Fishing comps Stuff the fishing!!

[greenie.77]

I understand a few here wont like my point of view but hey, you can't please everyone!

I fish the richmond river and they have started having a few Bream tournaments here, a few weeks back the fishing was unreal, Big bream were taking poppers hard and there seemed to be plenty of them, I caught 23 in one 3 hour session all on surface. This was a few weeks b4 the Gamkatsu team series was held here. I've been out twice since this event and have caught 2 bream in two trips. I fished for flatties last trip after the bream weren't on and they were still in numbers.

I noticed the same thing after the final of the abt a year or two ago as well.

Now I don't think the one days fishing (although all thoses fish being taken to weigh in does have a small effect on each local area of the river) would have that big an effect on the rivers. It's the Pre-fishing that I think stuffs the areas.

I wonder if there is a way the pre-fishing can be regulated a bit more?

Not trying to annoy anyone, just stating what I have noticed, Anyone agree?

[Richo1]

I agree, not a big fan of Tournaments!

[tunaticer]

I can't stand the ignorance these tourney competitors have towards the local fishermen out as normal to catch a feed. Several times i have had their 150 horses come galloping through directly over the reef patches I am fishing in my kayak and pass me full bore at less than 15m away. Totally screws the snapper fishing for the sake of a bream tourney not to mention being totally unsafe and completely stupid and illegal. I paddled after the last guy 2km to give his a complete earful and when i was about 50m away he cranked up the horses and flew back past me headed to grounds he skipped by on the earlier run.

[Why-ting]

Not all non tournament fishos are angels as all tournament fishos arent respectful. there are always a few that spoil it for the bunch.

As far as a tournament putting the fish off the bite it may happen for a few days but a bite may change from day to day, your not going to smack 25 bream every time you go out and throw topwaters.

Just my opinion.

Cheers Whytey

[FNQCairns]

The fish know what they are doing and why, if we could drain a river most would be gobsmacked at the sheer numbers and weight of fish available just a day after a fishless trip full of wingers proclaiming fished out etc (not saying you think this).

How many fish do you estimate got weighed?

I do understand and for sure noise can have an impact but gee it's real hard to assume with any accuracy, also all of the other natural parts of a fish's existence that might affect them more.

2 hours I can understand but a day later can be a very long time in water temp or condition or fish movement.

Yeah those tournaments are blatent redneck IMO but hey they are not about me or my business, happy to as yet not come across one.

[PinHead]

I doubt there is anywhere near the number of competitors in an ABT comp than in one of the many other comps around...dunno how those comps affect the fishing either.

[murf]

ahhh the big money and fame coming into play :)

that accounts for the dick heads pushing way past the legal and moral boundary's of a fair go but IMHO have nothing measurable in the fish going off the bite for a few days

cheers Murf

[sharkcat one]

I fished in that comp.

The storms and tornado came through that area 2 days before the comp and turned the river into freshwater . Out of 40 boats only 15 boats caught fish and all fish caught were caught around the seaway rock wall because the rest of the river was freshwater and muddy and all of the fish were released 400m away from where they were caught.

I know that alot of people don't like the tournament guy's , but you should check the conditions of the river and whether before you start blaming everybody.

Just one question out of the 23 bream you caught , how many did you release back into the river ?

If you own a nice bream rod and a good selection of soft plastics , hard bodies or blades , poppers, etc.... Where do you guy's think they come from ? About 80% of them are designed or refined by tournament guy's , so don't right us off so soon . I know there is a few bad eggs that don't follow the rules of the road in their boats and I think the organisers should take marks off boats that are being dangerous ,this would pull them into line.

cheers.

[Feral]

No waterway is worth fishing for 2 or 3 weeks after a comp. After that it is usually ok, its not that they remove fish, its just the fish see a lot of lures, noise (yes tourny blokes seem to like fast boats going fast) and generally heavy pressure from people who know where to find the fish to put the pressure on them! I reckon some sod off to quieter areas,some go off the chew,some just get a bit leary because of all the action.

[hakuna]

Greenie,
I hate fishing comps, have alwayse been against the evans head one, but in this case I believe you are incorrect.
I am born and bread there and have fished it for about 45 yrs, My dad still fishes it probably 4 times a week, for the past 70 odd years. All know him that are locals.
The comp has no effect on the river.
In fact the river is the best it has been for about 15 years since they have stopped the netting.
Each year over the past 3 yrs dad has comented that the river is getting back to the bad old days where the Jew are in numbers and the bream, especially the snoweys are back, and in numbers.
The Bream have not come in this year yet in numbers so they will be fickle, one day you will get them, next tide gone. Thats how Ballina works.
Talked to him last night, still dropping the boat in, luring a dozen flatties, keeping his one for his tea and off home for brekkie. He reckons bream late this year, be in in the next few weeks near when the westerlies start.
What a life

cheers

[NAGG]

No doubt fishing comps have an effect on an area ..... though it would only be short term (days) - At this time of year the likely reason is that the fish have moved on to spawn. ( Does the Richmond still have pro fishing - netting) :-?
As for comps ...... they are a part of fishing life these days - check the fishing calenders / websites and just avoid those places.
As for the ABT style comps ..... they are catch and release , so their impact is minimal....... except to those that dont like big fast tournament boats.;)

Chris

[Noelm]

so, you don't think that the 23 fish you hooked in 3 hours hurt the fish enough for them to go off the bite? or maybe the fish were schooled up and in a feeding mood when you were there, and the tide/moon/water temp/whatever changed and they moved on? there can be a thousand possibilities why fish were biting one day and not a few days later (and a comp could well be one of the reasons), mind you I am not a fan of the "new" trend that is trying emulate the US Bass comps where a fish is caught and there is a thousand woohoos and yelling and so much fake excitement that a cheap hooker would be proud of, but to each their own, my son is very active in the Bream "circuit" but that's his "thing" not mine.

[finga]

Speaking of Bream and Ballina.
Is the Bream hole still there??

Impact of these comps on fish populations would be less then the novice crowds on public and school holidays I reckon.
At least the comp boys know how to release a fish so it has a chance of survival.

[greenie.77]

I fished in that comp.

The storms and tornado came through that area 2 days before the comp and turned the river into freshwater . Out of 40 boats only 15 boats caught fish and all fish caught were caught around the seaway rock wall because the rest of the river was freshwater and muddy and all of the fish were released 400m away from where they were caught.

I know that alot of people don't like the tournament guy's , but you should check the conditions of the river and whether before you start blaming everybody.

Just one question out of the 23 bream you caught , how many did you release back into the river ?

If you own a nice bream rod and a good selection of soft plastics , hard bodies or blades , poppers, etc.... Where do you guy's think they come from ? About 80% of them are designed or refined by tournament guy's , so don't right us off so soon . I know there is a few bad eggs that don't follow the rules of the road in their boats and I think the organisers should take marks off boats that are being dangerous ,this would pull them into line.

cheers.

23 mate, all released boatside.

I'm not having a go I was just interested in others thoughts. I still do think it slows the fishing down, and I also think fish can be there one day and gone the next. But up until then I had had a few really good Bream sesions. I just think it makes them a bit shy!:)

[Dodgy_Back]

To blame a bream comp on your lack of results is a very hard thing to believe.
Most of the areas these comps fish is vast !!. The Gold Coast ABT for instance has a northern boundary at Mud island and a southern boundary way up the nerang.
There will always be some one not able to land a scale and others that get loads.
To try to blame a comp for poor performance is pretty ignorant.
Alot of the comp guys do fish the same areas as each other, that would be the only reason the fish would slow down. we all know if you flog the same areas the bite will surely slow.

As in all types of fisho's there is always the goose that ruins it for the rest. Just because the tournament angler can drive faster than you doesn't really mean they are tossers.

I'm also sure that alot of tourny guys have stories of our fella bait anglers that will have you shaking you head.

Next time I go for a fish and don't get many , I will blame bad luck or a bad spot, not the the baito's or other lure tossers shutting the bite down.

[Benben86]

I would Not blame the tournaments. That's just the nature of fishing. Half the fun is not knowing whether you will catch or not. Every spot will have good days and not so good. Just the way it is. If you want to be guarenteed of catching fish get a fishpond and a net

[charleville]

Fishing comps have not done me any favours lately.

I went into my local BCF a couple of weeks ago to buy a packet of my favourite Gamakatsu Gangster ganging hooks and there were absolutely none to be seen.

I had to take Mustad ganging hooks. :o Not near as good. :'(

When I mentioned it to the bloke at the checkout, he said, "Yep. All sold out because of the comp."

Bugga! >:(


I have no idea what comp he was talking about but it I have hated it ever since! ;D


.

[leelee]

I fish the richmond river and they have started having a few Bream tournaments here, a few weeks back the fishing was unreal, Big bream were taking poppers hard and there seemed to be plenty of them, I caught 23 in one 3 hour session all on surface. This was a few weeks b4 the Gamkatsu team series was held here. I've been out twice since this event and have caught 2 bream in two trips. I fished for flatties last trip after the bream weren't on and they were still in numbers.

Personally I think there is an effect but its not measurable as there are so many environment factors taken into consideration that people fail to remember.

Every scenario that is thrown up can easily be answered. The 23 bream you got on surface wills till be around, but you managed to find them at a place in time when they were hungry and on the chew. Like others have mentioned the severe weather played a huge role in the change of the system. Majority of the time the fish are somewhere in the system biting, but if you don’t fish the system at least once a week or have you ear to the ground, you won’t know where the big fish have moved to and you will waste time chasing your tail all over the system trying to locate them. I guess you only have to look back at the leader board and see the results, because people will always say it was tough, but no matter how tough it is, the top anglers always catch fish, so there are fish on the chew somewhere. Now if the leader board will full of doughnuts well that’s when you really know the fish were off the bite. The main thing you shoudl look at was that you released the fish boatside which could have gone back to the school and put the fish off so to speak. Also what happens if the area is open the commercial netting? Maybe the netters went through during the night. Who knows? All things that should be taken into consideration.

I have fished areas the day after a comp has finished and there are more fish there then the previous 2 days and you sit there an d mutter the words” why weren’t you here 2 days ago”

Also the ignorance is a big issue but please do not group all anglers in tourney boats as being the same please as personally I always try to consider all boaties on the water and try to steer clear of those fishing and try to keep my distance and respects the fact they are on the water as well, but it works both ways. Both tourney and non tourney sides of this fence can be as bad as each other. I have had boaties purposely run over my lines, drive over my spots and even blow fly me because I was catching fish.

As DodgyBack has mentioned I can tell you some great stories about both bait anglers and other tourney anglers that will have your heads shaking and I guess its more about respect and morals then any thing else. To much these days I see people not paying attention on the water and not considering everyone out on the water.

Plenty of times I have fished comps on small waterways and feel very sorry for the social local angler that is also out there because they have had their relaxing day on the water ruined by about 40-50 boats zooming around all the time for half the day. I just try to be as polite as possible as really it is a public waterway but it’s hard for the locals to get upset.

Also remember there are different types of comps. There are the Bream Tournament comps and there are also bait comps and I have fished both in the past and when money and big prizes are up for grabs, this can bring out the competitiveness side in some anglers, thus making them do things they might not normally do. Whilst I do not condone these actions I can understand why they are done.

Cheers

Lee

[caster226]

comment removed

[mitchdemeanor]

I just simply dont get comps personally,

Fishing is my leisure time and i see it that way "leisure not a sport".

Anybody racing all over the place in a boat frantically chasing shadows for enjoyment has just totally missed the point to me, just the same sort of stress as going to work :(.

Fishing to me is like a few games of pool in the pub. How many games can i win before the alcohol starts to take affect? and if it does i hope the other guy is feeling it more!!!:P.

Basically what i'm trying to say is i enjoy going out and just having a nice leisurely go at catching something, "how many can i catch with the smallest effort?". These comp guys can develop as much technical wizardry as they like and justify that as a good reason but a pilly on a hook kicking back with the gentle rock of my boat is all i need to be happy, theres other places in my life i need to be that serious but not out there ;D.

[rabbi]

Might have something to do with the school holidays m8.

I think the fish have calenders with these marked on em.

Up until the last blow the Richmond was hard fishing even with bait, I think because of the clear water thats been hanging around.
Get a really good spell of rough weather and things will usually change for the better with all types of fishing.
maybe go further upstream.
I was sitting in my boat in front of the Ramada recently with my little fishing buddy and had a Tournament boat go past at full noise :-?
Even she was surprised at the speed he was going!!

He musta heard they were biting a couple of hundred metres further up.
Goin way too fast for that section of river with a fair amount of boat traffic around.

cheers, Steve.