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Watched a crappie masters tournament this morning and I don't like the spider rigging ten poles stretched out across front of boat and creep around the lake posing as a school of bait fish. I think tournaments by pros should be one pole per man in the boat any style that is legal. Show me you can find fish and make them bite with your opinion of the bait needed. If all we care about are numbers drag a net behind the boat.
Good point. I also don't like that Crappie Masters is only in the southern states. Like there aren't Crappie up north, or crappie fisherman.
Just as an FYI, they are limited to four poles per person, or what the state allows, which ever is lower. So you're really only seeing a max of 8 poles. But I know that's not your point. I always thought that was a ton too coming from Illinois where I fished every place had a two pole limit. But do take note, during those tournaments some entrants still don't come in with 7 fish. It's not as easy catching fish that was as you would think. I still love to one pole it and feel the thump, but now that I'm here in Florida, with no rod limit, I've had bad days on the lake where I'd only catch my one fish limit long lining with 7 rods just myself. I don't keep busy catching, but I do keep busy cleaning weeds off the lines! lol
This a single poler normal response and not knocking you but in these tournaments, especially in lakes that only have white crappie, a jig pole just won't get it. They also have had one pole tournaments but these tourneys only bring low numbers of entries. It's about money, plain and simple. A town or an area sponsors the tournament and they want as many people to enter as they can get, hence a large number of people falling in love with their area and returning time and time again. I personally fish places that I would never have fished if not being introduced to that area by Crappie Masters. Bait shops, hotels and resturants survive by selling their wares, plain and simple. I have caught them so many ways and mostly because of fishing the bigger tournaments, you have to adapt and conquer. They set the dates 9 or 10 months in advance, who knew it would be snowing the second day of the Crappie Masters at Grenada in 2016? Mike Valentine surely didn't, I am a better fisherman because of the bigger tourneys, just a fact and our sport is growing because of them too. This in turn will bring more management to our resources which in some cases is really needed across the country.
I mostly crappie fish with one or two poles but I have also long lined jigs and done a little spider rigging.
I believe that as long as I am using a legal method to fish and not keeping over my limit its none of anyone else's business how I choose to fish. It really doesn't matter if I troll through an area and catch a fish here and there or sit over a brushpiles and catch every fish off of it.
I have never fished any kind of tournament and its doubtful that I ever will but as far as the tournaments go if you don't like the way they do things change the channel.
Well ok then... guessing that you missed your meds today :yikesQuote:
Originally Posted by lowe rider
Lowe rider is spot on..if your doing everything by the book good for you...if you don't agree move on.
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It use to be people just classified certain types of fishing as "sport fishing" or not. There have always been people who fished with methods which weren't considered sporting. Heck I have snagged,netted,trotlined,and every other kind of fishing you can think of.
The thing about this spider rigging is it's considered by many to be sport fishing.
Now...as a participant in every kind of fishing just about known to man short of using dynamite.
If I hang more than one pole over the side or I troll ....in my mind I am not sport fishing anymore.
But...I am constantly amazed by what goes for sport fishing or hunting these days.
I mean...if I sit out a flock of turkey decoys...and shoot one at 60 yards with superduper shells and chokes. Or automated decoys for ducks and blast them with superduper shells and such...or shoot at a deer at a thousand yards,or electronics that put out sound to mimic fish, etc.
In my old mind and ways that's not sporting either. It may be legal,and accepted,and where the money is,and I may even do it once in a while.... but sporting?
I just wonder what will be the new norm in ten more years.
I mean the state of Missouri just legalized crossbows for deer for everybody. I mean for forty years or more it was not considered sporting except for the handicapped. But now within a year people are asking why you still mess with a regular bow.
Oh well....the one thing I take consolation in is nobody cares what I think about anything....believe it or not that's one of the things about getting older I enjoy. I just kinda do my thing...and watch and listen what everybody is doing knowing I ain't a factor in nothing.
It's sort of like I heard Phil Robertson say one time. " You boys have taken this thing way further than I ever would have".
I kind of feel like this strayed from the op's meaning. Maybe I'm the one taking it wrong. I feel his post was about competition fishing only, and the ability to match your SKILLS against others. Take spider rigging for example. It is less about an individuals skill than it is about who can eventually drag the most bait through an area with the most fish in it. Whoever gets the seat when the music stops is the winner ya know? :scratchhead
I personally do not spider rig, but i would like to learn it. It does makes it even more satisfying single poling it in a crappie tournament and beating out the spider rigging guys. Spider rigging does have an advantage over single pole. Seems unfair at times, but its legal and if you can do it and your comfortable and productive doing it then you might as well do it. Ill stick with the single pole for now pulling slabs out from under the brush piles!
doggone- I absolutely respect your opinion. There is no rule on how you have to fish a Crappimaster tournament unless it is a single pole event. You are more than welcome to shoot deer, turkeys, ducks with any legal firearm you wish. To say it isn’t sporting because technology is better is off base in my opinion. Do you use a fish finder? GPS? Aren’t those also giving some type of advantage? Just my opinion.
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And here I thought we were discussing what we didn't like about tournaments. Turns out we are talking about "advantages".
To be honest, it doesn't matter how many poles, hooks are in the water if the fish aren't there. As for the sporting aspect, as with all things, they change over time. We are always trying to built a better mouse trap. Competition requires both technology and the skills needed to use that technology. In my youth we damned up the mountain run off and caught trout by hand. Things have changed. While I still fish 35 degree water, no I'm now longer standing in it.
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Just curious, and even though I don't think it would work but can you spider rig a long line group of lures for a bass tournament?
every bass tournament I have been in you can only use one rod at a time.
I didn't say it wasn't sporting I said I don't like it. I watch these shows to hopefully learn something and its not my style. These guys are supposedly professional anglers with way more experience than me they have to abide by rules presented to them just wish this style wasn't included as much as it is. As long as legal do what you want but I also don't like watching deer hunters in Texas in an above ground blind 100 yards away from the feeder picking which one of the 10 bucks standing around the feeder they want to shoot. I guess I need to switch channels on that to (which I already do). Personally I have found you tube videos to be a lot more informative than most of the wildlife shows. I do still like Lindners shows
I am gonna pass on this one!!! LOL
I really do not post to upset anyone. Please notice I am fully aware that my thoughts are basically the ramblings from another time and place. I'm just talking over a cup of coffee and speaking my mind. I have nothing to sell or anyone to compete with, or an ax to grind.
I don't think I even have an ax anymore? I would have to look in the shed.
Trust me when I say do not always expect me to stay on topic. I will say the first thing that pops in my mind without considering its relevance or the feelings of others sometimes. That has been medically documented. It is not intended to take away from the original post
I am just above communicating with grunts and sign language.
I'll be gone again soon. I come out and dabble on-line a little,but eventually I put the machine down and go back in my cave.
Does my heart good to read this forum. Unlike some forums I have seen this is a pretty good group of good old boys who like to fish. I really appreciate how considerate members have been of one another. It's a lot better than all the crap I read in the newspaper everyday. We all are a little different and have various opinions as to sportsmanship and rules on the water, but I'll bet almost everyone (hope everyone) would stop to help a fellow fisherman in trouble on the water. Who was the old guy who said,'hope today I get to go fishing or go to heaven".
I do agree with most that have been said but the pro don't always win. I have watch a few where the good ole boys win that only fish their home lakes. Only thing you got to remember is its a tournament and the idea is to try and win.