The future could see a dramatic change in how bass tournaments are conducted on Clear Lake. An example is that the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) has canceled all event-type tournaments on Clear Lake for the month of October because the drought has caused dissolved oxygen levels to plummet, which could result in fish die-offs during tournament weigh-ins.
In fact, there is talk going around that the DFW will only allow one tournament a month during the hot summer months. As the regulations now stand, a tournament can be only six hours in duration from April 15 to Sept. 15. The regulations also state that the maximum amount a time a bass can be out of the water during the weigh-in is only three minutes. That rule is broken all the time.
This year the weather was extremely hot during the summer months. The air temperatures climbed to more than 100 degrees on many of the tournament days and that resulted in water temperatures in the bass boat livewells being 85 degrees or even warmer. The mortality rate of bass in these livewells was high in many cases. Studies have shown that bass often die five or six days after being released during the hot summer months. It’s called “delayed mortality.”
Clear Lake hosts approximately 40 major bass tournaments a year. They are spread over the entire year and include the hot summer months as well as the cold winter months. There are also dozens of club tournaments.
Kayakers use a weigh-in method that other tournament anglers will probably adopt in the future. They don’t weigh their fish but measure them instead. During their tournament each contestant is issued a special ruler. The fish is placed on the board and the length of the bass is measured and a photo is taken of the fish on the board. The photo is transmitted to a judge who may be hundreds of miles away. The five longest fish are credited to that angler and the contestant with the longest total length is declared the winner. The bass is released as soon a photo is taken.
Using this method, the bass is out of the water only a minute or two and is returned back to the lake in excellent condition. In other words, there is no reason to have a livewell on the boat. This method has proven to be very popular and is being adopted by many tournament circuits. The only downside is there is no weigh-in for spectators to attend and many of the tournament sponsors don’t receive much publicity.
There is no question tournament fishing has seen some massive changes during the past 10 years. The bass boats have become technological masterpieces. The latest electronics can pick up a bass at any depth even when they are hiding among the rocks. Fishermen can even see the bass grab the lure. The new bass boat can reach speeds of more than 70 mph. Fishing equipment also has become very expensive.
Often bass tournament anglers don’t take care of the fish they catch. By adopting new tournament weigh-in methods, the problem will be solved as the fish will be released within less than three minutes of being caught. There will be no reason to have a release boat.
Bass tournaments are losing some of their fans. A few years ago it wasn’t unusual for a major tournament to draw hundreds fans at the weigh-ins. Now a large crowd is 20-30 people. One reason is the times have changed and fishermen are doing other things for recreation.
