Thread: Adding habitat during fishing tournaments

peepaw, THAT is an EXCELLENT idea, unfortunately every single "pro" group we have contacted and asked to help us has said "Nah, but you can tell just us personally where you PUT them...". Needless to say, we are no longer required to do that..."Cover? Attractors? WHAT cover ? Where ?" is my own answer to them now...

I think it's about time more fisherman start helping out, not just taking out!!

We are on a mission to make adding habitat part of all fishing tournements!

Watch for a major story and push towards this concept from B.A.S.S.

"Catch and Create"

Think what your group could do with just 500.00 to put together habitat!! Not to mention the big events bringing in $1000's

Our Arkansas forum here have group builds with mostly free or donated materials. We even try to get the Corps of Engineers involved. The spots are marked on a map when working with the COE. Other wise only those helping get GPS coordinates.

We learned that if you give out coordinates to the general public, that you have just wasted cover, and turned it into a "Fish Slaughter". We made that mistake while trying to be nice, we ended up with people sitting on it 24/7 and most was destroyed within the second year! You do not understand how ugly society has become until you see something like this in person....it got so bad that people were fist fighting over who got to fish it, they even ran off handicap people and children who were trying to fish, in areas we specifically made for them! Once the keeper fish were gone, people started taking undersized fish, and the ODNR could not control the madhouse!
Now we pick areas that are Ok'd by the fish biologist and drop without GPS, only the people who dropped certain cover knows where it is and they understand what it is there for...Cover like this, is truely FOR THE LAKE!

First question I asked when seeking permission for the tournament was how can we help? The reply was, just let us know how many you take in total. They have too many people wanting to drop cover. Most of the lakes we have tournaments on are city water supplies. They are extremely concerned about the materials used, and for good reason. Glad to hear others are giving back.

Most PRE 1970s COE flood control impoundments were built and prepared in an era where the land was bulldozed clear of trees and cover to prevent it from possibly clogging outlet gates. Since that time the COE has reviewed that policy and has semi modified it to leave at least some standing timber because of it`s usage by various types of wildlife, including fish and lower life forms. Comparisions of wooded and bare bulldozed lakes showed a definite greater biodiversity in the lakes with remaining wood, as well as far greater fish and wildlife populations in general. Thus COE was MANDATED to try to attempt where possible to preserve as much cover and wood as is practical now. The COE is also MANDATED to allow groups with solid well thought out plans to place cover WITHIN reasonable restrictions, so long as the attractors are not a hazard to swimmers, boaters, sailboats, ect...

While I totally understand the need for cover...and I add it to all my fishing waters myself...Im not sure I would be in favor of MANDATING it for a tournament fisherman. I think when people start getting together and making laws that require people to spend money, and that money (while on the surface looks like its going to a good cause) is subsidizing someones private business, it creates an unfair market place. There are other manufacturers of crappie cover that may not have the advantage of the "signed deal" between you and the tournament boards or COE, or whoever that FORCES someone to buy your specific brand or product.

Not in favor of it in government, certainly not in favor of it in my fishing tournament. Don't get me wrong, I love your product and have no ties to ANY manufacturer of cover, Im just saying, forcing someone to participate in this for the cause of the "betterment of the lake" is no different than forcing me to use ethanol gas for the supposed "betterment of the planet". Both points can be argued, but someone's making money at the end of the day and that plays a HUGE part in me being a supporter of it or not. Let those that want to participate help. those that don't, that's their right.

In your defense, you never said you wanted to force anyone to do anything...but as you "push to have this done in all tournaments" just remember my suggestion.

Best of luck to you and congrats on making a living in what you love to do...its the American way and capitalism at its finest! THAT I support!

No one am aware of sells used "C" trees on a cement block...and I do not make 1 cent on them. And while support capitalism and `reasonable` profits, `capitalism` has it`s very UGLY side too.