There is no question that Clear Lake is one of the more popular lakes in the state in regard to bass tournaments. The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) annually issues more than 50 permits for bass tournaments on Clear Lake and the permit spells out to the tournament organizations exactly how fish are to be handled during the weigh-ins and also that they must be released alive.
While some of the tournament organizations do a great job of protecting the fish, others are borderline on caring for the lake”s most valuable resource.
DFG game wardens have been monitoring recent tournaments closely and within the past three months have issued two citations and several warnings to tournament organizations for improper fish handling procedures. Bass clubs are also being closely monitored by the game wardens during their tournaments.
The DFG rules on bass tournaments state that during the weigh-in the fish must be transported in plastic bags that contain enough water to completely cover the fish. There can be no more than five fishermen standing in line to weigh their fish. The rules also state that a time period of no more than three minutes can occur from the time the bass are placed into the weigh-in bags until they are weighed and returned either to a release boat or the angler”s bass boat. A bag can contain no more than five fish.
Tourneys need to do better job policing weigh-ins
In addition, any fish that weighs 5 pounds or more must be placed in a separate bag. The fish must be released at least a mile offshore from the weigh-in site. If done correctly the survival rate of the bass can be as high as 98 percent. However, a poor weigh-in can result in a high mortality rate.
The tournament directors are responsible for conducting proper weigh-ins. They are supposed to monitor the way the bass are brought to the scales and returned to the fishermen. It is also the responsibility of the fishermen to take care of their fish. From June 15 to Sept. 15 the DFG requires all weigh-ins be no longer than six hours apart. In other words, the tournament director is required to hold a weigh-in every six hours.
I attend most of the weigh-ins at bass tournaments and the most common mistake I see is too little water ? or no water ? in the bags. A fish receives its oxygen from the water and studies have shown that it can go no more than four minutes out of water before it suffers brain damage. Another problem is there are too many fishermen standing in line at the scales more often than not. I have counted as many as 30 fishermen in line at some of the larger tournaments; and many of them have their fish in dry bags or in bags holding very little water.
All tournaments penalize a fisherman for bringing a dead fish to the scales. The penalty consists of a deduction of two-tenths of a pound for each dead fish. Of course, a bass can be barely breathing and in most cases it is counted as a live fish even though it will probably die after being released.
Most of the major tournament organizations do a good job protecting the fish. However, that can”t be said of many of the bass clubs visiting Clear Lake and holding their tournaments here. Some don”t have weigh-in bags and they don”t use care when handling the fish.
Fishery biologists say the big concern is delayed mortality. That”s when a bass will die hours or even days after being caught and released in a tournament. Studies have shown that as many as 10 percent of tournament-caught bass die within 10 days after a tournament. The cause is usually a lack of oxygen, which can result in not only brain damage but internal organ damage as well.
The good news is our local DFG game wardens are closely monitoring the tournaments, which in the end will protect the fish.
