.....but big enough to win!
, yes it was
different from the fall tourney as it was was the BIGGEST single fish taken over a 2 day period as opposed to combined weight. it was also judged by
the boat, not by the angler, and only one catagory or place per boat. those were the rules, and as far as reports go, all we here is that all the big
yellowtail are at san marcos, hummmm, didnt see em. ya but, ya but, and actually if the dog hadnt stopped to take a s___, well he would have caught
the rabbit.
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| Originally posted by Hook I have often thought about your suggestion about keeping the contestants informed about the size of the fish on the leader board, by radio. While it wouldn't prevent me from keeping fish that are close to the leader (hey, hand scales in bouncing boats vary), it would prevent people from bringing back fish that are 10 lbs off the lead. The problem is that most of the tournaments in Baja have an awards banquet and the fish turned in become the banquet fare. The top three fish probably aren't going to feed everyone. In the Mulege Classic's defense, they are only allowing one entry per boat FOR THE ENTIRE TOURNAMENT, if I read the rules correctly. And so, after the first day, you know what the leader's weight is and can decide to release all fish that are well under that weight. Even the first day, the boat only returns with the largest fish among all the persons on the boat. Outside of a pure C & R, honor-system tournament, what could be more conservation minded? You aren't going to be keeping YT alive in livewells for later release. And who wants to eat carne asada at a fish tourney awards banquet? That's just not right........ While an aggregate total of fish weight IS probably a better indication of fishing skills, it would certainly lead to more fish being killed. The current set-up tends to level the playing field which should encourage even greater participation, possibly even by non-locals. I cant match Kid Jurel or John Dinning or Alan Lewis or Rick Barber in multiple fish measures, but I might have a chance catching that ONE fish that beats them. In the end, isn't it really about putting some money back into the community, rather than necessarily proving who the best fishermen are? It's pretty apparent who the best fishermen are down there, anyway; tournament or no tournament. I commend the Mulege Classics Tournament for running a very conservation minded tournament. |
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Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
Are you sure about that Hook? I don't think you give yourself enough credit. It's really about the value of a fishery. I watch these billfish tournaments on ESPN Outdoors and they all seem to know who the winner is without a single fish being boated. It would be madness to kill all those marlin because you would be shooting yourself in the foot. The largemouth bass tournaments now all keep their fish in livewells for weigh in. Imagine what these pros would do to those Alabama lakes if they were allowed to keep all of the fish for a barbeque for the audience. The people of Christmas Island make all of their tourist dollars from visiting bonefishermen. Imagine them promoting a tournament for the biggest bonefish on the island. Even they understand the impact of such a thing. The islanders, a people who live from the sea, no longer harvest their own bonefish, which they consider to be very good eating. Traditions die hard. Mexico has always been backward in managing it's own resources. It's manana until your back is to the wall. But to put things in perspective. Comparatively speaking, these tournaments do little damage to the Cortez fisheries. |