to measure in. Lol. A big problem I have with tournament fishing is fish displacement as all fish are getting released at the ramp.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I agree, I think the displacement and mortality is terrible. Thanks for the ideas!

[@steveparker7240]

Too bad they didn't look at habitat, forage, water fluctuation during the spawn, water quality, and non-tournament harvest, which can all affect the quality of fishing. If everyone is convinced that tournaments are causing the whole problem, it will be fixed. What do you do if fishing doesn't improve? Because I think they shot their load. Should have been a much more comprehensive study.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I agree that their are other factors that come into play. My question to you would be what percentage of tournament mortality is acceptable from your perspective?

[@steveparker7240]

@@AaronKellerFishing 5% or less. 3-fish limit from April thru Sept. Or, no tournaments June-Aug. Texas biologists say 25% of the bass population dies each year anyway. I think a one-year tournament ban for the Coosa lakes should tell the story, evaluate the second year. They could use tournaments in year 2 to provide the data.

[@EricScherrer]

Why can't it be both?

[@2005champ198]

⁠acceptable mortality in tournaments, for me, would be whatever rate it is…given excellent fish care throughout the tournament, and following the rules of that tournament (ie slot limit, reduced creel, dead fish penalty, etc). If the time comes where tournaments go to catch/weigh/release…..I will have the choice to fish or not fish. Larger regional tournaments……nope. Costs too much to have someone put their thumb on the scale and beat me with an inflated weight. @@AaronKellerFishing

[@kyleerickson6445]

Makes me glad to live in Minnesota where many if not most take conservation pretty seriously. Despite increasing tournament pressure the bass fishing here is still absolutely amazing.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

That’s fantastic. Do you all have a closed season for rivers or lakes there?

[@kyleerickson6445]

@AaronKellerFishing border waters (w Wisconsin and SoDak) are open year round. There is a closed season from March thru 2nd week of May for the rest. I think MN is the last state to have a closed season for bass.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

@ I think maybe north Dakota does as well? The only reason I say that is because NDYakAngler has mentioned it I believe. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@mikelembke5121]

You are wrong it was a one sided study

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I’m open to hearing your side. What’s your opinion on tournament fishing or at least catch, weigh, and release?

[@mikelembke5121]

@AaronKellerFishing to expensive for a big tournament, have to have boat judges for every boat ,MLf does it on a small scale, FFS does hurt the fishery, the new kids don't know how to take care of fish

[@ericcervenak442]

It would be good if BASS went to a catch, weigh and immediately release format for at least the 1st 2 days, if not 3 days of competition. The final day with only 10 anglers could have a weigh in. My only question in that format is how do you ensure someone doesn't catch the same fish more than once?

[@AaronKellerFishing]

That is a good question. I’d say it’s probably unlikely. It would be tough in bed fishing tournaments because of what you’re saying as well. Maybe biodegradable tags? What are your thoughts?

[@joshingram8582]

If you can keep anything over 20 inches you are still keeping the larger, faster growing bass with the best genetics and putting only the larger fish at risk. Never understood the reasoning on that.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I think the idea is that you should be allowed to keep trophy bass for mounts (not that I think you need to keep the fish). If fish in the 16-20” range are being let go then there will be plenty of faster growing fish to reproduce. Do you agree with that logic?

[@thecluelessoutdoorsman916]

No reason there needs to be multiple tournaments damn near every day here in Tennessee. So tired of seeing the nascar jockeys flying around the lake ruining it for everyone else.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I can't imagine the pressure you all get and didn't even thing about the danger of all the boats being on the water at one time. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@brandonackersonfishing5738]

Does this occur on that body of water because it may be oxygen deprived? There have to be 1000 variables or more so I’m not understanding how they can definitely blame tournaments.

[@StevenCooke-y4o]

Bass tournaments on lake Champlain are out of control. Locals can’t even find a parking spot at the boat launches anymore. Changes are desperately needed.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

What changes would you like to see implemented?

[@timothybrennan3600]

Better parking.

[@hpfishin927]

Kayak fishing rules - catch, photo length measurement on certified board, videoed release of fish into the water after measurement

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I agree the kayak system is fantastic. Especially for tournament organizations that can’t afford marshals. Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@shockdawg]

People need to treat fish better as well with bubblers(more oxygen), G-Juice(or other aid for fish). I have transported bass from lakes in NC to my pond 3 years ago and i’m still catching them to this day in a totally different environment that the fish adapted to and still lived.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Thanks for commenting. I’ve heard the oxygen in live wells can be an issue.

[@aziffel4063]

This has gotten way out of hand. Catch measure release. And make it illegal to pull spawning fish of of beds. What kind of talent does that take? Ridiculous

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Yeah I’ve never been big on bed fishing myself. Would you be okay with catching spawning bass as long as they’re released right away?

[@Ricky-wr3nu]

Stop taking the bass off of their beds when there spawning.that a stupid move by bass fishermen

[@AaronKellerFishing]

I agree I’m sure it’s not healthy for the bass population. Are you okay with CWR tournament during the spawn?

[@RichardTurner-g9o]

Two times I fished the day after tournament fishing where released. I saw dead bass floating everywhere. You can't tell me these fish live.

[@AaronKellerFishing]

Thank you for sharing your experience. You and many others have the same experience. Maybe I should start gathering videos of the fish kills after tournaments and put together a video on that

[@RichardTurner-g9o]

@@AaronKellerFishing Ya