thoughts on 2 over during a team tourney.

Ive had it explained to me that the tpw rules say on fork only 1 over may be in possession, and since it was weighed and released it techically wasnt in possesion. Ive heard person "A" is allowed an over and person "b" is allowed an over.

my opinion is that just because its not technically in ypur possesion, if its still counts on your 5 fish stringer then techically it still hold a spot on your stringer as an over. And Again on a team event there is no "a" and "b", so bag limits combine and your allowed 1 over, just like you cant bring in a 10 fish stringer.

Guess neither explinations fit or make since to me in context of team.

Your post makes no sense to me. One angler, only one over. Two overs with TWO anglers in the same boat catching one of them each, then you may possess two overs as part of your five fish limit. "Team" and "tournament" have nothing to do with TPWD possession limits.

Under TPWD rules, both guys could have brought one over and four unders each to the cleaning table. But tournaments may enact stricter rules such as 5 fish max for a team of two men. In Fork team tournaments, most organizations allow each angler to weigh one over along with three unders for a team total of 5. But both anglers MUST catch the over themselves.

I was wondering when this would get posted,
since the team that won Champs had two overs.

The rules allowed up to 5 overs in Basschamps this year. You could catch an over, come weigh it in, then go back out and catch another over, go weigh it in... and repeat. As long as you were never in violation of the TPWD possession limit in your boat, once you weigh it the fish is released and your possession goes back to zero.

I think it's pretty cool, gives Fork the opportunity to really shine if someone hammers a mega bag. Also brings some additional strategy into play.

Wait... Dont the rules on Fork state you can only retain one over 24" per day?

once you put it back you can keep another

Yes you can only have 1 over in your possession. The second you weight it in, it then becomes in possession if the tournament trail and no longer yours. Your free to catch another over and bring it in. But that previous over counts towards your total 5 for the day.

To not have over croaking in live well all day you may bring in weigh, release, and fish for the rest of your bag. I believe this goes back to when they had 3 Sal sized fish die couple years back in livewells during events.

And is the OP upset with this, typically there is crying after a champs event, is this the post lol.

Yep.

Just kind of seems to me like allowing you to catch, haul to weigh-in, handle, weigh, and release 5 overs kind of defeats the whole purpose of only allowing one 24 inch bass to be retained under the slot limit rule. I always thought once you put a fish in the livewell and took it to weigh that it was considered "retained". Guess I was wrong. Seem like a nice loophole for tournament fishermen. Then again, I don't fish tournaments.

I didn't know that,I don't have that kind of luck.

That's why I posted my comments
I heard about the crying not long after the results were posted.

Rules were clearly listed prior to the tournament. They followed the rules. Great win.

Second time in last few years the winners had 2 overs.

So you can be in possesion of an over and not in possesion of an over and so on all in the same day.
Sounds like Schrodingers cat.
I guess if PAW had a problem with it they would be on it. They probably wont ask me.

the purpose is to keep people from Louisiana from eating them all

no crying here 2 overs, 1 over, 5 over wouldnt have a made a difference in my bag or placement.. My understanding from othe "team" events i fish, is that your not fisherman a and fisherman b, you fish as a single unit "team", and allowed only 1 over.
Not sure on the rule i asked the BC rep at weigh in,
thats when all the technically there not in possesion once its turned in so they are able to go back out and catch another over..
To make sure i had the rules strait i emailed BC and got a totally different anseer. fisherman "a" is allowed 1 over and fisherman "b" is allowed 1 over as long as both arent caught by same fisherman..

I dont mind donating, just hate when the rules seem to be made up as they go.

The rules have been clearly posted on their website all year. No one is changing them as they go. It's on you to read and know them.

AgSellers, how is a loophole for t fisherman. If you go catch an over and take it to a marina and weigh it. Then let it go. You can go catch and bring in another one. You can do that all day.

It was also posted at registration where everyone paid their entry and received their boat numbers.

This is assuming that the purpose of the regulation is purely conservationist. From my standpoint I think catching 5 overs in a day and hauling them to weigh may as well be considered retaining them
because it puts more pressure on 5 over-the-slot fish than if they had been immediately released. I really
doubt there are too many meat fishermen out there on Fork culling a 24 inch bass for a 24.25 inch bass. It really sounds like an ethical loophole to allow tournaments a chance to showcase heavier sacks at the expense of a regulated public resource to me.

Who cares? I guessed 9.11 lbs in the Bass Champs Costas tournament!!!

This makes me laugh...

TPWD laws are for EATING FISH. If the tourney allows you to run in and weigh then by all means. 5 overs would be fine. Assuming not more than 1 over PER angler was in the boat at a time.

If fish died on the way, your stuck. You are keeping your over... nobody whines about this at ttbc. Works the same, just weigh in at different spot.

Yall are hair spliting the word "retain"? Come on, this is sour grapes. Let the lake shine.

Gj to guys with 2 overs

Whatever

It really doesn't matter what you consider it, the law says that one person cannot have more than one over in their possession at a time. As long as that is not violated there is no issue

Congratulations to the Burns brothers for winning the Bass Champs on Lake Fork fair and square. Great win and a job well done.

I'm sure if the game wardens at the event had an issue they would have stepped in.

Of course it doesn't matter what I consider it. I do not make the rules nor do I enforce them.
I just find the ethics of allowing 5 overs to be weighed on Fork a little questionable. I did not expect any agreement from anyone on this forum either.

That opinion will be about as welcome as a wart on your privates in here....

Well here's a wart on your privates then.... Any tournament that promotes this practice either doesn't respect the slot regulation or doesn't care. You can probably take your pick when it comes to personal gain and grandeur.

Think on this. I get stopped by GW at 0900 and have a over in the livewell. I get stopped again at 1200 with no over in the box. I get stopped again at 1500 with a over in the box. Whats the GW gonna do to me? No organized tourney involved but just a private bet with a buddy.

Nothing....you didn't violate the law.... it's not a redfish tag chief.....but the ethics of tournament fishing on public waters is not a welcome topic here.... period.

Look...here's my beef. I got my arse kicked Saturday at Fork. Seriously. Look all the way down at the bottom and you will find my name. We fished the same area all day due to wind. We went with the slow down and focus on one area approach. We ended up with 2 unders and didn't bother weighing in. We watched a team fish the same spot all day long and every time I looked over there they were netting a fish. I got a serious case of the sore butt because we suck at fishing apperantly.

Oh, and BTW, I'm not sure if I'm more impressed by the 2 overs or the 5 fish for 14.04 with no over. Surely somebody found a school of big spots right??

He isn't gonna do anything

The 5 for 14 lbs had an over in it.

That's three more times than I've been stopped at Fork by the GW, and he wouldn't do anything.

My hats off to the Burns brothers. 2 overs in 1 tournament is impressive and you don't see it too often out there. Congrats on the win guys!

This sounds like Good OLE' Lake Fork DRAMA!!! Go To Lake Texoma no Over / Under, just 14 inch and above. That easy... I forgot all the super star anglers come from Lake Over Stocked Fork. OMG... GO RAYLEDO GUYS!!

Drodge You the bomb!

^^^^^ Disturbing^^^^^^

LOVE IT! cant say enough where you get this stuff. Wow

Looks like lord of the rings crazy!!

It is pretty hypothetical. Thats more than I've been stopped any where in 40 years.
I still wont be taking that chance of putting 2 overs in the livewell on the same day for any more time than it takes to get pics.

Slot lakes are ghey

Well! This has been a healthy discussion.

Ethics certainly doesn't seem to be a welcome topic for sure. What would all the people that make up the rules and enforce them do if we didn't have such a lack of ethics in the world.
And dont forget the polygraph operators.

So when an over is weighed in, does it get released back in the lake immediately or does it go into the tournament holding tank? If it goes in the holding tank who then becomes possessor of that fish? Is there an agreement between TPWD and the tournament trail that allows them to possess all the fish until after weigh in?

It is the same as the Big Bass Events. It goes into possession of the trail for 'Live Release'. Yes, it is holding, in most cases, straight to the Live Release Boat. You have given up possession to a third party for live release, you are free to 'retain' another. That's the law, that's ethics, that's the rules!

Best post on the whole thread!

Not sure about which party is the possessor. I DO know for a fact that SOME tournament circuits clearly state in their rules(not always in rules, but sometimes in circuit membership requirements-so check there if its not in rules)when a fish is weighed in , it becomes property of said organizer. Seems to me B.A.S.S had this at one time in the past.
My interpretation of that ,leads me to believe that is why the organizers purchase permits to hold the event. I would believe thats why TPW charges for & issues permits. Its probably also why they work closely with organized tournament trails to have GW's present to assist & enforce game & fish laws. Also gives them opportunity to have biologist there to gather info & possibly track any fish they may have tagged or chipped in the past. Benefits all fishermen.
As far as ETHICS : I know most, if not ALL, tournament circuits have exremely high ethics. Just because someone doesnt adhere to YOURE opinion of what ethics are, doesn't automatically make them unethical.
Huge Congratulations to Burns brothers on a LEGAL,FAIR,& ETHICAL win!!! IMO!!!

Man some of you guys try to get way to technical on a very easy answer.
I'll bet it take you guys 30 minutes to tie a technical knot like a palomar.

Two big tournament wins from deserving guys this weekend and we have two threads trying to beat them down. The Whining is strong after this weekend some of yall must of got your butts chapped in a club tournament real bad.

Did they have their life jackets buckled before they started in with the first over?

This post makes me wonder about humanity.

Where are folks trying to beat down the winners on this thread? Its a simple discussion about multiple overs in Fork tournaments. I have not seen anyone trying to take a darn thing away from the awesomeness of what the anglers accomplished. If your reading it that way your probably reading the thread with a pre determined thought in your head, or just overall bad attitude.

They WON!! Plain & simple!! according to rules posted & broke no laws while doing it. AND I'm sure they could give a RATS A$; what anybody on here thinks. Same as me. Once again :CONGRATULATIONS to Burns Brothers.

I see multiple 5 fish stringers in team tournaments on Alan Henry where only 1 over is weighed in. I've also heard countless stories on how 1 person caught all of the fish. I'm still waiting for them to make sure each angler was responsible for 2 unders. Have yet to hear that question asked at Alan Henry or Ivie.

Don't understand why it should be different for big fish. They are all getting released at the end of the day.

I agree. I was not trying to detract from the angler's win at all. I don't know them from Adam and I am sure they are probably good guys and deserving winners.

why wait until you can get home in your house an computer if you paid your money an fished the tournament an thought you were wronged why not ask the question at the time or do a protest second guessing after the fact is a waste of time.

It's legal. It's within the posted/published rules of the tournament. Quit complaining, because I bet you would have no problem with the rule if you and your partner would have caught 2 overs.

So if you're fishing lake fork for leisure and catch an over, you take a picture and go home?

exactly!!!

There's no doubt that the best way to run a 5-fish tournament on Fork is to allow as many overs as possible to be weighed. On a lake with such restrictive size limits, why would you want to minimize the chance for the biggest bags possible??

What does "weigh at a different spot" mean?

ugh

Ive fished the lake a long time, and been fishing tournaments out there since the early 90's. Ive only seen 2-overs weighed for 1 team only a hand full of times. Maybe 5 times tops. Its not easy to do! Once those bass are in weighed in, they are not in possession of that angler. So, legally that angler can go back out and catch another if they wanted too. Its pretty simple.
I think one thing that is getting looked over here is the potential that lake still has. Im pretty sure Burn's had some other big slots they caught as well. Prolly close to a 40 lbs. bag. And no telling some of the other weights. I know we had 5 slots that would've pushed over 20. So it really comes down to just reading the rules of the tournament and understanding them.
But that's the reason I fish that lake all the time. Even if we have a crappy day tournament weight wise, we still had an awesome day of fishing! And Ill take that any day of the week. We seem to forget about the fun in this sometimes.

If they weighed and released them only to come back and weigh another over, why are they both pictured standing side by side both holding an over?

I still don't get this post. Both anglers caught an over. Both anglers retained those overs and had their photos taken with them. What they could have done (go back out and catch more overs) doesn't appear to have happened, so why all the discussion? They won fair and square.

I guess if they weight both fish in and did not get disqualified they didn't do anything wrong by the rules. The rules would have covered Texas game and fish laws so they didn't do anything illegally or unethical. I really don't get this post.

I will just say a GREAT BIG CONGRATS to the two winners on a great job. Their won't be many that will ever do this on a length limit lake. This is just a great day of fishing and their will always be nay sayers.

I don't fish Fork and no dog in this fight, but do have a question about the rules on this particular tournament and lake. I understand they both caught an over and well within the rules. My question is: can partner "A "catch an over, team goes and weighs it in early in morning. Then Partner "A" catches another over, can he continue to weigh-in overs all day as long as he takes only one in his livewell to weigh in scales before he catches another? Thanks Coach

I don't see anybody here trying to take anything away from the winners. Those guys did what most cant do in a lifetime. I think the point is whether or not there is a double standard for tournament fisherman compared to those who don't fish tournaments.
I personally don't get why anybody wants to fish tournaments and am always concerned about the effect they have on the resource. I don't even know what the regulations are on most lakes because I can catch as many as I get on the hook and know they're going right back in the lake.
I do learn a lot about the whole thing in these discussions though. It's good to know that there are fees paid to the TP&W that hopefully gets put to good use and the opportunity is used for some research. Some of what I get though is that there is also bad behavior involved, the need for a watchful eye and some people that get very thin skinned about the whole subject.
Who knows. After a couple hundred more discussions like this I could even become more tolerant.

Yes. That was the rule for Basschamps.

That was quick. Thanks Buda

In that event a registered team could catch and weigh in 5 overs but each had to be taken in before you had another if caught by same person. A non tournament angler can sit on a spot and catch overs all day long and have 1in the livewell. What double standard are you referring to? Looks like a non tournament angler has less to worry about when it comes to overs.

if anyone could tell me the paragtaph number under the rules that deals with slot that would be great read thru them and i am human so i could have missed them.. excpt any any of the chearleading waterheads jumping up and down with their pompoms about how everyone is trying to cheapen the win, or thinking folks are saying they didnt win fair... obvioilsy those i individuals lack reading skills to begin with.

also if anyone could tell me which explination i was give is right. is it
A. you can catch as many as you you can, up to 5 as long as your not in possesion of more that 1 at a time.
B. each angler is allowed 1, so 2 is legal as long as there not caught by same angler.

After reading what you just posted I'd probably ease off calling people waterheads.

Mark
I guess I'm just hung up on the definition of "retained". Even though the fish is turned in, it is retained. My concern is for the mortality of the fish. I know there are two schools of thought on the subject and it depends which side of the subject your on whether there is cause for concern.
It could be that with so much catch and release, some dead fish might be good on some lakes. I'm just not convinced that we're doing our best with the way some of the regulations are handled.

The answer to that would be determined by each tournament trail. Basschamps would allow 5 some others may only allow one per person. Either way both are legal in the eyes of the law. Check with your respective tournament trail prior to entry and see what their rules allow

AgSellers04---You are correct---When a fish is in your possession it is then being "Retained" but your missing the whole point here. It is not to keep an over from being caught it is there to keep an over from being caught and ""EATEN" or placed on a wall! Once it is turned over to a tourney weigh-in or released (No longer in your possession) it is then no longer being retained. This is NOT a loop-hole as you suggest. The rule is there to prevent someone from catching and ""EATING"" 5 large fish per day. TP&W does not know from boat to boat who is or isn't fishing a tourney BUT TP&W does understand that fish weighed in a tourney are going to be released, even though a tourney "Retains" ALL the overs and unders weighed in until the end of the day when they are released and NOT ""EATEN"!!

both of those answers came from BC A. Was given to me by BC rep at weigh in, B was a BC rep thru email.. same organazation different answers..

Trust me, I more than understand the purpose behind limiting harvest of a resource. And the point is to increase the survivability of trophy fish because trophy fish mean big money. People eating fish is not their primary concern at TPWD fisheries. Sustaining the resource IS. They care if people catch them, and catch them, and catch them, and spend money every time they do it. To do that, the fish have to live. Throwing 5 big fish in the livewell and weighing them DOES NOT help increase the survivability of trophy fish. That is my point. Tournaments make money for the sport I get that, and money moves economies, and so forth.

A loophole is something left open to interpretation and if anything has loopholes, it is regulations, and there is good reason for that. We WANT loopholes or else we get regulated to death. The word "retain" is used ambiguously in the regulations. "Temporary retention for weighing, etc" is the wording I have see before in cases like these where it is better explained. I am not attacking anyone here!

During the old days of Fork when the slot was different me and a partner used to fish the old Axton night tournaments. We were allowed to bring in 2 overs during the midnight weigh in and then bring in 2 more overs during the morning weigh in. We had quite a few times we would weigh in a total of 4 overs for the tournament and not even get a check.
With the slot we have now and the state of the lake these days and pressure I for one see 2 overs being weighed in as a pretty big accomplishment, but then again anyone that tournament fishes would know that the Burns brothers are always a threat to pull of this feat.
Congrats to them.

New wrinkle to this post. Once overs have been brought to weigh-in and put in possession of TD is he in violation of TPWD regulations for having in his possession more than one over in his release boat. Go far it. Tournament rules are tournament rules read them and live with them or don't fish the tournament. Sarcasm in this post.

In all seriousness Chad and Jeff at Bass Champs are eaily accessible and approachable. I would give them a call and let them know your concerns and get the answer directly from the only 2 TDs that BC has.

I'm not sure why you think these two answers are conflicting, because they are not. You can have up to 2 overs in the boat at a time as long as they are caught by different anglers. Then you can weigh them and turn them over to the tournament organization and go back and catch 2 more. It's pretty simple really.

Did you finish in spot 2-4? Or did you catch two overs and let one go because you didn't know the rule?

If you were not actually affected by the two overs, can you tell us why you care so much?

no more than you lack spelling skills

Waterheads? You'll get the answers you're looking for if you'll learn how to write a legible question that makes sense. Hence, my first reply to your question(s).

How is bringing in an Over then going back out and catching another any different then catching an over and then catching another one and culling? That is basically all that the rules are allowing. Preaching fish care it should be pointed out that BC has created a much better way that allows for overs to be counted without breaking the law and treating the fish much better. Just my opinion.

Jody

Here's an idea, if you really doubt the answers/replies/comments about the rules concerning retaining over the slot bass and/or the limits allowed by TP&W, call or email them and this thread will be history. For me I trust Bass Champs explicitly to know and obey the rules on any lake they travel too. The Burns brothers had a great day and deserve all the accolades given.

Just a thought. IF you "retain" a slot fish by putting it in your livewell, then you have broken the law. If you take that slot fish to the tournament scales and release it to the tournament director, then you have still broken the law of "retaining" a slot fish. You are not allowed to go out and catch another slot fish and release it to the tournament director. It must be released immediately to avoid being "retained". Not sure how this has escaped the law of "retaining" more than one over but it apparently has. And I'm not talking about one over per angler. I am referring to multiple overs for one angler. Carry on.

Huh?

Hmmmmmm. Now that is more along the lines of that I have been trying to say. Thank you! By that rationale, they should also be allowed to weigh slot fish as long as they are released since they aren't being harvested.

Florida has a 1 fish over 16" rule. during tournaments the give you a card for that day that allows you weigh in 5 fish over 16".

The real question is, why does the TPWD not do the same thing. Hate fishing tourneys at fork and fishing for 15-15/16" fish. Every lake in florida has the same rule and every tourney (even the very small ones) give you the slip to weigh in your best bag.

There is a reason BASS wont fish an ELITE or Classic @ Fork. Sucks cause im sure we would all like to see it.

Apples and oranges. You can't weigh slots because they can't be retained at all. A single over per angler in livewell at any time is perfectly legal.

This truly can't be that difficult to understand.

You people are giving me a headache

Good to know I can weigh in five overs. Seeing how I've caught three or four in 20+ years of fishing the lake.

Told you it'd go nowhere.... tournament stuff is sacrosanct....

From TPW:

For largemouth bass, length limit is a 16-24” slot. Bass 16 inches and less or 24 inches or greater in length may be retained. Only one bass 24 inches or greater may be retained each day. For smallmouth bass (if present), minimum length = 14 inches. No minimum length on spotted and Guadalupe bass (if present.) Daily bag limit for all four species = 5 bass in combination.

One a day....if it goes in the live well and taken to shore, it was retained.... period. Now those anglers did not violate this law in any way....and this [censored] thread isn't about them in any event....

A telephone call or two to state office might get some clarity. My 2 ¢

They weren't retained after they were weighed and no longer in the anglers possession. Pretty simple really.

Yes its no different than culling your largest fish 5 times. Only difference is you get to weigh it in before culling it.

You never have more than 1 over at any point in time in your possession, you are within the law. Sounds clear as day to me.

Slot fish isnt valid comparison cause as soon as you put it in livewell you broke the law.

Yes they were.....they were in possession of someone until released.... If they were caught, weighed, photoed, and released on the spot they were not retained.

I suppose you could argue it in court as to the definition of retained.

Possession is pretty clear. You either possess it, or you don't. I can't understand why people on here always make a mountain out of a molehill ! It's actually quite funny! I get more kicks out of reading the forum than I do posting... a bunch of y'all sound like little old ladies at the nursing home, whining and bitching about anything that comes to mind.

Somebody hack Ronnie's account or did the Aliens abduct him ?

Say it ain't so Ronnie

I can't believe I just read the hole thing!

Its always fork lol. All the lakes in Texas and all the crying and griping is always at fork. West Texas quiet, rayledo guys quiet, dfw quiet, lake fork absolute chaos as usual.

Not really...simple search on here will show quite a bit of Squaw Creek drama too....lol

Let me preface this by saying I rarely bass fish and will never tournament fish.....

But, for the sake of good argument, lets try this scenario:

I go dove hunting and shoot a limit of birds in the morning. The game warden checks my legal limit, congratulates me, and we go on our merry ways. I give these birds to a friend of mine along with a wildlife resource document. He takes possession of those birds at that point, so I go back out and shoot another limit that afternoon. Mr. Greenjeans is waiting on me back at my truck. I pull out my copy of the wildlife resource document that I gave my friend showing that I gave him the birds from that morning. What do you think he will say???

NO, Its Super Lake Fork and all that comes with it. I am a 4 generation central texan been in DFW 12 years because of the company I work for.
I have never seen the like of What we central guys call "FORK Drama" TPWD over stocks you and ya'll still have something to complain about.
I personally love RAYLEDO! No crying just put your money up and see what happens...

GO TEXOMA!! You guys never say anything..

easiest solution is stop letting people weigh in early, if last cast is 3:30 weigh in line should not be open till 3:30. that would close the possesion/ retain loophole.

completely different scenario. those birds are dead

Lol, I don't know what your talking about.

or why couldn't you just set out there and shoot 100.. ive never read anywhere where it illegal to shoot 100, juat illegal to possess over 25..

Just wondering is there a donation Box in DFW for disgruntle FORK guys that got their tail spanked in the tournament to receive a few bucks to pay the light bill? So the Ole' Lady Aint mad.

It doesn't matter if they are alive or dead, they were "taken" or "retained" (as defined by the state) by me. They were part of my possession limit. I do not "possess" or "retain" them any longer after giving them to my friend along with the proper documentation.

You are correct sir..

You know the forum is slow when this thread is at the top. But I did only read the last 4 posts in the thread....

This is actually a great thread. I can see both sides of this discussion.

If a person keeps a fish, they retained that fish. I think we can all agree on that point.

The difference of opinion becomes "Do they still retain the fish once they hand it over"? I would say they no longer retain that fish. But they have still retained it at some point during the day.

The regulation said you can retain one over in a day. The regulation does not say whether or not it's OK to retain another over if you hand the first one over. That seems to be the point of contention. I think it's about as clear as mud.

Hit the post button too soon. :- So, it would make sense to me that once you have retained (for any amount of time) a fish over 24" during the day, you are no longer able to retain a 2nd over. If you catch and retain the 1st over, you have to let the second one go when you catch it. Otherwise, you have retained two separate fish in a single day.

re·tain
rəˈtān/
verb
past tense: retained; past participle: retained
continue to have (something); keep possession of.
"built in 1830, the house retains many of its original features"
synonyms: keep, keep possession of, keep hold of, hold on to, hang on to More
not abolish, discard, or alter.
"the rights of defendants must be retained"
synonyms: maintain, keep, preserve, conserve
"existing footpaths are to be retained"
keep in one's memory.
"I retained a few French words and phrases"
synonyms: remember, memorize, keep in one's mind, keep in one's memory, store
"some students retain facts easily"

You didn't keep the fish, once you turn the fish over to the tournament directors. Free to go get another.

Over is kept (retained) in livewell and transported to be weighed in (released). Over is no longer retained. Not rocket science guys.

TwoLakes. So what you are saying. If someone catches an over and takes it to a marina and weighs it. Lets it go. Goes back out and catches another one. They can't take it and weigh it. That is so wrong. I don't understand how anyone has a problem with this.

Lets take overs out of the mix. During a big bass tournament on any lake. Not just a slot lake. If you weigh a fish every hour for an 8 hour tournament. Do y'all whiners have a problem with that?

I have no problem with any of this. My point is that the regulation says you can retain one over in a day. The regulation does not say what can be done once you weigh and release or turn over to a tournament director. What if I take the over to the ramp and turn it over to my friend? I'm no longer retaining that fish, so I'm free to go and retain another? Does the permit tournaments purchase specify there is a difference between turning over to be weighed and turning over to a friend?

I have no dog in this fight. I just think it's a good debate that has two legitimate and differing points of view.

Is trying to raise a question, have a discussion, or voice a difference of opinion whining? Is it that a problem? From my perspective the whining is coming from all of you who don't like my differing opinions. You guys are just too much fun. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother.

no cause thats the way the tourney is structured. in a 5 fish tourney they are allowing you to weigh in early as a courtesy to the over to insure the best chance of survival, not so people can use the possesion/retain terminology loophole if not allowed the courtesy the fish would have to be carried around all day, loophole avoided.

no one yet has been able to show an proof of what bc rules are for slot lake regarding overs..

also in my opinion when your allowed to weigh in early although you dont possess the fish, ypu are allowed to retain the weight for your stringer. so in theory that fish is in your livewell without being in your livewell..

Winning post

By some peoples logic. Weighing in overs early is a "loophole" to get around the law of 1 over a day. They think that fish is still on possesion. Using that logic. If you weighed in more than 5 hrs in a bb tourny. You would be over the possesion limit. Thats just stupid.

Have you called Chad or Jeff yet? The rules were clearly posted at registration.

There is possession and there is a bag limit. There is nothing that states that once you possess it you can't release it and possess another. The question really is, at weigh in did you release the fish or give it to another person who will then release it at another time? If you don't physically release it back in the water then even though it isn't in your possession, you did give it to someone else and until the time that they release it back into the lake, you couldn't legally possess another over. It's basically the same as catching 5 fish, driving to the dock and give them to someone who is taking them home to eat, then you go back out and catch 5 more to repeat the process. I still have not found any exception that allows tournament officials to possess more than 5 fish or 1 over. If they are allowed in should be written in the law.

Smdh

I'm gonna bet Chad and Jeff have a pretty good understanding of what they can and can't do as it relates to state law etc. They have been running events on Fork for many years.

So, to make this thread even more convoluted.......

Since everyone is going out and catching multiple overs in a tournament day, if you carry in your fish(over) so that you may return to catch another - can you carry your 2nd,3rd,4th over back to weigh-in and "cull" your weight on the 1st over that you weighed and now no longer retain?

can we lock or delete this thread now?

I've never fished Fork, but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn last night. 1 over for 2 fishermen each in same boat - unless the same guy caught both they would still be legal according to TPW even if they kept both fish simultaneously. The debate only kicks in if the same guy caught both or they had 3 overs.
So what if I'm fishing by myself and keep a fish that is barely over. Then 3 hours later, I catch what I think is the state record, can I not release the first over still swimming in the livewell and keep the potential state record?

Yes!!!

My thoughts are "that would be Cool", "freaking awesome", and congratulations to the winners.

Laff. You have to admit this is fun and much better than discussing favorite lure colors......

In your case, you cull the first and take the second. So, that will be fine.

But, if you take it to the scales for your over, can you now bring in a second over to weigh? Are you then allowed to go find the third over to weigh during the same day?

Some say sure, you've relinquished possession so you no longer retain the fish. Free to retain and weigh in another.

When you release a fish to another person, it is no longer in your possession, i dont know what is so hard about this concept. Yall act like this is the first time a team has weighed in 2 overs at fork, it isnt.

That's not a legal issue, but a tournament rules situation. According to what the rules were last year, once you weighed an over it was "locked" into your limit.

[b]Who opened this can of worms!!??[/b

Seems to be some reason for a discussion. Hmmmm.

Ahhh...TFF loves a good argument.
A lack of popularity and warts on the privates cant even stop it.

I just hope Bud Light starts allowing early weigh in so that I can finally weigh in a 5 fish limit with 5 unders on Alan Henry.

I would argue that it should never have been an argument. Lol.

Rules are same for all in tournament. Be fun if rules said we Could weigh 5 overs! 40 lb sack sounds Purdy good.......

^^^^^

Burns brother I take it?

Could someone repeat all this????

The real matter in question is this: Has anybody really had the opportunity to weigh 2 overs, and then gone out and caught more overs? If not, why is this thread 11 pages long?

I believe survivability is way up the list but it isn't at the forefront of the "Slot" regulation but rather Increased Numbers of trophy fish. If survivability was the point it would be immediate Catch and Release and not a Slot rule. Fork and other lakes that have a "Slot" rule are managed differently than other lakes and you are correct in saying it's about the money that trophy fish generates. A Catch and Release rule would prevent many large tournament trails and "Big" Bass Tourneys on Fork. But you have to understand these tournaments on these "Big Bass Slot" lakes bring in considerably more money to those areas than the average Texas lake shearly by publicity alone. Nationally few people know about several other Texas lakes that are managed by a "Slot" limit and at times fish as good or better than Fork due to the lack of publicity from large tournaments. If the "Overs" were not allowed to be weighed and released these large tournaments would not take place on Fork nor would the local areas benefit financially during and residually from them . I for one miss the early 90s days at Fork when you could actually just show up and catch several trophy fish in a day. Now it takes lots of time on the water or by hiring a guide to catch just a couple. The big fish kill and not tournaments are responsible for the decline in trophy numbers at Fork.

My only point by saying "EATEN" is that these fish are no longer a resource once they are taken or "Retained". No matter if a fish is eaten, stuffed on a wall, placed in a tank, or dies after being released due to the stress imposed from being hauled and weighed it is still the same outcome.

I fish another very small Slot lake (Bastrop) regularly and see many people fishing from the bank with stringers/baskets full of slot fish heading for hot grease, and not once have I witnessed a game warden catch them! During the summer months these fish school like crazy and the "Meat" fisherman are there in large numbers taking the "Unders" home. The lake is too small to sustain such pressure. In just 3 short years I have seen a drastic decline in not just the larger fish but overall numbers as well. I firmly believe it is due to over harvest and not tournament pressure.

That makes sense to me.

"what do voluntary mean?"

Let me see if I can clarify a few items. The rules were very clearly posted at registration. Maybe the rules were more apparent to us because we were one of the last to register as usual and it was starting to get light. The ability, in theory, to weigh in five overs was new to me. I thought it was pretty cool and joked around with Jeff and some of the staff about bringing 5 to the scales through out the day. By the way, it was much easier to weigh in multiple overs when the slot was 21". Anyway, we trailer to our ramp, launch and start fishing. I start catching a white bass on every cast. After boating about 40 of those suckers, I catch a 23" bass. Thought it might be a keeper for a short second. My brother caught one about 5 and an under before moving on. My brother immediately catches a couple of unders at our next location. I then catch one that goes 23 3/4" on the board. Five minutes later my brother catches our first over. Solid 24 1/2". At this point, we seriously consider weighing his fish in. The worst possible scenario is him catching another over and not being able to keep it. We decide to keep fishing to finish out our limit. I catch a very small under. We discussed our options and decided to try to upgrade our unders somewhat before weighing in his over. As luck would have it, I caught the 9.11 ten minutes later. Obviously now we need to weigh in our fish. It was 9 am. We get to Lake Fork Marina, wake up big sexy and the staff, pull Jeff away from his breakfast and weigh in our fish. Jeff measures each fish and weighs each individually. At that point, we get a couple of quick pictures and the fish are released immediately back to Lake Fork. No longer possessed by anyone. I am sure the bass appreciated being released as opposed to riding around in a livewell in 3 foot waves the next 6 hours. We head back out with full expectation of catching another over or two only to find our big fish bite had died while we were weighing our fish. Managed to catch a 6 late in day and cull up our unders to a respectable amount. All in all a good day. I figure our best 5 went 37-38lbs.

Maybe now this thread will be history and everyone's questions are finally answered. Major congrats on a great day fishing and doing it the right and legal way. Good job.

Great story. Thanks for posting. You guys had GREAT day for sure.

Can I get a summary here? I do know that some dude who obviously can't read or write, got mad, then later called others waterheads because they can't read. I know, ironic. What else am I missing?

Awesome and congrats! This is exactly how I thought it would have been done to keep everything legal. Thanks for clearing it up for everyone.

This is what would have to been done for them to win, I just hate that their is so much mis trust among bass fishermen that he felt the need to come on here and explain what happen. You never hear this stuff among Bream fishermen. LOL

As far as Fork is concerned, this becomes a moot point on Sept. 1, 2017

http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbt...ot_on_Se#UNREAD

You go right ahead and bring in a limit of 5lbers o. September 1 and get a game warden to witness weigh in. You go first, we'll wait.

That thread got deleted thank goodness. Pure nonsense.

Yes. That post was not true. Didn't realize it til I saw it on FB. Guess the original source was a little more believable. But don't be surprised if it doesn't happen one day due to the decreased numbers in sharelunkers over the last 10 years.
Sorry so many on here have such thin skin these days.

Just because I find it too funny that everyone is complaining about this thread and hoping it dies but to only TTT with their responses.. so I figured <-- why not