Scenario time……

Here is a situation I need to here some your guys input on!!

Let’s say you preished this monster log jam and caught a good keeper or two and got a few other good bites that you didn’t set the hook on..Well blast off is 5:15am and you get a limit by 6:20 and then cull a few by 9:00am and then your milk run kinda runs dry but your still thirsty and for one last sip of milk you decide to run to that monster log jam which is about 20 miles from the cow..

So you run up to that log jam where you had some good bites on hoping for one last sip of milk that’ll fill your belly.You pull up to the log jam and when you set the boat down and start trolling up to the log jam you notice another boat on the other side you this log jam.Let’s remind you that this log jam is the size of a baseball park infield.Lets say they put the trolling motor on high to try wrap around in front of ya and get in front of ya to screw ya..well the boat comes in behind you and says “hey we are in the tourney also and you guys are A holes for fishing here”

At that point what would you do???? I’ll fill ya in on what I’d do later!!

Keep in mind that this log jam is monstrous and you couldn’t tell there was a boat on the other side of it!!

I remind you that this is just hypothetical!!

Quit fishin tournaments

I would kindly explain to them that there was plenty-o-room (assuming there was) and, well, that the river wasn’t their private reserve. I might even attempt to convince them that they could rely on technique and skill rather than ability to push others off.

There have been times lake fishing for ‘eyes where I’d pick up a couple fish and the next thing you know the entire boat is encircled to the point where I haven’t an escape route. Does that make those people ‘holes? Maybe, but their not playing bumper boats or pushing me off the spot.

If they continued to be unreasonable, I’d start marking waypoints and call in an air strike.

I would politely introduce them to the barrel of my flare gun.

Hey it’s tournament time,there is no Mr. Nice guy anymore

AS YOU KNOW MOST TOURNEY RULES SAY YOU MUST STAY A CERTAIN DISTANCE FROM ANOTHER BOAT IF HE IS ANCHORED ! IF HE IS USEING A TROLLING MOTOR YOU CAN RUN ANYWHERE YOU LIKE! BUT COMMON SENSE AND SPORTSMAN SHIP ARE THE BEST TO FOLLOW! IN YOUR CASE I WOULD HAVE STAYED THERE AND THEN PROSEEDED TO HIT THE GUY IN THE HEAD WITH A 1/2oz JIG! REMEMBER THERE ARE NO SECRET SPOTS IN THE RIVER AND #@%&% HAPPENS!

Not quite sure what is unique about the scenario. Something like this happens almost every day guiding and fishing tourneys. I would just ignore them as long as I knew I had not followed them there. They clearly thought that for some reason you didn’t find this by accident. The one that has started to happen,(almost every other day), that does torque me is when setting 50 feet from a point with 2-3 of us repeatedly casting it another boat crosses in front of us. No need to say much though…. somewhere in the next 10 feet or so the resounding thump of either there
main or trolling motor hitting 8 inch deep rock usually handles the situation. When it doesn’t I usually say doesn’t it bother you pulling across there when you can clearly see us fishing it. Usually there is either a smirk,(thats the guy I feel to sorry for to say anything else), or a HUH???? The second guy is the guy that you are sure some day will pull in front of a barge 50 feet behind him and his last words if he gets any will be ,”I didn’t even see it coming”(Scary).

On a more realistic note though if it isn’t against the rules……it isn’t against the rules. Although I see unbelieveable sportsmanship in many tourney situations I’ve learned not to expect it.

I am not posting this to ruffle any feathers, but…. Doesn’t WI have a ‘no culling’ law? I know that our club is told, by our tournament director, that there is no culling on WI waters. Is this true, or is there a way around the ‘no culling’ law on the Mississippi? Maybe by fishing with an Iowa license? I would love to know. Thanks. Jeff Wolfe

I am not a tourney guy but I know it really PO’s me when some jack-ass pulls about 20 feet in front of me on some rip rap that I am working.
With that being said my competitive nature would still have to say SORRY but I am in this thing to win to and if there is the amount of room you said I would fish the parts farthest away and see what comes of it.

I’d bail and hit something else unless I knew the angler. If it is another angler and it’s a spot on the first run of the morning I would pull in and typically the other angler respects that and the unwritten rule that we split it in half takes over for the first stretch and then we may pass each other working the others area but if its going back and such I would keep heading. If I pulled the fish I though were there and then left only to return and see another boat I would just keep looking. If I need more than 1 or 2 fish after my first few spots I would be confident that I was not on any pattern that would gain me anything and head to new waters. I am sure if you are tossing your money in a tourney you have 100’s of spots that have a chance at holding a fish or 2. If your spots all fail and you are stuck. Then , and only then would I work back in but as others have said. I would keep my distance and work my area. If it were me on the back side I guess I would just figure I could catch the ones you don’t. We all know that one persons trash is another’s treasure.
Jc

This was true, but the state reviewed it a couple years ago due to pressure from the various bass tournament circuits.

It seems that WI was one of the last states to remove the “no culling” rule to comply with the BASS/FLW/Redman/Walmart/Etc tours. Tourism and Tourney money is too important for the state.

Reel Guy,

So you’re saying that the ‘no culling’ rule in not a law anymore? I’m thought it was still in the WI DNR fishing reg’s book. I could be mistaken and would love for this to be the case. I can understand the rule, but not for tournament fishing, because all of your fished are returned, alive.

Jeff Wolfe

The cull law IS VERY MUCH in effect. If you cull and get caught, you will get a citation. This law has not been removed and it will not be removed in the near future. If you don’t beleive me, go ahead and call the Wi. Dept. of Natural Res. @ 785-9000. They will be more than happy to answer any questions you have regarding this subject.

Blue Fleck,

Thanks for clearing that up, I thought that was the case. Just hoped there might be a way around it since people talk about culling during tournaments. But, it doesn’t look like it. Good luck and tight lines.

Jeff Wolfe

Blue fleck – whoa. Thanks. I guess I was given bad information from a local club, then. My mistake – I will make sure to do more investigation on these topics in the future.

Question – how are the tourney’s handling it then? I mean, the “Big” Tourney’s with marshalls out, etc. If a fisherman boats a fish, is that it? I was told 2 years ago(maybe more now – time fliies!) that during the Redman the DNR was in the process of eliminating due to tournament pressures. I believe you, but curious how it is ACTUALLY being handled during tourneys.

I fish a few big tourney’s a year and want to play by the rules.

The cull law is ‘enforced’ on an honor system. It’s supposed to be left to the angler to make the right choice. For the most part it’s a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ philosophy. Almost everybody culls in one way or another. That is why most of the partner tourneys are 8 fish. That allows you to keep two throw out fish when you weigh in.

I hope you didn’t think I was jumping on you. I was just trying to avoid any speculation on the cull law. Being a sport fisherman and a tournament fisherman, I see both sides of the spectrum. There are times when the law is worth enforcing and times when it’s not.

No hard feelings, nor did I think you were “jumping on me.” I appreciate this board’s honest and open forum and readers. Keeps us all up to date and informed. I have read the board for a long time, but finally started to make some postings. I can tell from your past postings you are a good man!

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I have read the board for a long time, but finally started to make some postings. I can tell from your past postings you are a good man!

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Chalk up another one for the Great Caledonian!!!!