“Who’s Water Is It Anyway?”
(By: “The Bass Coach” – Roger Lee Brown)
AI would have to say
that this article is one of the most over-due,
misunderstood, and confusing subjects a angler needs to
really understand to lesson some of his or her attitudes,
and increase much more sportsmanship when it comes to
fishing in most of today’s tournament trails. For years I
have had many of my bass fishing school students and charter
clients tell me some of their war stories concerning this
matter, and I got to tell ya, I’m kinda’ glad I wasn’t
around to see some of these in action.
First of all, I wish to make sure that common courtesy,
ethics, and sportsmanship go a long way for most, but there
are some that just don’t get it!
Now, who really owns fishing water in any bass fishing
tournament? If you guessed nobody, then you’re right! Let me
give some examples and let you decide for yourselves:
Say a tournament angler had only a day or two away from
work, home, or any obligation, and had a chance to pre-fish
for an upcoming tournament. With the gas, lodging, food, and
travel expenses along with his personal time, this angler
gets to a body of water and spends two days pre-fishing and
putting a game plan together for this upcoming tournament
then goes back home. The next day after this angler went
back home another angler per-fishing for the same tournament
does the same thing, but just happens to fish in some of the
first anglers areas (not knowing the first angler was
pre-fishing and put his plan together) and puts his (or her)
own plan together using some of the same areas as the first
angler, then goes back home. The next few days a third
angler does the same, and on and on! Now, the morning of the
tournament comes and these three anglers all go to the same
spot, who’s water is it?
Most all seasoned anglers know that just about any area
where you can find bass in quantity and especially quality
you will find these bass in “sweet spots” or also known as
“honey holes” but in the surrounding areas it’s just a
hit-and-miss type of fishing right? Now, this is where the
tournament rules come into effect. Here are just a couple of
the most recognized trails rules to give you an example.
(FLW Outdoors “BFL” Tournament Rules)
12. Permitted fishing locations
Contestants may fish anywhere on tournament waters available
to the public and accessible by boat, except areas
designated as "off limits" or "no fishing" by local, state,
or federal officials or within 50 yards of a competitor's
boat that was first anchored (an anchored boat is a boat
held in a stable position by a line attached to a weight
with the trolling motor in the up position).
(Anglers Choice Tournament Rules)
13.) PERMITTED FISHING WATERS: No fishing is allowed inside
the host marina. No fishing is allowed within 25 yards of
another anchored or tied tournament boat with trolling motor
out of the water, without the anchored boat's permission.
Both team partners must fish from the same boat. Only
contestants may be in the boat during the tournament hours.
Having anyone hole-sit for anyone shall be grounds for
disqualification. Contestants cannot leave the boat to land
a fish or gain access to a fishing area. Restricting natural
movement of fish by any means is automatic disqualification.
What does this mean?... read on!... This is one of my
personal experiences used for an example;
I was pre-fishing a few years back for a tournament that led
me several miles from the launch site to an area that I had
fished for many years. When I had arrived, there was another
angler fishing the same area. Now, even with the area being
around 100 yards or so I pulled up at least 50 yards from
this other boat and started fishing. The next thing I
noticed is that the boat that was there first had put his
trolling motor on high and started moving over to the area
that I had just made a cast into. I then asked this angler
if he was going to go around me, to which he replied “you’ve
got some nerve! this is my area (meaning the whole 100 yard
area point), and I’m fishing a tournament tomorrow” to which
I told him that I was fishing the same tournament and I have
fished this area for many years, to which his last reply to
me was that if I was sitting on “His” spot tomorrow, he
would ram my boat. Oops!
Later that same evening it was tournament registration time,
knowing the tournament director, I had told him about this
incident. The next thing I knew during the reading of
tournament rules by the tournament director (addressed to
all anglers) was his comment that “unless a boat is anchored
with the trolling motor up, another tournament boat can
literally come within spittin’ distance next to another
competitor’s boat.” Meaning that the water is anybody’s to
fish. So, if you want to fish a protected “honey hole” or a
sweet spot” simply drop your anchor down and lift your
trolling motor up out of the water, that way at least you
can keep another boat out of your honey hole.
True sportsmanship is abiding by rules of any activity (not
just fishing) and reading the rules is ones responsibility.
If more anglers read their tournament rules instead of just
signing them (acknowledging that they have done so) courtesy
and sportsmanship would go a long way for everyone!
Here are some things an angler should remember;
1. Fishing is a sport that everyone should enjoy…..
2. There are some lakes and rivers that only have certain
areas (community spots) that can be fished during windy
conditions, and when it gets too rough to run anywhere else,
a hundred boat tournament only has a select few spots to
fish (which means, move over or let another angler either go
around or next to you so he or she can enjoy their fishing
time as well.)
3. Stay competitive and welcome the challenge of other
anglers try to out fish you in some of the same areas.
4. Don’t get into a pissin’ contest with fellow anglers
while on the water; just remind them of the tournament
rules….. face it!... it’s a dog-eat-dog sport when money is
on the line (sad to say, but true), however, every angler is
entitled to enjoy themselves or fish any public water he or
she paid their money to fish (-:
Until next time, take care and God bless! “ALWAYS”
“The Bass Coach” – Roger Lee Brown