After a discussion with Keith on this matter, I decided to investigate the effects that tournaments have on the LMB population in Kerr. Kerr Reservoir has a large number of tournaments, and despite catch and release practices, it is possible such displacement of bass have a huge effect on mortality rate.

Interestingly I found several studies that reveal this indeed has seriously negative effects on the LMB. One such study by Jed Pearson, a fisheries biologist, in 2000, revealed significantly increased mortality of fish caught in tournaments, and he suggested that tournament organizers adopt measures to reduce displacement of angler-caught largemouths. He suggests ideally that tournament organizers adopt "instant release" practices.

Another study in Pennsylvania in 2004 indicated tournament and non-tournament catch and release practices resulted in similar mortalities, but interestingly also revealed that overall loss due to fishing was roughly half of the initial population (the other half being natural causes).

A study on Sam Rayburn in Texas, in 2003, where many tournaments are held, revealed that tournament impact on LMB population was low, but I had a difficult time following their logic and wasn't convinced of the scientific nature of this study. It was based on tagging 6000 bass followed by tag returns via creel sampling, but there were a large number of assumptions made and the creel survey only revealed 40 tagged fish.

Wilde in 1998 found that tournament associated mortality, including initial and delayed rates, averaged 26-28%. I take this to mean if a tournament has 200 anglers and each weighs in an average of 3 fish, for a total of 600 fish caught and brought to the scales, then 180 of these fish die as a result. Others have estimated a gradual decline in LMB population as a result.

Most all studies reveal, not surprisingly, that tournaments in the hotter months have the worst mortality.

Another study by Clapp and Clark in 1989 revealed that even when catch and release is practices, hooked fish demonstrate reduced subsequent growth.

I'm still studying this. Next step may be to check to see if any studies have been conducted specifically on Kerr, and if not, perhaps one should be conducted. I'd like to have better answers and I'd like to find out how aggressively we are managing this great resource.

Very informative post. I have wondered, for some time now, why the better organized tournaments don't promote a catch and instant release practice. Many of the saltwater, and certainly the lesser number trout tournaments, do exactly that very thing. Of course cheating will be an issue, but based upon recent posts here (and we're a small group) cheating is already a factor. Good luck with your study.

So what are you saying? Are you supporting regulating what fisherman do with the fish they are licensed to catch? Don't tournament fisherman adhere to the laws regarding creel limit? If I was you, I'd be much more worried about the individuals that keep their limit of five for a trip to the frying pan. I'll admit, there are too many tournaments on Kerr, especially during the March and April timeframe, but I don't think regulating the individual fishing license holder or discriminating against him/her is the proper way to resolve the issue.

Furthermore, I would suggest that the Wildlife folks would reduce the actual touraments if they felt the mortality rate of for bass was to high. Just my opinion.

I agree there are way too many tournaments on Kerr. 15 years ago, you could go fish a tournament at Kerr and have 150 to 200 boats and the payout was alot better. Now you may have as many as 6 events going on on one saturday, with 12 to 75 boats depending on which one you fish. I wish there was a way we could petition the COE to not give out but 1 permit per day per N.C. and 1 per VA. I feel like if this was done, the participation in events would go back to the way it was years ago because you would only have 1 to 2 events to choise from on any given saturday or sunday. Anyone got any ideas on how to get something like this accomplished? I know if you only contact the chamber of commerces around the lake, they will shoot you down because they are afraid of loosing 1 dollar to anybody that wants to hold a tournament. From what I have seen, your bigger and better organizations take better care of the fish and have a better release rate than your smaller events with no tanks or bubblers while standing in line.

I for one don't fish on weekends because of tournaments and party boaters,i'll simply save vacation time and go during the week and plan ahead of time if weather permits,then in the fall late sept on most are off the water then during hunting season til mid march.

Interesting post and informative, thanks. When I posted a few weeks ago about stripers and putting some of the smaller ones back I was blasted by some and I posed the ?? about bass and catfish catch and keep because they die. Of course bass live just fish its ok-sure right as this posting states. Go to the weigh in at most any bass tourny and look at the ones released, many just go belly up to die as the fisherman just walks away, cpr forget it give them a Pepsi.

catching any fish (especially LMB, Stripers, and White bass) in the summertime and hauling them around for any length of time is sure to have an adverse effect on those caught. Stripers can't stand stress even in optimum conditions (winter) and any water above 70 degrees is going against them and Largemouth too. I striper fished the Dan River - hard for over 35 years but started backing way off when the water gets around 70 because I truly respect the fish I go after and hate to kill them in in the spirit of having fun. If you'll go up to Philpott any Saturday morning (they have an all night LMB tourny every Friday night) it will make you sick to see the average (12-30) LMB nose down/belly up at the landing where all these "sportsmen" released their catches from the nights action. I don't regularly target LMB, preferring to go for white perch (better eating, more readily available, better fight per pound, and nobody will get tore out of the frame if I keep what I catch) but I catch a lot of 2-5 pounders (LMB)trolling and other than the times I decide to take some home for frying I try not to even pull them out of the water. Even the high dollar boats aren't equipped to keep them alive in 90 degree weather when the live well is pulling in 83-86 degree surface water. I would think a sealed system that was heavily insulated, ice added, lightly salted, with air stones out the wahzoo and a filter to recirculate the same water time and again would be the only way to really give these fish a fighting chance, but who would really go to all that trouble? You'd add another ton of cash to an already rediculously high amount being spent on the catching of that one species.

I would like to see tournies start later in the year after the spawn. I think more damage is done at that time by taking bedding bass away from their areas.I have not fished with a club for quite a few years but the few open tournies I have fished have all gone to four fish per boat limits and I think that seems to be helping some of the rivers around Richmond, but I myself have had more fish die from gut-hooks than form the livewell even under the hottest days.

Guys....every year folks that don't like tournaments gripe about the same things.... fish dying....tournament anglers not taking care of fish....tournament anglers with poor ethics.

All of us are not the same....and if you watched the BFL folks break there necks to keep those fish alive you would see they do care. There are just as many inconsiderate non tournament anglers as there are inconsidrate tournament anglers.

You say fishing during the spawn hurts the population... weigh ins in the summer hurts the population.... well how come every year the fishing seems fine...every lake no matter where you are goes through cycles...up years and down. All across the country. I will agree on one thing there should be a limit of some kind as to how many can be held each weekend....but they won't do it....tournaments bring in anglers ...which in turn bring in money to local buisness's.

Don't put us all in the same boat as tournament anglers....because we are not. And just go fishing and enjoy it.... there is more time spent griping and fussing and calling each other names than anything else on this board. I used to check this site right often....heck now all I want to know is the lake level...and low and behold I get up here for the first time in almost 2 months and here we go again with the griping and complaining. Just go fishing.... if you don't like tournaments don't fish'em...and if you do more power to ya.

good post ranger1..my club just had a tourn yesterday on the james river..it was hot as hell. we started at 530am till 4pm. my partner and myself both had our limits by 11pm. i imagine i spent a good 40minutes of the day total taking care of my fish. i carried three bags of ice in addition to the drink ice, and my bottle of rejuvenade..every hour i was putting seeveral scoops of ice in the livewells. we had three gut hooks early in the morn and they all lived..it tears me up to see dead fish of any species. some people just dont care.

Good post,

I live on the coast and this is a big argument in regards to mortality rates of red drum. The way I see it is you have ethical and unethical anglers. The most we can hope for is that the tournament officials do all they can and that dmf or in this case dnr do their ends. I don't see it to a point to where my kids and grandkids wouldn't be able to enjoy the fisheries and the lake, but I also don't live their so I may be misinformed.

I agree with the ice in the live well, It works, Saturday night I had one in the box belly up, hooked it deep. Anot every 35-40 minutes put a big double hand full of ice in the well, set the areator to manual (continuous running) after about and hr or so the fish uprighted and swam off later that morning. I wont say tournament anglers don't take care of the fish, I think they could put out a little more effort to take "BETTER" care of the fish. And I have also wondering what it does to a bass's spawn cycle to be pulled from her bed hauled 10 miles down the lake getting beat up in a box then relaesed into a strange area after being held in a bag 10-15 minutes, Any studies show what these fish do ??? I fish tournaments, Love it. But also try to think about fishing tomorrow.
Ray

What i would like to see is how the displacement of fish to be released in one place effects the fish in that area.And I wonder if the bass will try to return to where they were caught if possible. I think tournament mortality is minimal. Advancements in livewell technology and angler awareness have improved greatly in the last few years. Any mortality study from 1998 is obsolete. I think relocation is more of an issue. Just my opinion.

Been a while back some guys were tagging fish On SML.
Tagged them at Halesford bridge, a month later one was caught in the cove at state park, thats quite a ways from the brodge, so guess they could make it back if they wanted too.

Bass can be caught as food. Imagine if the tourney guys weighed their fish, then cut fillets for the dinner table. A 20% mortality rate is better than 100%.

In the summer time I see 15 belly up stripers for every 1 bass, 99% of the time it's the deep hooked car.rig bass that dies after weigh in..

I am glad you mentioned that Triton 1, I don't striper fish...but I know allot of you do. And you can go to any state in the US and ask them about this and they will tell you one thing....LMB fishing is never as good in a lake that stocks stripers continuously.... I am not saying they should stop stocking efforts. It is just a fact that stripers effect a fishery allot more than largemouth do....or the anglers that fish for them. There is a good population of LMB at Kerr, but if there were not as many stripers....heck you would probably have one of the top 5 lakes on the east coast. In numbers and size. Now don't anyone go getting upset with me, I am just stating the facts....and that is a fact. So how about including that in some of your research.

I am a tournament director and we do everything possible to insure the fish are returned alive. I have done continous research on this and one of the big summertime problems is that hot water does not retain O2 as good as cooler water and this is where ice comes in handy. Also almost all fish have an air bladder and this is what allows us to see them on sonar. This bladder works something like the tanks on a sub.Bass and most other fish can only deflate this bladder at a given rate of flow.When we pull them off the bottom we pull them up faster than they can deflate causing them to be "drunk" and not be able to swim correctly , thus causing them to die. You can deflate this bladder if you are trained to do so and I have taken 5 and 6 pound fish home that were like this and deflated their blader and kept them in an aquarium to observe for over 30 days and none have died. I am not saying fish will not die because they will.look back in the 70's when bassboats didn't have livewells and the tournaments were killing millions of pounds of fish. This has been corrected with livewells.Now we need a system to chill the water in the summer to help. As for spawning bass I would agree they need to be left alone and even after the spawn until the fry can protect themselves. Yes this would cut out fishing in March and April but I think it would help the population overall.