June 14th, 2017
It Starts at the Top
Today’s bass fishing world is full of high end electronics, expensive bass boats, and all kinds of specialty rods, reels, and baits. Along with that have come numerous tournaments of all levels ranging from BASS/FLW events to college/high school events to weekday evening derbies. Each of which is equally important to the parties involved. With all of the advances in technology and mapping, there are few secrets left on many bodies of water. Love it or hate it, it’s the world we live in. One thing that hasn’t improved over that last few years is on the water ethics, particularly on lakes like Guntersville. Despite its recent slow cycle, it is still one of the premier fisheries in the Nation, let alone the South East and continues to draw large tournaments. There have always been issues between fishermen but for the most part anglers used to respect each other’s space. Somehow over the last five years or so, this common courtesy has drastically declined.
Competition does funny things to people whether it’s at the ball park, golf course, or fishing tournaments. Everyone has opinions on what started this ethical decline, but one thing that has stood out to me was the birth of The Alabama Rig. Now I’m not saying the bait itself has done anything because that would be like saying spoons make people fat. However, what has happened since its introduction seems to have sparked a change in acceptable fishing etiquette. When it was first introduced on Guntersville, anglers discovered that at certain times of the year fish really grouped up on causeway bridges. All of a sudden it was considered socially acceptable to sit boat to boat and chunk the A-rig at bridge pilings. For quite a while, if you wanted to win, that was almost the only way to have a chance. Then all of a sudden it was acceptable, at least to some, to do the same thing everywhere.
Around the same time frame, there was a huge boom in high school and college fishing. A large number of young anglers have taken to the water with little or no training on what’s socially acceptable behavior. Many of the parents/volunteers involved in school fishing know little about the sport…they just want little Johnny to win. As I stated earlier, competition does funny things to people. What they witness from the upper echelon of tournament professionals, guides, and even local anglers is what their actions are based upon. It’s a trickle-down effect. Whether they see folks arguing on television shows or several boats sitting side by side casting to the same ledge spot, that is how many of them form their opinions on the way things are supposed to be.
Too many anglers, especially on Guntersville, believe it’s acceptable to pull up right beside someone and start fishing. Even worse are those that just drive around until they see someone catching a fish and then try to join in on the action. They throw out the “you don’t own the lake”, “it’s a community hole, get over it”, “I’m in a tournament”, etc. type lines to justify their actions. To be clear, this is in no way just limited to young anglers. There are many fine, young anglers out there and I am only using that as an example. As a matter of fact, many of the worst at this are adults that really should know better. Did I mention competition makes people do funny things?
Most anglers have made on the water decisions they regret from time to time. No one is perfect and some issues will always arise. Despite that, there are several questions worth pondering: Where does this problem stop and how can it be addressed? If we don’t police ourselves a little, who will? How do a group of concerned anglers go about reinstating some type of acceptable standards into the fishing community? Recently a Facebook group called Big G Bubba’s was created for the Guntersville Lake area with no other purpose than a place to post pictures of those that pull in too close. While it’s not a perfect concept for obvious reasons, most people don’t want to be publicly shamed on social media for driving up on someone, etc. It won’t solve all the problems, but if it just helps a little, it’s worth the effort. The best solution I can come up with is a simple one. IT STARTS AT THE TOP and the top is relative. For some the top is the BASS/FLW Pro’s. For some it’s a local guide. For some it’s just everyday anglers. Like it or not, we all have a responsibility to try and help the sport we love. Again, if we don’t, who will? Now ask yourself . . . where do you stand? Hopefully at the TOP.