some Classic "pros" are busch league. 2024

flechero reply :

Why is it that they swing about 75% (my estimate) of the fish straight into the bottom of the boat and let them flop around on carpet. Even worse is the culling footage... laying all ALL 5 fish out on the carpeted floor to cull. > Unacceptable!

Come on guys, lip em, or swing to the hand or line. Cull without laying them all out on carpet, repeatedly. If us weekenders can do it, a freaking pro should be able to manage it. At least pretend to respect the resource. >

These guys are supposed to be the best.... from what I have seen, they excel at catching and abusing fish. So sad to watch.

And I don't accept any of the "well it's the classic, every fish is huge..."

I'd love to see some controlled water, delayed mortality numbers from this tournament... I bet our heads would spin.

Rich Tehan reply :

You're right. I can kinda understand swinging them into the boat, but letting it flop around is bad. They look like little kids when they do that. And the culling, if they're not going to have co's this year, then they should use their dual livewells instead of throwin em on the floor.

BassnMan Mike reply :

I thought the same thing when watching the replay this morning when one angler had all of his fish laying on the carpet to cull

bass wrangler569 reply :

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I thought the same thing when watching the replay this morning when one angler had all of his fish laying on the carpet to cull

X2, if they want to act like cavemen they should put down their rods and pick up clubs. Laying your all your fish across the carpet of the boats is unprofessional and doesn't promote our sport at all.

BassnMan Mike reply :

"Laying your all your fish across the carpet of the boats is unprofessional and doesn't promote our sport at all."

Besides the damage it does to the bass.

eyedabassman reply :

NOT GOOD, what ever circuit they are fishing ( B A S S, FLW, BFL, ect ) should get on these pro's for doing this! It sends the wrong message to the young guys fishing tournaments and to everyone, that this is OK. These pro's are roll models let's fish like PRO"S!

bassnleo reply :

Maybe B.A.S.S. should allow nets 8-)

Sam reply :

Its the money.

You get a fish in the boat and it counts.

So it flops around a little.

Just get it in the live well and go forward.

Money. Its the money. The more fish in the live well the more money you will earn.

B.A.S.S. is sensitive to how the fish are handled at the weigh-in and then their release so maybe you all are right....use a net.

fishizzle reply :

Dude its for 500K and swinging saves time and carpet culling is their way to be positive of the ounces it takes to win.

I realize its bad for the bass but its about the money for them. tourney money and sponsors

Someday swinging will be banned--for now they should at least not show it on tv

Root beer reply :

I swing fish into the boat, but I'm quick to prevent it from flopping so much.

What wrong with swinging fish into the boat?

bass wrangler569 reply :

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I swing fish into the boat, but I'm quick to prevent it from flopping so much.
What wrong with swinging fish into the boat?

I don't think there is anything wrong with the actual swing but "post-swing" is what presents the problem IMO. You have fish landing hard from several feet in the air on a dry, roughly carpeted surface where they are going to flop around for at least a few seconds until they are picked up properly. BASS should allow the use of nets but they don't probably never will because seeing a pro reaching over the side of the boat trying to scoop a big fish up is much more dramatic (better for ratings) than seeing the same pro lazily net a fish.

5bass reply :

If its done right, the fish dont have to 'crash down' into the boat. You have tension on the fish and you can swing them in without the hard landing.

I swing any fish I can. But I dont let them flop around for any length of time. I get them off the carpet asap. Regardless, the excessive flopping and carpet culling shouldn't be a part of any TV broadcast....like someone said, it sends the wrong message to the younger folks.

=Matt 5.0= reply :

Is this why FLW has nets? Just curious.

fishizzle reply :

The carpet removes the slime coat. the system that protects them from infection

UPS VT reply :

I don't mind seeing them swing the fish into the boat, but I really don't like it when they lay their fish on the carpet to choose what one they are going to cull. Maybe sometime they should time how long it takes them to do that, and then go in stick their head in the water for that same length of time ;D

flechero reply :

Done right, there is nothing wrong with swinging a fish. Swing it over the boat and grab the fish or line on its way in...

Done right, the fish never touches the carpet. If the fish is too big to catch on the way in, reach over the side and lip it.

fishnjohn reply :

There should be a penalty for mishandling the fish. I saw that clip also when he was culling and had his fish laying out on the floor. I don't know about you guys but I weigh the fish when I tag them and put them in my livewell. This way I know which fish is the smallest.

clipper reply :

It looks like it is unanimous against letting the fish hit the carpet. Why not start a BR online petition and let Glenn send it to B.A.S.S. once everyone has had a chance to sign up. They might not listen to us, but then again they might.

eyedabassman reply :

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The carpet removes the slime coat. the system that protects them from infection

Bingo! I don't think it is a big deal on the swinging of the fish! But putting them on the carpet to cull is wrong, That I have a problem with, and I don't care money or not.

BassnMan Mike reply :

There is nothing wrong with swinging fish, weve all done it from time to time. When I do it I swing them to the lower deck but try not to let them hit the carpet. I cant deny that from time to time they have hit the carpet but tjis is uasually when they come unbottoned.

I can say that I have NEVER culled fish by laying them out on the floor. I found it very hard to believe that ESPN aired that.

Pond Hopper reply :

Ike is one of the worst, fish banging every part of the boat before he does his break dance. Granted a fish to me isnt worth hundreds of thousands of dollars but their promoting of the sport is lacking.

NYfishwow reply :

Great to have women in tournament now, but if they never face real best, it would been an real tournament,see best struggle.Only mike and skeet who struggled for top. Didn't look like a ultimate bass master tournament but Congrats Skeet Reece the California, U.S. champion.

bassfanpa reply :

I am all for the use of a net to protect the fish. Penalties should occur for laying out the fish for culling (or T.V.) purposes. But I have to say that I don't believe Iaconelli is the only one guilty of beating on the fish...

OK Bass Hunter reply :

I'm glad I wasn't the only person who cringed when he had all 5 fish on the carpet to cull. The excess flopping on the carpet also rubbed me the wrong after all the times on the fishing shows when they tell you protect the slime coat to prevent infection. I guess for some that only matters when there's no money on the line.

Bass Dude reply :

I went to school for fisheries management, we shocked fish (electrofishing) to stun them and make them come to the suface. Then we scooped them up in a net, not one at a time either!! Then we would toss them in a holding tank. After all that, we would then pull them out, measure them, pull scales and jam a tag in their back. After all that, they would finally be released back in the water.

To me, the pros aren't any rougher on fish than the biologists that study them.

senile1 reply :

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Done right, there is nothing wrong with swinging a fish. Swing it over the boat and grab the fish or line on its way in...
Done right, the fish never touches the carpet. If the fish is too big to catch on the way in, reach over the side and lip it.

I swing a fish now and then, but only if I can swing it to my hand as Flechero stated. If it appears a bit large to swing, it's best to reach down and lip it, IMO.

spin king reply :

Does anyone have any actual evidence that letting the fish touch the carpet will kill them? Just curious. Post a link.

senile1 reply :

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Does anyone have any actual evidence that letting the fish touch the carpet will kill them? Just curious. Post a link.

It doesn't directly kill them. It removes the protective slime coat from their bodies which makes them more susceptible to bacteria that can kill them.

bass wrangler569 reply :

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Ike is one of the worst, fish banging every part of the boat before he does his break dance. Granted a fish to me isnt worth hundreds of thousands of dollars but their promoting of the sport is lacking.

Yea he's pretty bad about that. Did anyone else notice how he held his fish horizontally by the lip, it'll be a miracle if those fish don't have broken jaws. To top it off when he gets a big bass he starts shaking it like crazy. I like Ike but he needs some improved bass handling skills.

Tin reply :

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Ike is one of the worst, fish banging every part of the boat before he does his break dance. Granted a fish to me isnt worth hundreds of thousands of dollars but their promoting of the sport is lacking.

Day one there was something wrong with him like his nerves or something. I dont know whether or not he was setting on timber or fish but there were some weak hooksets and they have footage of 3 or 4 weak hooksets followed by a fish coming unbuttoned. Granted I have not won a classic but did anyone else notice something wrong with those hooksets? Thought he was using a jig.... :-?

NYfishwow reply :

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Ike is one of the worst, fish banging every part of the boat before he does his break dance. Granted a fish to me isnt worth hundreds of thousands of dollars but their promoting of the sport is lacking.

x3

Day one there was something wrong with him like his nerves or something. I dont know whether or not he was setting on timber or fish but there were some weak hooksets and they have footage of 3 or 4 weak hooksets followed by a fish coming unbuttoned. Granted I have not won a classic but did anyone else notice something wrong with those hooksets? Thought he was using a jig.... :-?

Mike is living the dream, give dude a break, you would scream too if you almost won bass masters classic. Thats what makes Mike a super bass star.

flippincrazy reply :

Nets can remove slime also. Were so quick to rip metal hooks through a fish mouth, but freak when they touch carpet. It's the classic relax. I've let fish touch the deck and flop around. I've also helped revive fish for 10 minutes so they would swim off. These pros care about the fish just as much as we do. Lets just be positive that the classic is as big as it is and we can actually see them letting fish touch the carpet on cable tv.

senile1 reply :

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Nets can remove slime also. Were so quick to rip metal hooks through a fish mouth, but freak when they touch carpet. It's the classic relax. I've let fish touch the deck and flop around. I've also helped revive fish for 10 minutes so they would swim off. These pros care about the fish just as much as we do. Lets just be positive that the classic is as big as it is and we can actually see them letting fish touch the carpet on cable tv.

Yes, even nets made of rubber remove some slime. So I don't use nets nor do I allow my fish to lay on my carpet if I can avoid it. The whole point is to avoid what might damage the fish if we are going to release it. We can avoid rubbing the slime coat off of fish if we try. As for hooks, I don't know of anyway to avoid using them, do you? If you can come up with a sporting way to catch fish so that we can avoid hooking them in the mouth, you may become a very rich man.

arul reply :

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"Laying your all your fish across the carpet of the boats is unprofessional and doesn't promote our sport at all."
Besides the damage it does to the bass.

Can you explain what this does to the fish? I suppose it removes the protective slime they have? Won't it just come back?

I don't understand why laying a fish on the ground or having it flop for a few seconds is any more cruel to the fish than hooking it, confining, bagging it, laying it in a bucket with a piece of plexiglass on top of it...

I know we all want to conserve and protect the resource, but other than "looking bad" what does this tactic do that isn't already being done?

arul reply :

Just read a few posts more to my sentiment. I am not convinced laying a fish on the carpet is any worse than what we do to it by catching it, and don't have a problem with it.

Also, good point about fisheries biologists. Those guys handle the fish WAY more rough than any carpet flop..

cheers

Md reply :

Things are getting a little carried away here IMO. What's next, we shouldn't be putting fish in a live well or weigh in bag because we may cause them mental trauma? It is our responsibility to handle the fish with the most RESPECT and CARE possible, and that's all we can do. After fishing some FLW events last year, I know that they make you dip your weigh in bag and fish in water with some kind of medicine that's supposed to help out with the slime coat. Keep in mind it wasn't too long ago that all of the fish caught in tournaments were not returned to the water. They were hung a stick for all to see.

I too would like to see the study linking slime removal and fish deaths. I bet more fish die in the tournament circuits from air bladder problems than anything else.

bass wrangler569 reply :

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Just read a few posts more to my sentiment. I am not convinced laying a fish on the carpet is any worse than what we do to it by catching it, and don't have a problem with it.
Also, good point about fisheries biologists. Those guys handle the fish WAY more rough than any carpet flop..

cheers

The only thing that happens to a bass during a typical fight is temporary exhaustion and a small hole in the mouth. A bass is wet in the water and your hands should be wet when you handle a fish. The fish are then stored in a wet livewell. The fish are carried to the scale in a wet rubber bag and the bucket and plexiglass lid used at the weigh ins are wet too. This is all to protect the bass' slime coat. Letting a bass flop around on the dry carpet of your boat removes the slime coat, which, as someone else already said, protects the bass from diseases/infections/parasites. Without this slimecoat they are much more susceptible to a fatal diseases/infections/parasites. Oh, and all the fisheries biologists that I have met have taken the necessary precautions to protect the fish that they handle.

Bass Dude reply :

Quote

Quote
Just read a few posts more to my sentiment. I am not convinced laying a fish on the carpet is any worse than what we do to it by catching it, and don't have a problem with it.
Also, good point about fisheries biologists. Those guys handle the fish WAY more rough than any carpet flop..

cheers

The only thing that happens to a bass during a typical fight is temporary exhaustion and a small hole in the mouth. A bass is wet in the water and your hands should be wet when you handle a fish. The fish are then stored in a wet livewell. The fish are carried to the scale in a wet rubber bag and the bucket and plexiglass lid used at the weigh ins are wet too. This is all to protect the bass' slime coat. Letting a bass flop around on the dry carpet of your boat removes the slime coat, which, as someone else already said, protects the bass from diseases/infections/parasites. Without this slimecoat they are much more susceptible to a fatal diseases/infections/parasites. Oh, and all the fisheries biologists that I have met have taken the necessary precautions to protect the fish that they handle.

When we did our studies we used rubber gloves, but that was to protect us from the eletric current used in electro-fishing, it was not to protect the slime coat. I don't know how you can pluck scales off a fish without removing the slime coat! We obviously didn't do anything intentional to harm the fish, but we didn't handle them as if they were the last known fish of the species either.

Stomach analysis is even more fun. You have a syringe full of water and then force the water down their throats to make them regurgitate whats in their stomach.

mase088 reply :

First of all I think this is a little ridiculous, flopping on the carpet for a second or 2 isn't going to be nearly as much of a deal as sitting the fish in a dry bag for a few minutes while they weigh in. And for whoever said the bag is wet, that's only the water that was on the fish to begin with, they don't pour water in the bag.

But I do think carpet culling and other things like that should be cut out. For example, When Skeet Reese caught his last fish of the day, it was too big to swing and he lipped it. He then picked it up, dropped it from a standing position with his arms by his side to the floor, and turned to his fans in boats surrounding him to start cheering. After the cheering he turned around and picked up the fish to put it in the livewell.

While that still isn't a big deal to me, it shouldn't have been done, swinging the fish onto the carpet is one thing. But if you're going to lip it, at least do it right.

roadwarrior reply :

Wow!

Not much love here...Pro bashing is not what we're about.

I think your points have been made, let's move on.

Goodnight Irene

-Kent a.k.a. roadwarrior

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