Texas Fishing Forum

Exempting the slot for tournaments on Fork

Posted By: Mark Perry

Exempting the slot for tournaments on Fork - 08/20/19 01:58 PM

Stumbled across this paper on the impact of doing so.

https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth578487/
Posted By: squib

Re: Exempting the slot for tournaments on Fork - 08/20/19 02:03 PM

That 6-day mortality rate on big fish is a kiler (literally). Thanks for sharing Mark.
Posted By: Mark Perry

Re: Exempting the slot for tournaments on Fork - 08/20/19 03:06 PM

Originally Posted by squib
That 6-day mortality rate on big fish is a kiler (literally). Thanks for sharing Mark.


Some new to me takes on some of it. Its interesting reading. I doubt it will ever happen though.
Posted By: fouzman

Re: Exempting the slot for tournaments on Fork - 08/20/19 03:22 PM

It will never happen. Only 14% of fishermen are tournament fishermen. The guides are against it and the non-tournament anglers are against it.
Posted By: Bahala

Re: Exempting the slot for tournaments on Fork - 08/20/19 03:36 PM

Very interesting study Mark. Thank you for posting. In the recent videos posted by Ken Smith, Todd Driscoll talks about fish care and reducing mortality. I wonder if TPWD will ever mandate all tournament boats have an oxygen injection system? As far as exempting tournaments from the slot, I doubt it will ever happen. I support tournament fishing, but I wouldn't support exempting them from the slot.
Posted By: txsuperman

Re: Exempting the slot for tournaments on Fork - 08/20/19 03:42 PM

Could this be why Squaw is going down hill?
Posted By: BigDozer66

Re: Exempting the slot for tournaments on Fork - 08/20/19 04:24 PM

Wow that is a lot of wasted resources. frown

They could have fed many hungry people with them. stir
Posted By: SC-001

Re: Exempting the slot for tournaments on Fork - 08/20/19 05:39 PM

Yeah no reason to exempt the slot for a big tournament with TexasFest/MLF format now
Posted By: Hard Rain

Re: Exempting the slot for tournaments on Fork - 08/20/19 05:56 PM

Either it is a slot lake or it is not a slot lake but to waive the slot for a big tournament is not anything I would agree.
Posted By: buda13

Re: Exempting the slot for tournaments on Fork - 08/20/19 06:39 PM

Good read.....thanks for posting.
Posted By: MDM

Re: Exempting the slot for tournaments on Fork - 08/22/19 12:42 AM


Haven’t had time to read the entire package yet but did note the author did not address why there was never a second slot waiver tournament at Fork (as I recall there were 4 planned by TP&W). The newly formed Lake Fork Sportsman’s Association membership strongly opposed the slot waiver concept and threatened legal action if the TP&W endorsed slot waived tournament was held.

They did hold the 1st tournament so the Sportsman’s Association hired a high powered attorney and filed suit against TP&W in Austin. Depositions were taken from all levels of TP&W officials and much was learned about the politics and non-science involved in the decision to allow a slot waiver tournament to even be considered at the crown jewel of Texas bass lakes.

Before the case was scheduled for court TP&W invited a small group from LFSA to come to Austin to meet with their top leaders. Basically they wanted the whole slot waiver fiasco to go away and agreed not to endorse or allow any public slot waiver events at Lake Fork. LFSA, it’s members and the majority of anglers won the battle.

The public TP&W story was they discontinued their 4 tournament plan because of fish mortality but now you know “the rest of the story” and the main reason why the Toyota Texas Fest at Lake Fork is catch-weigh-release. To this day I’m not sure I believe their public mortality numbers.
Posted By: LakeTylerMan

Re: Exempting the slot for tournaments on Fork - 08/22/19 01:19 AM

I first fished Fork in 1990 and pretty regularly till 2000. It certainly was a great lake during that time. Is it still as good as ever.
Posted By: BMCD

Re: Exempting the slot for tournaments on Fork - 08/22/19 12:34 PM

I like the and "non-science involved..." comment. Just wish anyone could show a study that removing the slot for a tournament would hurt the fishery. Sounds like one side is using there feelings to make judgments.
Posted By: gogo1734

Re: Exempting the slot for tournaments on Fork - 08/22/19 12:40 PM

Originally Posted by BMCD
I like the and "non-science involved..." comment. Just wish anyone could show a study that removing the slot for a tournament would hurt the fishery. Sounds like one side is using there feelings to make judgments.

Couldn't agree with this more..
Posted By: emorydog

Re: Exempting the slot for tournaments on Fork - 08/22/19 02:37 PM

I have actually spent the last several years studying this topic in great detail, sometimes as much as 5-10 minutes a week pondering this long discussed dilemma. Through exhaustive research including but not limited to the following: flow charts, doughnut charts, area charts, histograms, radar charts, bar graphs, metric conversions, colored pie charts, hearsay, fake news, dock talk, pillow talk, curve inversions, Cartesian graphs, comparison charts, disinterested parties views, non endemic and endemic opinion alike, guides, non guides, chris tiltons personal views, tournament and non tournament fishing people, I have determined that based on the wide swath of unscientific unprovable opinion regarding delayed mortality over the last 20 years of tournament fishing at the extremely heavily pressured Sam Rayburn, factoring in a delayed mortality rate of somewhere between 6% on the low side and 38% on the high side as some unsubstantiated figures allude to, there are no fish left in that lake, and certainly none that exceed 2 years of age. If you bear down and just do the math like I have based off flawed research it is entirely feasible under the current opinion of many scientists and non scientists alike in multiple articles based purely on speculation. A model is simply a model and not necessarily how things turn out. I am not sure where they keep getting those dang fish in that lake at those numbers and size, but science clearly shows it’s not because any of the previously caught fish lived.
Posted By: Sinkey

Re: Exempting the slot for tournaments on Fork - 08/22/19 05:00 PM

Originally Posted by emorydog
chris tiltons personal views,



roflmao
Posted By: doctorb

Re: Exempting the slot for tournaments on Fork - 08/22/19 08:23 PM

Just have the fish weighed in the boat and released like on major league fishing. No need to do anything with the slot limit. I think it would be absurd to waive the slot limit for a fishing tournament.
Posted By: Bruce Allen

Re: Exempting the slot for tournaments on Fork - 08/22/19 08:26 PM

it was tried in 1999. that is when the Lake Fork Sportsman's Assoc was formed to stop the slot waivers. It went to court and the LFSA won. There were a lot of hurt feelings for about 10 years. In 2006 the PAA asked for a slot waiver to put on the first Toyota Texas Bass Fest.

Once again the LFSA stepped in and sent a letter suggesting they find a better way.

And they did which to this day is the same format of putting a judge with a scale in every boat and about 2016 the MLF picked it up and adopted the format as well. Even BASS uses it when they come to Texas for bass fest.
Posted By: Mark Jones

Re: Exempting the slot for tournaments on Fork - 08/22/19 08:51 PM

Originally Posted by emorydog
I have actually spent the last several years studying this topic in great detail, sometimes as much as 5-10 minutes a week pondering this long discussed dilemma. Through exhaustive research including but not limited to the following: flow charts, doughnut charts, area charts, histograms, radar charts, bar graphs, metric conversions, colored pie charts, hearsay, fake news, dock talk, pillow talk, curve inversions, Cartesian graphs, comparison charts, disinterested parties views, non endemic and endemic opinion alike, guides, non guides, chris tiltons personal views, tournament and non tournament fishing people, I have determined that based on the wide swath of unscientific unprovable opinion regarding delayed mortality over the last 20 years of tournament fishing at the extremely heavily pressured Sam Rayburn, factoring in a delayed mortality rate of somewhere between 6% on the low side and 38% on the high side as some unsubstantiated figures allude to, there are no fish left in that lake, and certainly none that exceed 2 years of age. If you bear down and just do the math like I have based off flawed research it is entirely feasible under the current opinion of many scientists and non scientists alike in multiple articles based purely on speculation. A model is simply a model and not necessarily how things turn out. I am not sure where they keep getting those dang fish in that lake at those numbers and size, but science clearly shows it’s not because any of the previously caught fish lived.


Brilliant
Posted By: txmasterpo

Re: Exempting the slot for tournaments on Fork - 08/22/19 09:55 PM

the answer is Chris' "only 14% tournament fish"....... TPW knows enough about math to see that 86% is a bigger number of people to crawl their [censored] if they don't like something.....that is the only science that matters.
Posted By: Atta

Re: Exempting the slot for tournaments on Fork - 08/23/19 01:21 PM

Pretty simple solution. If you don’t like the rules or the format of the tournament, don’t fish it.
Posted By: patriot07

Re: Exempting the slot for tournaments on Fork - 08/23/19 04:48 PM

This is 2019. I'd think there is something better than hauling fish around in a box all day just so you can all use the same scale. JMHO
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