Bigger fish, Better fishermen?
I was asked this question after the Loch Raven tournament weigh-in. " Bob do you think the bass have gotten bigger or have the fishermen gotten better?"It did not take long to give my opinion. The fisherman have definitely gotten better. Armed with the latest electronics and the knowledge to get the most out of them, technique specific rods, high speed reels,and so many choices of line that let them detect even the slightest bite. These are just a few things available to today's fisherman or fisher woman. Just buying these items will not make someone a better angler, they have to put the time on the water to to understand how to use them to get the most out of them.Today's angler has to keep up with the latest trends and techniques to be able to compete at a tournament level.The best anglers know how and where to catch the better quality fish. I started reservoir tournament fishing in 1982 and today's weights are higher with an 8 fish limit then they were with a 10 fish limit. Catch and release has also had a beneficial impact as well. How would you answer the same question?
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All of the above. Bob,
All of the above. Bob, without question, fishermen are now armed with more information, better tackle, incredible electronics, more experience, and mentoring from countless professionals on TV. This all should lead to a significant improvement in fishing ability. Additionally, Loch Raven is producing a large quantity of very healthy, well fed, "thick" fish these days. In practice and during the tournament, my team didn't land a single skinny fish (other than 40 or 50 Pickerel). Even the couple of small fish that we caught were pretty heavy for their length. I believe the large number of heavy limits at Loch Raven last weekend was the result of putting a lot of good fishermen on a reservoir that has an unusually large population of heavy fish.
With a question like this you
With a question like this you are definitely going to get both sides of the opinion.
Rods, line, lures, electronics all for sure play a role in making the Loch look like a great fishery.
Here's one that is up for debate....I know for a fact 1000s of pickerel have been killed for the sake of the bass by many many fisherman. Are we now starting to see the effects of fewer pickerel in Loch Raven waters? Hmmmm?
It's both and with gizzard
It's both and with gizzard shad as the big contributor to size. My .02
Go Fish Yourself! <'')))>< ...Respectfully.
I think you are all right..
I think you are all right.. but would like to add.. the spring closed season was started on the reservoirs because of the huge decline in bass populations.. from the early 80s into the 90s the reservoirs were in a "down period"..you cant catch fish if they are not there.....and most older fisherman will tell you the 70s were awesome... the "closed spring" season and the mind set of many fisherman of catch and release caught on..and has helped dramatically..i think this is the number 1 reason the fishing continues to get better. ..and ALL of the reservoirs are better because of that... with everything else that you guys said, it all adds up to a lot better fishing... including another factor not mentioned.."the GRASS" and very little flucuation in water levels over the last 10 years.. and now the fishing in the all the reservoirs just keeps getting better.. then when you add the tools we all now have to take advantage of these steller times... we all look like better fisherman then before... lets hope the stellar fishing continues or gets even better... because Eight and Nine pound bass were much more common in our reservoirs in the 70s..(just reference a 1978 "Fishing in Maryland" magazine..). and just maybe that is also in our future ?
imagine a lake without grass.
Imagine a lake without grass...or ...very little grass and flucuations in water levels being a common yearly event...imagine your favorite spot, is now in a foot of water... imagine no thermocline because the water dropped... or your grassbed edge that was in 20ft is now in 5ft... or no grass in over 10ft... this hasnt happened for quite awhile..but was a normal event in the 80s and 90s..
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