Bass tournament fishing is taxing our resources

• Bass tournament fishing and clubs are a good thing because they have brought many people into the sport, which equates to increased license sales. They are also beneficial because the tournament and club fishing ethic and format promoted by conservation minded and well-run organizations such as BASS (Bass Anglers Sportsman's Society and other similar groups) is catch-and-release angling. That's where it ends.
• Connecticut is a small state with a fair number of small lakes on which to fish. Pachaug Pond is 841 acres and is the largest body of water on this side of the Connecticut River. It gets crowded in the good fishing spots when someone holds a tournament of moderate size.
• Tournament fishing started in the south where 5,000- to 10,000-acre lakes and impoundments are the primary fishing sites. They can absorb the pressure generated by 50 or a 100 boats during a tournament.
• A 300- to 500-acre lake really can't do that, over time, without some sort of negative impact. This is despite the fact nearly every fish brought to the weigh-in's are released alive and swimming. Even if a high number of catchable bass are only "stung" by being caught, after being bounced around for hours in a live well then released, it can be a slow pick for people who fish a day or so after an event.
• The Department for Environmental Protection's delayed mortality studies indicated most of the fish caught and released survive, especially in tournaments held during cool-water times. However, when temps are high, delayed mortality induced by stress, increases and can kill as many as 5 percent of the fish that swim away from the weigh-in area after release.
• Read tournament catch rates and do the math -- the long term loss of fish can be scary. Maybe that's the price that needs to be paid in order to keep this bass fishing fraternity of good, skilled, likeable, knowledgeable, hard-core fishermen buying licenses.
• What bugs me is the fact that, from just after lakes turn on till they shut down for the winter, there are often two tournaments scheduled on every major and many minor lakes in this state every weekend. The DEP publishes a list of scheduled tournaments. Who knows how many small, unregistered tourneys take place in-between.
• This weekend, there are events being held Saturday at Quaddick Lake, Pachaug Pond, Moodus Reservoir, Amos Lake, Coventry Lake, Gardner Lake and Beach Pond, just to name our local waters. So expect a line to launch early when the event begins and around mid afternoon when they generally have the weigh-in. The following weekend, the DEP has two tournaments listed, each day on Gardner Lake.
• I have seen some bass already on and off beds (due to cold evenings) in some of the areas smaller, shallow lakes. Here's where my biggest gripe is: a major ethical glitch in the bass-fishing mentality is the fact bed fishing is condoned and promoted. The practice of catching bass off their beds, especially wholesale during tournaments, is unethical. It's wrong and needs to be addressed.
• The state's bass management plan, which was implemented in 2001, increased length limits, reduced creel limits and instituted slot limits on selected lakes. These are all sound and proven management strategies that should serve to improve bass fishing in this state. (Bob Sampson Jr.)