Bass Tournaments and Milfoil

[BAKERMAN]

This past week, I received a few comments from people checking boats for milfoil on our lake. These people happened to be checking at a launch ramp prior to a bass tournament. It was stated that a majority of those people in the tournament who were checked were very frustrated that they locals would be checking boats. In Fact, it was stated to them more than once that our lake would be better off with Milfoil...because the bass would be bigger.It has also been stated that 80% of the tournament fisherman that day were pro Milfoil..

I know that this does not represent the majority of my angling friends, but it is comments like this that make local community people wonder if they should continue to support bass tournaments.

[ocf]

that is really sad

[Deitz Dittrich]

Baker- This is true... it is sad.. and ignorant!

The bass lakes that have milfoil in them now, were great bass lakes before milfoil. And continue to be great bass lakes.. but not because of milfoil. I like to fish milfoil, love it as a matter of fact! But I do my very best not to spread it to other lakes.

In my personal opinon, CPW(curly pond weed) is far more invasive, and hurts a lake far more than Milfoil... but what these bass angers are saying is inexcusaable. As bass anglers we have the responsibility to preserve the enviroment and to abide by all DNR regulations, if we argee with them or not!

To act in any other manner gives all bass anglers a bad name.

Just because a few lakes with milfoil are great bass lakes(and dont get me wrong, I dont think the milfoil is hurting the bass fishery, I just think they would still be great fisheries with or without it.) They think all lakes would be good bass lakes if they had milfoil!..Wrong!

[Bullwinkle]

Baker,

I too am sorry to hear that some bass anglers would have the nerve to promote bass tournaments in that way. I use to be a supervisor for the MN DNR's watercraft inspection program and I can without a doubt say that milfoil is not the main reason we have bigger bass in Minnesota. It isn't hard to figure out that milfoil can be extremely hard to fish which leads the novice angler to shy away from it. This often times results in an increased survival rate for bass both young and old. Bass love to relate to weedlines and because milfoil is dominant in some good bassin lakes (Minnetonka for one)this can lead anglers to that conclusion. I wouldn't say that bass angling has been hurt by the introduction of milfoil but I believe the main reason that we are catching bigger bass in Minnesota these days is the successful promotion of Catch n' Release fishing. Today, more than ever avid bass anglers are practicing catch n' release and this is directly resulting in bigger bass. I have fished both infested lakes and non-infested lakes which hasn't changed my opinion ... you can catch big bass in any lake as long as that lake has a good population of spawning fish and a reasonable amount of cover (milfoil or not). I would have to agree with Deitz when he says that curly leaf pondweed has much more of an effect on the bass fishery. The only reason that CLP is not managed by the DNR is because it tends to die off or curtail in the summer months.

Any way you look at it this can be a touchy subject to people on both sides of the issue. I, on behalf of many other anglers, apologize to you for the behavior of those select few that offended you.