Crappie tournaments

[badbrad]

I've never competed for catching crappie and have never been to a weigh-in. I was just wondering if the fish that are caught were released? Also, does the total weight decide the winner like in a bass tournament?

I have mixed feelings about tournaments for any species. The lake closest to home that I fish has a bass tournament going on nearly every day. The pressure on the lake is tremendous. I don't know that I want to see the crappie fishing pressured the same way.

I'm not trying to open up a can of worms here, and definately am not trying to be critical of anyone who fishes tournaments. I'm just trying to think of what is best for the resource. I've heard crappie replenish themselves very well, but I wonder if that would be the case if there were numerous tournaments on the lake. I would appreciate any insight on this subject that would make me more receptive to the idea.

[Crapbie]

I like the fact that so many of us in the forum are planet conscious, I too worry about those things. I can only imagine what its like to live on a lake and have to worry about the fish in there aswell as the value of your house falling due to a polluted/dead lake. Some tournaments have a fish fry after where they fry some but never that many. Many go back and many tournaments have a penalty if you bring any back dead. One around here is 8oz penalty per dead fish. Also around here atleast the more popular a lake is the more it is stocked to help counter the effect, it leads to lots of smallish hungry fish but its better then no fish right

[Eager Beaver]

Touneyment fishing pays into the resourse through the fishing license and bait and tackle that is bought locally at each site. The money is used to help the fish and game in the state through various projects. Fish stocking is one that the states do. The local economy is also enhansed by the fishermen paying motels and resturants and other establishments while they are in the area. Ask the local merchants what they think of the touneyment, There isn't to many that don't want them to be held in their area. Guys that take the family along while the guy's fish the women shop.

[Hitek]

At the bigger tournaments (Crappiemasters, Crappie USA, etc.) the fish are returned to the water. There is no big fish fry afterwards. The crappie tournaments for the bigger trails are spread out across different lakes not pressuring one certain lake. There can be NO dead fish weighed in.

[CrappiePappy]

if you look at the top of this forum page, you will see the tournament series that I help run ... and fish in. We have two tournaments a year on a 39,000 acre lake. Teams are two anglers per boat ... and the weigh-in limit is 10 fish per boat. No dead fish can be weighed (but they can be contributed to the fish fry). We clean and cook all the fish that are weighed in .... BUT - the anglers DO have the option to keep the fish for themselves or release them, if they so desire. Rarely do we have a full field weigh in "limits" of 10 fish. Even when we have 35 teams participating ... we still generally only have 100-120 fish to clean. That sounds like a lot ... until you consider that the lake's creel limit is 30 fish per person (state law). So, it's more like our tournament anglers are only catching 3-4 persons daily limits ... even though there's 70 of us out there fishing. Even on the outside chance that we have more fish than those, who attend the fish fry, can eat - none of the fish are wasted. They're packed up and distributed to anyone who wants them.

You just have to set reasonable limits on the fish numbers that can be brought in ... depending on the size of the lake and its potential.

Crappie tournaments for $$ .... like CUSA and NACA ... release their fish. There's several good reasons for them doing so, I believe. One - they have 1day events ... just the tournament. Two - they have many more teams participating. Three - they have more than 2 tournaments per year. Four - in regards to #3 ... they spread their series out over many different lakes & states (some small waters - some big waters).

The other guys have some valid points, as well. And it's also a valid point that the Fish & Wildlife Depts of the states involved - set the size and creel limits in accordance with the species sought, angler hours on the water, number of anglers utilizing those waters, and the ability of those waters to sustain a viable population. And while it is true that Crappie are prolific ... they are also cyclic, in their proliferation - due to weather, water levels, water conditions, and natural predation & mortality. My best guess would be that, there's probably more Slab Crappie dying of old age - than are weighed in at a tournament ... and, many of them, may have never even seen a lure. ................cp

[Moose1am]

Eager Beaver:

While all you said is true .. it's also true that those same guys would be fishing anyway on their own. Many days on KY Lake you can see lots of fishing boats out on the lake and they are not competing in a timed tournament. They are competing for the same fish however but they are not rushed.


Here is what I don't like about tournament fishing. The time element makes people do things that they normally would not do. Add some money into the mix and they may do even crazier things. NOTE: I said MAY as not everyone acts crazy when money is on the line but some guys do. Money makes the world go round but it also causes people to do crazy things like rob banks or comment forgery.

I don't mind guys having fun fishing tournaments but I personally would rather not have to compete like that. First I just don't have the resourse to compete. Second I would rather take my time out on the lake and fish for a week and relax. I am older too so the excitement of a tournament is not good for guys with high blood pressure like me. I may have been more inclined to fish tournaments when I was younger. But back then they didn't have that many fishing tournaments.

Fishing tournaments is for guys with money or guys or gals that want to devote most of their finances to fishing the tournament trail. It's not for everyone.

Now what you said about the business in an area is very true. The tournaments will bring in new money to an area and the financial experts say that the money turns over 5 times in that same community so it's very good for any community to get motel rentals up.

I have competed in three fishing tournaements in my intire life. One was a friendly bass fishing tournament help by the Purdue University bass fishing club. They let me fish for free and I took out a student with me for the day. The students can't keep boats at Purdue very easily so they depend on volunteers to take them out on the lake for a day. My fraternity brother started the Purdue Bass Fishing Club long after I left the campus and I thought it would be a good thing to help the club out. I did that in Sept 2003. I have fished two other tournaments and both were for Dave Summers. Those were the Teezer crappie fishing tournaments. I caught a few nice crappie on the first tournament and finished way down on the list. The last tournament I didn't catch a signal fish. But I learned about where not to go on KY Lake when the winds blow out of the NE. LOL I took Jeff out in my boat that cold windy November day and could not reach the spot I wanted to fish due to the winds and high waves. It was just too dangerous for my small 16 ft boat. I could see the spot but I could not get closer than 200 yards to it without being bucketed by the winds and waves. So I ended up fishless. The fish were in deeper water and the only fishable water in Sulfur Creek that day was back in 6 to 8ft of water. By the time we decided to move to a new spot we had run out of time as I got lost on the way back on the back country roads and killed another 30 mintues trying to figure out where I was going. I don't like that kind of pressure and will not do that again for a while. Well at least not until next Year. LOL I am going to learn more about this area (BIG SANDY) in the next few weeks and hopefully I can be better prepared for the next tournament down there. I just hope that Richard Williams gets his back healed up before then. I know it's giving him lots of trouble and I hate to hear that. He ran the last two fishing tournaemnts for Dave and I just hope that he continues doing that. It sure changed my life. I really do think the world of Richard and want to see him stick around and continue to work with Crappie USA and the Teezer Tournaments. They are such fun and they bring guys together from all across the country and that is a very good thing.

Touneyment fishing pays into the resourse through the fishing license and bait and tackle that is bought locally at each site. The money is used to help the fish and game in the state through various projects. Fish stocking is one that the states do. The local economy is also enhansed by the fishermen paying motels and resturants and other establishments while they are in the area. Ask the local merchants what they think of the touneyment, There isn't to many that don't want them to be held in their area. Guys that take the family along while the guy's fish the women shop.

[Crappie Chatt]

Fishers; I have been tourney fishing since 1989. First 5 years I paid & paid, then paid my dues. Would come close but, no checks. I have every excuse known to man why I didn't do better. Then, as I was at a sport show, attending a crappie seminar, I asked the speaker just what I needed to do. I said I could catch fish before the tourney with no problems but, tourney day,,,I SUCKED!!! He quized me and came to this. I was beating myself!!! I let the pressure of the tourney get to me. Run here, run there, run all over the place looking for the hot spots. Many times I left fish to find fish. Not a bad tactic when prefishin but death for tourney day. I now plan every move. Watch the weather and prefish accordingly. I want to have at least 5 spots that I can fish. I have put all my eggs in 1 spot before because of weather or simply not knowing any others. I try to fish the ways I like best because that's where my confidence lays. The more knowledge I have,,,the luckier I get! LOL. I run the roads back to the weigh-ins to see just how long it takes and get to know these routes.A lot of preparation before the tourney keeps your mind on fishing and not worring about others. I could go on & on but,,,the BEST thing about traveling around to all these tourneys,,,,you meet the NICEST people in the world and some have become the best of friends. Try your local tourneys first. Most are very affordable and on a lake you have confidence in. Remember this 'Fish the same way you like too'. Yes you'll get beat-up at times but it's better than trying something you have no skills in doing. If you like spider-rigging, do nothing else. Get real good at it before you go dipping trees and visa-versa. Look at how the past winners, won on that lake. Some are troller lakes, some are full of trees. I personally like dipping trees and probing brush-piles with long poles. I've tried spider-rigging and that is definally my weak spot. I have all the tools and had many of lessons from other trollers. My heart just isn't into mobile trot-lines but, I will do it! Hope this helps & checks are in the future! <*)}}}><

[reelcrappie]

Bass tournaments and crappie tournaments are two different breeds. Crappie tournament fish usually get fried. No losers in a crappie tournament. Now the pro tournaments for crappie may be different but the best part of local small tournaments is the friends you make and of course the fish fry afterwords. Fishing is, after all , about bragging rights and fun. Crappie fishermen, as a whole, are the most unselfish bunch, when it comes to sharing information, that you will find anywhere.

[badbrad]

Thanks for the information Crappiepappy. The format you described seems very sensible. I just was unfamiliar with how the tournaments were organized.

[Crappie Chaser]

Crappiepappy has said it right. In the Crappie USA tournaments, ALL FISH MUST BE ALIVE when weighed in, and the tournament organizers release all fish back into the lake. The Crappie USA (American Crappie Association) is an organized group who works very hard to lobby for better management of crappie populations and improvement of crappie fisheries across America. The C-USA is dedicated for all crappie anglers, tournament and weekend anglers alike. Memebership to the Crappie USA is $20 per year, which includes a Product Gift Pack, Crappie Journal Subscription, and allows you to fish in C-USA events in your region. The Cabela's Classic is usually held in late September, with the winners receiving cash, a rigged Ranger boat and Evinrude motor.

Yes Brad, you can weigh in up to 7 crappies and the total weight of those 7 crappies determines your place in the standings. If you weigh in more than 7 crappies, you're disqualified.