From Deseret News archives:
Tournament law for fish in for some changing
As they are written now, there are all kinds of hoops an organizer must jump through if he or she wishes to offer prizes for catching fish.
For example, a certificate of registration is required if: (1) there are more than 50 fishermen, and (2) the prize is more than $500.
And there are others. A whole list of laws.
Rules are tighter for cold-water fish, like trout and salmon, and looser for warm-water fish, like bass.
The big question seems to focus on warm-water fishing events and what to do with the fish once caught, with particular interest towards fish that, by law, can't be kept. This would include, for example, waters where bass under 12 inches must immediately be released.
Drew Cushing, warm-water fisheries coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, asks the question: How should fish be weight and measured?
He made three suggestions.
1. Allow fishermen to temporarily keep fish they normally wouldn't until they are checked and then release them.
2. Place a paid judge in each boat to immediately weigh and measure, and then release the fish.
3. Put strangers in the same boat and have one measure and weigh the other's fish. In bass tournaments there are two persons per boat — one in the front and one in the back — and all fish caught are released alive. Ounces are deducted for any fish that dies.
The first is the only one that would seem to cause the least stress and produce the best results.
Bass boats are tight quarters to begin with for two people. Three becomes a crowd.
And, trying to find two people who don't know each other in one of these bass tournaments would be difficult if not impossible.
Bass tournaments are big business. They draw big fields and pay big money.
There's one headed for the Arizona side of Lake Powell this November. Local tournaments are held there all the time, and for good reason.
Wayne Gustaveson, Lake Powell biologist for the DWR, noted that "A few years ago you could win a tournament with a combined weight of five fish of 7 pounds. It went up to 12 pounds last year, and this year it's up to 17 and 18 pounds for five fish. That's an average of more than 3 pounds a fish, and that's great."
I covered a major tournament at Wahweap many years back. It was one of the most difficult stories, and one of the most fascinating events. For starters, the fishermen chose not to talk. They didn't want anyone to know where they fished, what they used or how many over the five-fish limit they caught. What else is there to write about?
It was worth the trip, though, just to see the fleet of high-speed boats lined up for the 6 a.m. start, and the roar of the engines as they left the line. And, it was just as interesting to catch their return by the 4 p.m. deadline. At 4:01 they were disqualified.
Cushing is asking for comments at five public meetings (see Outdoor Notes on this page for time and dates).
Take the time to attend one of the meetings or at least submit your ideas.
They may help bring some of the bigger tournaments to Utah.
E-mail: grass@desnews.com
