Trailering at Tournaments and other rules for safety

Reading all the comments about guys thinking that most/all tournaments should allow trailering for safety reasons. was just thinking through all of the other rules that could be put in place so that tournament trails are ensuring the safety of all anglers:

Trailering
On any tournament waters where stumps, rocks, ridges, humps, other obstacles might be present, no one can go more than 40 MPH
If the winds get over 15 MPH during the day, tournament weigh in hours will be extended so that all angers can safely and slowly make it back
If there is any lightning within 3 miles of the lake during the day, all anglers must seek shelter on the shore until there has been no lightning for 15 minutes
If the water temp is below 75 degrees all anglers must wear full body USCG approved mustang suits
If the co angler is not comfortable with the conditions or the boaters driving ability, he/she can use a tournament designated "safe word" and both will be refunded their money and not compete
No one can use a weight greater than 3/4 ounce to prevent any accidental head injuries

I'm sure their are other rules that can be implemented to ensure the safety of all anglers rather than relying on each angler using good judgment and making safe decisions on their own.

if you have ever been to a tournament where the weather was really bad you will always have somebody that would want to go if there was a tornado on the boat ramp . trailering is not a cure all there has to be some common sense used which is not very prevalent if you have seen a week night tournament shot gun start. you would think the folks are fishing for a million dollars. it is amazing that more bad things dont happen than they do. the two guys that started the tournament in fl. had no idea one would be thrown out of the boat an the other end up in the water. these guys don't get a do over.

If you are an adult and know how to take care of yourself then you should have enough common sense to operate a vessel and also take the appropriate measures to fish in colder weather.

Over regulating tournaments isn't the answer at all and yes, IMO, that list is over regulating and borderline ridiculous...

Things happen on the water and it doesn't take long. I don't like shot gun starts, I think certain trails should be quicker to push the trailer button sometimes but I understand. I speared a wave captaining in hs tourney on pk coming thru the Broadway area. Had nose up, doing 25 or so for a second figured I lost a kid. They are big machines, lakes can get bad quick, cold water in dangerous and it's a big boy sport sometimes. I think whenever something happens like in Florida it gives us all pause. You aren't gonna make it 100 percent safe. You hope better judgment prevails but it is what it is.


And I'm not advocating trailering above, I just think if you are gonna declare an event trailer don't wait till last minute. There are 10 day forecasts and such.

And I'm sure the op is being sarcastic with suggestions

I smell Sar-Chasm

Hate agreeing with Doug


You are responsible for yourself, you make the call that best fits you.

I WIN!!!


You finally agreed with me

yes....this was pure sarcasm but intended to prove a point. Once you start making rules to override common sense of anglers and putting the ownership of safety on the tournament trail instead of on the individual.....where does it stop? All of the suggestions I made COULD be implemented to make tournament fishing more safe for the anglers......but when it comes down to it, we are running fast boats, fishing big lakes, will never be stronger than mother nature and the ONLY thing that will keep us safe is our own decisions and knowing what we can/should or can not/should not do.

Don't like the regulating stated above but I am for trailering during tournaments. A person fishing for fun will typically use common sense but put 150 boats or more on the water competing for a single goal and although the common sense is still there it get's ignored. That is the choice of the angler and that choice could end up with consequences that he will have to deal with. Accidents will still happen regardless of any safety protocols put in place.

You can always choose not to participate, you can always choose to put the trolling motor down and fish where you are. To be honest if I'm gonna get beat by someone fishing 40 miles from the launch I'd at least like them to suffer the beating and expense of the run rather than be warm in their truck drinking coffee all the way.

No need to reinvent the wheel and make wholesale changes to a format that's worked for decades. Id hate to see over regulation change the sport as a knee jerk reaction following a tradgety. If anything, perhaps some improvement to the check in process to identify anglers missing more quickly would be beneficial.

Just because the guy was a pro we have no idea of his level of boating experience. No need to change the sport because one guy made what turned out to be a wrong decision.

I think our local big trails do a good job at trailering already. Trailering isn't going to stop a hero from crossing the lake to his hot spot if there is no close ramp to use. What happens when they trailer and the same guy makes a bad decision and has an accident?

Then we will be like the folks across the pond and all be fishing our tourneys from the bank.........

ac·ci·dent
ˈaksədənt/
noun
noun: accident; plural noun: accidents

1.
an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury.
"he had an accident at the factory"

They happen and will always happen!

The problem with always saying it on the angler to make the decision on when to run across the lake is that a lot of us tend to push it to and past our limits. We see one boat go for it and we all try it. I've gotten myself caught in some water I shouldn't have several times. I've come to appreciate when tournament directors air on the side of caution. I've been in tournaments were multiple boats were sunk proving how macho we are. It's just not worth it to me anymore.

Mandatory personal locator beacon. $250 expense every 5 years. That way they can send a signal out in any life threatening situation.

What happened last week was tragic. I think most would agree it was. I hate that it happened and a life was lost was lost,I hate it for his family, his friends, the boater and even for FLW as well. That being said there are literally tens of thousands tournaments per year that go off with no incidents like that. Personally I would not like to see everything changed over what happened. At the end of the day everyone is responsible for the choices they make. If anything maybe start allowing refunds to guys that decide fishing in really high winds etc is not for them that day. Some guys will fish just so they are not out their entry fee.

The interesting thing here is the pro/co deal. Clearly once under way the co has no say. If the co refuses to go then the pro is out of the field. Of course the co has the option to not participate but may not know the route or even areas the pro is planning on running to. Literally the co puts his life on the hands of the boater. Will be interesting to watch how this deal plays out.

Good point... but just because it's not worth it to you anymore does not mean that decision you made should be forced on others. In many cases the tournament trails insurance will not cover accidents that occur if a lake wind advisory was forecasted in advance or boats launch while there is an active wind advisory. Will be interesting to see who all gets sued when this deal shakes out and how Tournament organizers respond.

You would have the exact same option to trailer like anyone else. If you chose not to do so and got beat by someone who did then you chose the wrong water to fish just like any other loss. Trailering is nothing new but for some reason it seems like people are viewing it as cheating. Now I don't care one way or the other whether it's implemented for a tournament or not but it is a realistic option for unsafe water conditions IMO. If trailering is allowed in a tournament I am fishing I am going to use it as a tool just like anything else.

To me that's the big thing here. A single person making choices and having to suffer the outcome I have no issue with. We don't need anyone to make us do or not do anything.

However the coangler doesn't get to make the choices. Sure he could choose not to fish but he might not realize what he is gotten into until it's happening even if they had a full discussion before leaving. Your really putting a lot of responsibility on the boater. Both know that before they get in the boat.

I guess you just need to look at it and decide what risk you are willing to accept. Maybe a few trails will make a few small changes to cut the risk. Maybe not.

Of course you can make some changes yourself. I went and got a locator ACR personal locator beacon because to me that cuts the risk of something fatal happening. Anyone can choose to get one for about $250. Also decided to wear a life vest on saltwater trips. It's been pretty stupid not to. For some reason we never wear them in a center console in warm weather.