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February 2008
March bass: What’s your favorite lake?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
March is high time for bass fishing in Georgia. The weather and water warms and the bass begin preparing for the mating season.
The bass spawn should begin this month in north Georgia, which is why the spring is the best time of the year to catch a big bass.
Of the Georgia Outdoors News’ list of the top 50 all-time biggest bass in Georgia, 14 were caught in March. Another eight came in April and six were in May. (George Perry’s world record bass, which weighed 22 pounds, 4 ounces, was caught June 2, 1932).
That means more than half of the fish on GON’s list came in or around the spring spawn. Is there a bass fisherman out there whose blood doesn’t get going at least a little bit by that fact?
I have been waiting 40 years to catch a 10-pound bass. Perhaps this is the year it finally happens.
So, as we get out the tackle, spool new line on our reels and think about having the spring fishing of a lifetime, we need to pick where to go.
I’m choosing a small lake somewhere — actually, I know where, I’m just not sharing yet — and my confidence level is already pretty high.
What is your favorite Georgia lake to catch bass?
Next three Classic venues announced
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BASS announced the venues for the next three Bassmaster Classic, including a first-timer and a veteran of hosting the world championship of bass fishing.
The 2009 Classic is scheduled next year on the Red River near Shreveport-Bossier City, La., the first time it will be hosted by that community.
That will be followed by Birmingham in 2010 and New Orleans in 2011. Birmingham has hosted six previous Classics. It will be the fourth time for New Orleans. The competition waters for those two venues have not been determined.
The ESPN-owned group usually announces only the next year’s Classic during the lead-up to the event, which is being held this year on Lake Hartwell, but decided to lay out the next three so “fans now can make arrangements well in advance of attending future Classics,” said Tom Ricks, vice president and general manager of BASS.
Will Georgia ever host the Classic again?
Bass tournaments: Hooking fish for big dough
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You may not know this, those are some pretty valuable bass in Lake Hartwell.
The big reservoir (55,000 acres at full poll) located on the Georgia-South Carolina line two hours northeast of Atlanta is hosting the the most prestigious event in the sport of tournament bass fishing.
The 38th Bassmaster Classic, a three-day spectacle that includes dramatic weigh-ins in big arenas, begins next weekend. The winner, who can weigh in no more than five bass each day, gets $500,000. That’s more than $33,000 a fish.
It’s quite remarkable what this tournament has meant to fishing in general. When Ray Scott started the Bass Anglers Sportsmen Society in 1967 he wanted to bring fishermen together. He didn’t know he would launch a sport that attracts such big money and sponsorship.
More importantly, Scott’s efforts increased conservation awareness among anglers. Catch-and-release fishing took off, mainly because Scott’s tournaments took the lead on weighing in, then releasing fish caught in tournaments. Bringing a dead fish to the weigh-in resulted in a penalty.
Scott’s first B.A.S.S. tournament offered the winner $2,000 and a trip to Acapulco. Now, six-figure payouts for first place are common, and this summer’s Forrest Wood Cup (held by Bassmaster rival, the FLW Tour) is paying $1 million.
These days, bass tournaments are common from the smallest lakes with electric-motor powered competitors to major lakes all over the country. I’ve even competed in a few — even placed third once. There may be a sideshow-carnival element to the Classic, but I think anything that promotes fishing and being outdoors is a good thing
But what do you think?
Bowling or fishing?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Quick quiz: Rank the following common sports activities based on the number of participants in the U.S.
Fishing, hunting, bowling, billiards, tennis, swimming, golf, camping, exercise walking. The answers (according to the 2006 survey conducted by the National Sporting Goods Association, ages 7 and older):
Exercise walking (87.5 million, No. 1 out of 42 sports activities)
Swimming (56.5 million, No. 2)
Camping (48.6 million, No. 4)
Bowling (44.8 million, No. 5)
Fishing (40.6 million, No. 6)
Billiards (31.8 million, No. 11)
Hiking (31 million, No. 12)
Golf (24.4 million, No. 16)
Hunting/firearms (17.8 million, No. 17)
Tennis (10.4 million, No. 26)
If you pick out the outdoors figures, it’s pretty impressive. Camping and fishing are ranked No. 4 and 6, respectively, in the U.S. Bowling at No. 5? Well now, that’s a complete surprise.
I love numbers, statistics and facts. I can sit for hours paging through an almanac or other reference guide, and there aren’t many Sudoku puzzles I haven’t been able to solve.
I’m sort of geeky that way.
I’ve been enamored by the surveys and other data on the outdoors that have crossed my desk recently. Funny thing about this kind of data — they can say whatever you want them to say.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently released its survey on hunting, fishing and wildlife watching, which comes out every five years. It says there are 34 million sportsmen (hunters and anglers; many do both) over 16 years old in the U.S. That’s more than a niche group.
The American Sportfishing Association, a trade organization, determined that $45.3 billion in retail sales comes from the sport of fishing. That’s a lot of hooks, line and sinkers.
The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, which represents government agencies, concluded that the 136,000 non-residents who come to Georgia to hunt makes the Peach State the top hunting destination in the U.S. Those hunters spent $250 million in Georgia in 2006. That’s a substantial economic impact.
Survey results need to be taken with a grain of salt, however. Participation numbers in the USFWS survey include hunters and anglers regardless of whether they purchased licenses. Around 35 percent of U.S. anglers/hunters don’t buy the necessary licenses, permits or stamps, according to the survey. While some are not required to purchase a license (seniors, for instance), it’s a safe bet that some are breaking the law.
Fishing may be the sixth-most popular sport in the U.S., yet license sales and participation numbers fall nearly every year. There are more hunters than tennis players but far fewer than there used to be. Hunting and fishing participation has fallen around 8 percent since 1996, and the trend looks to continue.
Hunters and anglers should be happy to see that their participation numbers are among the highest in the U.S. But we also should be concerned about the downturn in participation and license sales.
The future is dependent on you. Share your passion with friends and family. Show them how to do it responsibly. Call or write your law-makers when an important issue arises. Join a wildlife group that shares your opinion.
Let’s try to push fishing above bowling in the next survey.
Need a license? Expect to pay more
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia hunters, fishers and boaters spend about $20 million per year for licenses. And they have around 1,100 locations around the state where they can walk in and get signed up.
With a new licensing system that should be fully implemented by the end of the year, it’ll cost more to get a license, and there’ll likely be fewer places (outside of Wal-Marts) to make a purchase.
The boat registration process is expected to be up and running late this summer. The hunting and fishing system is expected in late fall.
The changes were necessary, say Wildlife Resources Division officials, because the current system — which includes keypad/printer units at retail stores — is outdated and becoming more difficult to maintain the hardware. Currently, licenses can be purchased online (no fee is included) and at retail stores.
The new Internet-based system, managed by an out-of-state vendor (Central Bank) that runs similar systems for 20 other states, will charge a fee for every license transaction. It will be web-based, with real-time license data to prevent duplication, block sales when necessary, and be immediately available to the WRD. Telephone sales will be back after being unavailable the past year.
“Without a doubt it’s going to be a better licensing system,” said WRD assistant director Todd Holbrook. “But it’s not without growing pains.”
Just how painful the surcharges will be in the minds of sportsmen is yet to be seen. The fees will be assessed per transaction and not per license.
Here’s a breakdown of the surcharges (charged by vendor Central Bank):
Hunting/Fishing: For Internet sales, $2.75 in the first and second years and $2.50. For telephone sales, $4 the first year, $4.50 second year and $5 thereafter.
Boating: $8 for Internet transactions and $10 for telephone sales.
More troubling in the new system may be where you can get a license. Central Bank will contract with top 20 percent (by sales volume) and key license retailers. Retail stores which are set up with Internet access and the needed equipment simply facilitate the transaction.
As far as license sales volume is concerned, there’s probably no comparison between small “Mom and Pop” stores and big-box stores like Wal-Mart. You can be assured that you will be able to buy a license at all 85 Wal-Marts in Georgia, but not at many small outfits.
Holbrook says holes and snags will be addressed, but also made the point that anyone with a computer and the needed Internet access — even small tackle shops — will be able to purchase licenses.
It will be interesting to see how this pans out, considering around nine in 10 license buyers do it in person in Georgia, according to Holbrook. Shouldn’t anglers, for example, expect to be able to buy a license at the small tackle shop a mile away from the boat ramp? Just like they always have? Will people decide not to buy a license?
What’s your take?
