The Day the Derbies Died

Imagine a world without bass tournaments.

I never thought it would be possible. Even before I started fishing local events 25 years ago, I was aware of them, and as far as I can tell from my admittedly-subjective viewpoint, they’ve only gotten more popular since then.

Now, thanks to COVID-19, the professional tournament scene is on indefinite hold, and while there are a few semi-legit local deals, most smaller tournaments have been canceled or postponed as well.

It’s bizarro world.

Recreational bass fishing pressure still exists, but it’s a fraction of what it otherwise would have been, and doesn’t lead to as many air-conditioned rides in a livewell. I’m definitely not anti-tournament. After all, I fished 15-25 a year until I ran out of time, and I still derive a portion of my income from covering them. Additionally, I see that lakes like Guntersville get ridiculous tournament pressure and continued to hold huge populations of bass. Would they be better without it? Maybe, but what’s the point of a great fishery if you can’t fish it? Nevertheless, this diminution or change in pressure might be a good thing. Giving the bass a “year off” or a “season off” from concerted efforts to catch and relocate them might allow for a bit of a reset.

I’m not a biologist, and we likely won’t have any meaningful data, which means that people are going to interpret the results in a way that fits their own preconceived biases. The anti-tournament folks are going to claim that keeping fish in their spawning areas this spring has worked wonders on the populations. Those who live and die with each tournament will argue that fishing is no better than it otherwise would be. I suspect that the overall population on waters like the Potomac, my home river, won’t change much, but the distribution of the fish might. There won’t be hundreds of them relocated each month from the upper and lower river to the midsection where most of the big tournaments launch. I have a hunch that the cyclical nature of the aquatic vegetation impacts bass populations much more than tournament pressure ever will.

As anglers, regardless of the actual results (which none of us will see through a clear looking glass) we need to be careful how we portray ourselves and our resource. We need not to be poster children for large gatherings now, and when this is all over, we need not allow it to become a springboard for banning tournaments and closed seasons.

One lost year is not the end of the world, but it might have repercussions that last longer than the virus, both good and bad.