1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:03,840 Speaker 1: The slot limit proposed on the Kusa River has a 2 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: lot of tournament anglers pissed off because how could you 3 00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:11,520 Speaker 1: not take this as a direct attack upon tournament angling. 4 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:14,600 Speaker 1: My name is Spencer Graves. Thanks so much for being here. 5 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:16,920 Speaker 1: I'm going to be joined with Lee Holmes of Siliconga 6 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:20,520 Speaker 1: Marine and Kay Donaldson of the Alabama Bass Trail in 7 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:23,560 Speaker 1: just a few We're also going to hear from Gene Gilliland, 8 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:27,720 Speaker 1: who is the director of Conservation for bass or Bass Master. 9 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:30,960 Speaker 1: Here's some things that I want everybody to know. The 10 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:34,720 Speaker 1: Cusa River is six lakes. This study was conducted on 11 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:39,520 Speaker 1: Neelie Henry, just one of the six, and they took 12 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:42,639 Speaker 1: three years to compile all of this together. Now, those 13 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:44,879 Speaker 1: are some of the things that we do know. If 14 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:48,159 Speaker 1: there's more information than that, then I welcome anybody involved 15 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:50,479 Speaker 1: in this study to get in touch with me because 16 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:53,280 Speaker 1: we would all love to hear it. Over eight hundred 17 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:56,200 Speaker 1: thousand dollars was spent on this study in this survey, 18 00:00:56,360 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 1: and the findings are alarming, and they are alarming, and 19 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 1: if if you're a tournament angler, they should be alarming. 20 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 1: But what truly goes into this, It's not simply what 21 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:10,119 Speaker 1: we saw in the proposal. There's way more at stake. 22 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:13,800 Speaker 1: There's things that happen under the water that impact the 23 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: fisheries more than just somebody casting a line and catching 24 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 1: a fish. As tournament anglers, There's things that we do 25 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 1: when we handle fish. There's things that we do when 26 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 1: we handle fish that ultimately can impact the care of 27 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:33,199 Speaker 1: those fish and what happens when we release those fish 28 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:37,120 Speaker 1: back into the water. We see them swim off, but 29 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:40,959 Speaker 1: do they continue to live an hour or maybe a 30 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:44,640 Speaker 1: day later. These are all things that are up for discussion, 31 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 1: but the problem is no one wants to have the discussion. 32 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:52,440 Speaker 1: It just seems like here's a slot limit. We're planning 33 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 1: on pushing this forward. Now, there's a lot of personalities 34 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 1: that are involved in this, and there's a lot of 35 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:01,240 Speaker 1: people that need to know about this, So let's break 36 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 1: it down. The introduction of catchway release on some major 37 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:08,079 Speaker 1: platforms like Major League Fishing has turned a lot of 38 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:11,920 Speaker 1: people's attention towards is that something viable that we can do? Kay, 39 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 1: you just mentioned the whole having cell phone reception and 40 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 1: having internet capabilities. It's not always possible. We all know 41 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:22,360 Speaker 1: that as outdoorsman it's really hard to do. Is that 42 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:24,920 Speaker 1: something that would limit the ABT for being able to 43 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:26,240 Speaker 1: do catchway and release? 44 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:28,160 Speaker 2: Yes, I mean, and not just that. 45 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:29,880 Speaker 3: I mean you also have to look at thirty percent 46 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:33,560 Speaker 3: of our anglers that fish thalbambaso are over the age 47 00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:34,320 Speaker 3: of fifty five. 48 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:36,520 Speaker 2: A lot of them are over the age of sixty. 49 00:02:36,919 --> 00:02:40,040 Speaker 3: Just the sheer of ability to be able to work 50 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:42,959 Speaker 3: your cell phones and things like that. You got to 51 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 3: get your glasses on, you got to do all the things. 52 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 3: So it is a little prohibitive and it would really 53 00:02:46,639 --> 00:02:49,840 Speaker 3: narrow our market reach to a younger audience. 54 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:52,280 Speaker 1: But it's not to say that somebody over the age 55 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:54,200 Speaker 1: of fifty five couldn't figure it out right, that. 56 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:56,520 Speaker 3: They couldn't, but we can tell you when we went 57 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:59,680 Speaker 3: to online registration. You know, it is something that you 58 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:00,959 Speaker 3: have to be conditioned with. 59 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:03,320 Speaker 1: Because I know for a fact that if I was 60 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 1: facing fifteen thousand dollars as a prize in mind, I 61 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 1: might sit there and go, well, I probably need to 62 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:08,600 Speaker 1: figure out how to do this. 63 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:11,760 Speaker 3: Yeah, if everyone was forced to do that, maybe, but 64 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:14,680 Speaker 3: if only certain organizations were forced to do it, then 65 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:16,240 Speaker 3: they would be more conditioned to go fish. 66 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 2: Those that did not require that. 67 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:21,520 Speaker 4: Also on that even in my trail, the Silicogga Marine Trail. 68 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:26,520 Speaker 4: What you know, we would have a large investment just 69 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:28,560 Speaker 4: to buy the equipment to do that. And it's not 70 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:30,359 Speaker 4: going to work at all our lakes, and you were 71 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:32,840 Speaker 4: fishing in the rain and everything else. And then what 72 00:03:32,919 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 4: about all the guys, you know, we can't exclude them, 73 00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:38,200 Speaker 4: they're giant too. What about all the guys that are 74 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 4: having the weekend tournament, the Shriners tournament, the tournaments that 75 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:46,320 Speaker 4: raise money for churches. I had a tournament at my 76 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:50,520 Speaker 4: store two weeks ago for ARC We had five hundred 77 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:52,880 Speaker 4: guys there for dinner. We had two hundred boats in 78 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:56,480 Speaker 4: that tournament. We raised sixty two thousand dollars that day 79 00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:59,600 Speaker 4: for charity that goes on all over the place. And 80 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:02,520 Speaker 4: all that gets left out at that point. And the 81 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:05,880 Speaker 4: guys that are wanting to fish a Friday nighter are 82 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:09,040 Speaker 4: a club like hook Ems that I fish in in Solicago, 83 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 4: small club of twenty five guys. There is no way 84 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 4: to accomplish that at this present time. 85 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:16,359 Speaker 1: Some of the things that we're going to discuss in 86 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 1: this because I think every point that I've heard over 87 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 1: the last week or so conversations that I've had with 88 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 1: the two of you individually, also some tournament anglers that 89 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:28,160 Speaker 1: I've discussed with. I've even gone all the way up 90 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:31,040 Speaker 1: to talking to some state senators. I almost talked to 91 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:33,919 Speaker 1: Kittie Britt and Tommy Tubberville because I was like, you 92 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:35,360 Speaker 1: know what, you might as well go all the way 93 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:37,560 Speaker 1: to the state. But the one thing that I've learned 94 00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:40,240 Speaker 1: from all of this is a lot of people have 95 00:04:40,279 --> 00:04:43,000 Speaker 1: some good ideas about what we can do. The problem 96 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:46,080 Speaker 1: is we're living in extremes. You have a slot limit 97 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:49,320 Speaker 1: of fourteen to twenty which, if you know anything about fishing, 98 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:52,120 Speaker 1: a fourteen inch fish, large mouth bass is probably going 99 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:56,320 Speaker 1: to weigh one point four inches point four pounds. That 100 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 1: will take you all the way to the twenty inch limit, 101 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:03,720 Speaker 1: which is about four point three six pounds. That's a 102 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:06,400 Speaker 1: good amount of fish between those numbers that are in 103 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:09,240 Speaker 1: the Kusa River, and those are pretty much the ones 104 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:11,479 Speaker 1: that you see won in tournaments. We're not seeing massive 105 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:14,680 Speaker 1: bags coming out of the Coosa River. But it's a 106 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:17,520 Speaker 1: fun chain to fish, and it's a fun chain to 107 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:19,919 Speaker 1: be on UH and it does a lot for the 108 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:23,440 Speaker 1: local community. Like some of the economic stuff. The things 109 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:26,919 Speaker 1: that I'm hearing from the state legislators and the people 110 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:30,599 Speaker 1: that we've elected to office is the DCNR has the 111 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:34,039 Speaker 1: ability to make any recommendation in any rule that they 112 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:36,560 Speaker 1: want to put on the bodies of water within the 113 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:41,160 Speaker 1: state Alabama. That's one. The second one is we can 114 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:43,839 Speaker 1: look at this and we can go, Okay, catchway release 115 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,680 Speaker 1: may not be good for certain tournament trails, but could 116 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:50,960 Speaker 1: it be utilized in some of them? And should it? 117 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:53,479 Speaker 1: Then we look at the size of the tournaments you 118 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:56,240 Speaker 1: were talking about some of the local ones. Some local 119 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:58,840 Speaker 1: tournaments like a Wednesday Night or Tuesday night or that's 120 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:03,000 Speaker 1: anywhere from five to fifteen maybe thirty boats max for most. 121 00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:05,360 Speaker 1: Then you look at some big trails like the ABT 122 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:09,600 Speaker 1: brings in how many for an ABT North Division. 123 00:06:09,240 --> 00:06:11,000 Speaker 2: Two hundred and twenty five blutes two hundred and. 124 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:14,440 Speaker 1: Twenty five bucks, right, so you have a considerable distance. 125 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:16,080 Speaker 1: And if you look at the number of fish that 126 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:18,560 Speaker 1: are caught, And then you have high school fishing, which 127 00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:20,719 Speaker 1: is something not a lot of people are talking about. 128 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:23,360 Speaker 1: We're trying to grow the outdoors and we're trying to 129 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:26,359 Speaker 1: get kids active in the outdoors. When I was a kid, 130 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:28,919 Speaker 1: we didn't have the ability to go to college to 131 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:33,520 Speaker 1: fish under a college scholarship. That's something that tournament anglers 132 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:35,799 Speaker 1: at the high school level are trying to do. Should 133 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:39,880 Speaker 1: we limit those tournaments to a three fish maximum? Should 134 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:42,200 Speaker 1: we do a three fish limit on those Should they 135 00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:45,200 Speaker 1: be doing catchway release? Should we have over two hundred 136 00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:47,760 Speaker 1: and fifty boats in high school? Should they be able 137 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:51,080 Speaker 1: to battle at the high school level between their school 138 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:54,200 Speaker 1: and then send the best three teams to get into 139 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:57,000 Speaker 1: a more elite thing like an MLF or some of 140 00:06:57,080 --> 00:06:59,560 Speaker 1: the other national trails or you know some even the 141 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 1: bigger state trails. These are all things that I feel 142 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:05,719 Speaker 1: like we need to talk about. The numbers that we're 143 00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:08,279 Speaker 1: seeing from the reports that came out the fourteen to 144 00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:12,000 Speaker 1: twenty inth slot limit are very very confusing. I mean, 145 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:14,920 Speaker 1: we're hearing that they put transmitters in fish, and one 146 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:18,080 Speaker 1: hundred percent of the spotted bass that they put transmitters 147 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:20,240 Speaker 1: in were caught. But then they follow it up and 148 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:23,880 Speaker 1: they say actually more than well, you can't have on 149 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:27,280 Speaker 1: more than one hundred percent, Like mathematically that's not right 150 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:31,160 Speaker 1: going forward. K on the tournament side with those things 151 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:33,600 Speaker 1: that I just laid out. What do you think the 152 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:37,160 Speaker 1: best course of action would be for the DCNR to 153 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:38,720 Speaker 1: look at as a viable option. 154 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:41,680 Speaker 3: You know, I think there's a compromise. I think you go. 155 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:45,200 Speaker 3: We've always operated under a twelve inch minimum on large 156 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:47,120 Speaker 3: mouth and spot of bass on the Coasta River. I 157 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:50,080 Speaker 3: think pretty much standard throughout tournaments. That's where we've been. 158 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:52,600 Speaker 3: When you take that and then take it from a 159 00:07:52,640 --> 00:07:56,280 Speaker 3: fourteen to twenty inch slot, that's a very aggressive approach. 160 00:07:57,280 --> 00:08:00,960 Speaker 3: I think there's some room for a compromise there. I 161 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:03,800 Speaker 3: don't think anyone in the state of Alabama, or anyone 162 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:07,600 Speaker 3: driving from Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, whatever to fish Alabambastro 163 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:09,840 Speaker 3: expects to go to lay Lake and catch eight or 164 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:12,800 Speaker 3: nine pounders. I think they expect to catch four and 165 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:16,480 Speaker 3: five possibly a six. So I think that is what 166 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:18,440 Speaker 3: we would like to achieve, is to have a healthy 167 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:21,200 Speaker 3: fishery for four or fives and sixes, and I think 168 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:24,040 Speaker 3: that can be done with a smaller slot limit. I 169 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:26,840 Speaker 3: also want to say I'm not a biologist, I'm a 170 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:29,680 Speaker 3: marketing person. I'm a tournament organizer, but I also have 171 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:32,720 Speaker 3: the strictest dead fish penalty in all of bass fishing, 172 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 3: we have a one pound dead fish penalty and you 173 00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:39,120 Speaker 3: can only weigh one fish that's dead. So we believe 174 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:42,240 Speaker 3: in conservation. We spend one hundred thousand dollars on fish 175 00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:45,200 Speaker 3: care equipment this year, so we believe in that, and 176 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:48,520 Speaker 3: we wouldn't be here fighting this fight if we didn't 177 00:08:48,559 --> 00:08:51,640 Speaker 3: think that there was some type of compromise that can 178 00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:52,200 Speaker 3: be done. 179 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:55,280 Speaker 1: Now, you did mention the release rate, because there are 180 00:08:55,320 --> 00:08:57,640 Speaker 1: a lot of misnomers out there. If you go to 181 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:00,480 Speaker 1: a tournament schedule and you see that five fish caught, 182 00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:04,520 Speaker 1: five fish were released in, maybe one person weighed in 183 00:09:04,559 --> 00:09:06,400 Speaker 1: a dead fish at some point, these are all very 184 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:09,400 Speaker 1: small numbers compared to what some tournaments bring. It's a 185 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:13,440 Speaker 1: release rate, it's not a live release rate. So we 186 00:09:13,559 --> 00:09:16,200 Speaker 1: release those fish back in. They're alive when they leave 187 00:09:16,280 --> 00:09:19,599 Speaker 1: the boat. Those numbers are counted, But then it's the 188 00:09:19,679 --> 00:09:22,840 Speaker 1: couple days after that. Some people who live on lakes 189 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:25,720 Speaker 1: or just are out there fishing will go to social 190 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:27,680 Speaker 1: media and they will say, look at all these dead 191 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:30,160 Speaker 1: fish that we're seeing. We had that on Lay Lake, 192 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:32,719 Speaker 1: the northern part the river section of Lay Lake, there 193 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:35,640 Speaker 1: was a massive fishkill. Was it a tournament. I don't 194 00:09:35,679 --> 00:09:37,280 Speaker 1: think so. I think it was the fact that they 195 00:09:37,280 --> 00:09:39,800 Speaker 1: weren't moving water and it was stagnant for so long. 196 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:44,240 Speaker 1: So biology wise, none of us are biologists. I wouldn't 197 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:46,200 Speaker 1: even want to point somebody to go, this is the 198 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:49,240 Speaker 1: real facts about what that is. But the reality does 199 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:53,400 Speaker 1: exist that all the things that impact a fishery are 200 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:56,640 Speaker 1: more than just two hundred and twenty five boats going 201 00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:58,080 Speaker 1: out and trying to catch five. 202 00:09:57,880 --> 00:09:59,200 Speaker 2: Fish one time of year. 203 00:09:59,320 --> 00:10:01,840 Speaker 3: You know, most the time we visit tournament, we visit 204 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:04,080 Speaker 3: a location one time a year. There is an occasion 205 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:06,120 Speaker 3: where we'll take our one hundred series the same place 206 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:08,000 Speaker 3: we took a regular series of two hundred and twenty 207 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:10,200 Speaker 3: five boats. But like you mentioned, there's a lot of 208 00:10:10,200 --> 00:10:12,240 Speaker 3: things we had. The same thing happened at Gunnersville and 209 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:15,760 Speaker 3: it was post Alabam Bastrail, but there was a nine 210 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:18,720 Speaker 3: day period where they did not pull water to keep 211 00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:22,240 Speaker 3: ill grass from moving into Browns Creek where the power 212 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:24,440 Speaker 3: boats were going to be. They didn't want that influx 213 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:26,840 Speaker 3: of ell grass going into that area, so they agreed 214 00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:30,679 Speaker 3: that they would not pull water. Well that in June, 215 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:33,200 Speaker 3: when you've had twelve days of over ninety five degrees. 216 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:36,080 Speaker 3: That is going to delineate the auction level in that 217 00:10:36,160 --> 00:10:38,640 Speaker 3: water and it is going to cause deadfish. It happened 218 00:10:38,679 --> 00:10:41,280 Speaker 3: the same time that the situation on Lay Lake happened. 219 00:10:41,679 --> 00:10:45,960 Speaker 3: There's so many factors that affect dead fish, from tournaments 220 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:49,440 Speaker 3: to the low aucyg level to when the lake turns 221 00:10:49,440 --> 00:10:52,320 Speaker 3: over to you know, chemicals that are released in the 222 00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:54,000 Speaker 3: in the water. I mean, I live on Wheeler. We 223 00:10:54,040 --> 00:10:57,440 Speaker 3: have fifty fortune five hundred companies. There's constantly an amount 224 00:10:57,480 --> 00:11:01,360 Speaker 3: of liquid that is in the water that the approves 225 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:05,079 Speaker 3: and all of those things. You also have the fact 226 00:11:05,080 --> 00:11:07,439 Speaker 3: that you know, when these lakes were flooded one hundred 227 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:10,040 Speaker 3: years ago, there's a lot of stumps and trees and 228 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:11,920 Speaker 3: all the things that was there fifty years ago that 229 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:14,640 Speaker 3: now have disintegrated or have gone back to the earth. 230 00:11:14,920 --> 00:11:18,560 Speaker 3: You don't have the ecosystem that you once had. Mike 231 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:21,360 Speaker 3: McClellan at Alabam Power just sent me an email over 232 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:23,960 Speaker 3: the weekend show and all the fish attractors that they deployed. 233 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:26,720 Speaker 3: So they're trying to put those fish attractors back in 234 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:29,600 Speaker 3: the water, but you can't do it at the rate 235 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:33,360 Speaker 3: that they were there. Fifty thirty years ago, So you know, 236 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:35,920 Speaker 3: there's a lot of things that play into this. I 237 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:39,600 Speaker 3: think as fishing organizations, we do have to be top 238 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:43,840 Speaker 3: of mind awareness of fish care. Lee and I both said, 239 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:45,719 Speaker 3: you know, there's so much more that we can do, 240 00:11:46,520 --> 00:11:49,240 Speaker 3: and we're trying to work on that, but you know, 241 00:11:50,679 --> 00:11:53,360 Speaker 3: the economics of this and the objects of this is 242 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:55,640 Speaker 3: really bad for the state of Alabama. We do hope 243 00:11:55,640 --> 00:11:57,720 Speaker 3: that there's cooler minds will prevail and we can get 244 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:01,960 Speaker 3: some type of compromise, but we encourage anglers to be 245 00:12:02,040 --> 00:12:04,240 Speaker 3: you know, and mart mccagu who has won a ton 246 00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:06,920 Speaker 3: of money on our trail. The first time I ever 247 00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:10,480 Speaker 3: announced our dead fish penalty, we had a shouting match. 248 00:12:10,679 --> 00:12:12,840 Speaker 3: I mean it was loud talking, that's what I tend 249 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:15,240 Speaker 3: to call it. But Mark also called me back in 250 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:16,880 Speaker 3: three years and said, I want to tell you something. 251 00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:19,880 Speaker 3: I watch my fish more now than I ever have 252 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:23,400 Speaker 3: because of how significant that dead fish penalty is. When 253 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:27,160 Speaker 3: you go to places like Martin Likely, you know, like Jordan, 254 00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:29,760 Speaker 3: you know now I check my fish more than I 255 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:32,360 Speaker 3: ever did before, and it's because of that strict penalty. 256 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:36,040 Speaker 3: So anglers, tournament organizations and then also cities that host 257 00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:39,040 Speaker 3: these events. We can no longer allow people to travel 258 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:41,600 Speaker 3: ten to fifteen miles off site for dands. 259 00:12:41,920 --> 00:12:46,079 Speaker 1: You know, there are numerous things that I've seen from 260 00:12:46,400 --> 00:12:49,480 Speaker 1: going from a recreational fisherman to doing some of the 261 00:12:49,480 --> 00:12:52,280 Speaker 1: tournament stuff, and I'm by no means like really good 262 00:12:52,280 --> 00:12:55,720 Speaker 1: at it. I just enjoy the camaraderie. I enjoy the competition. 263 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:57,640 Speaker 1: I like being out on the water just as anybody 264 00:12:57,760 --> 00:13:01,120 Speaker 1: who right. But the thing that I continue to go 265 00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:04,160 Speaker 1: back to, and I've said this to a couple guys, 266 00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:08,240 Speaker 1: and this definitely rattles the cages of some people, like 267 00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:11,120 Speaker 1: you were talking about with Mark McCaig. Sometimes you need 268 00:13:11,559 --> 00:13:14,320 Speaker 1: somebody to look in the face and go, this is 269 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:17,240 Speaker 1: why we can't do what we're doing. I've said this 270 00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:20,520 Speaker 1: to several guys. The more tournament anglers jump on social 271 00:13:20,559 --> 00:13:24,920 Speaker 1: media and complain about the lakes, the more the DNR 272 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:27,400 Speaker 1: is going to start looking at it. And it's not 273 00:13:27,679 --> 00:13:30,480 Speaker 1: necessarily good when they start looking at it. It's kind 274 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:32,719 Speaker 1: of like, don't bite the hand that feeds you. If 275 00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:35,600 Speaker 1: they're going to put in regulations, which they're allowed to do, 276 00:13:35,679 --> 00:13:38,199 Speaker 1: they don't have to go through state legislation. They're allowed 277 00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:40,240 Speaker 1: to do that. If they're going to do that based 278 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:42,960 Speaker 1: on complaints that they're seeing, it may not go in 279 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:45,680 Speaker 1: the favor that you want. The worry that I have 280 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:51,720 Speaker 1: is the economic impact that this has because most of 281 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:55,800 Speaker 1: the towns that are along the Coosa River are not big, 282 00:13:56,480 --> 00:14:00,000 Speaker 1: and they determine and rely a lot on what tournament 283 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:02,720 Speaker 1: and fishing brings. People going to restaurants, people stopping buy 284 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:06,360 Speaker 1: tackle shops, going to Silicago Marine, buying a boat, getting 285 00:14:06,360 --> 00:14:09,120 Speaker 1: the boat service there, buying gas at a gas station, 286 00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:14,559 Speaker 1: stopping off and getting snacks, running hotels, getting airbnbs, finding campgrounds. 287 00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:17,960 Speaker 1: All these things impact your local area. And when local 288 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:21,120 Speaker 1: areas don't have a lot, when you take that little 289 00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:24,640 Speaker 1: that they get, that's where the impacts really are. You're 290 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:26,880 Speaker 1: probably going to see that at Silicago Marine. 291 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:29,640 Speaker 4: Well, I a man, We've done a little bit of 292 00:14:29,680 --> 00:14:32,480 Speaker 4: a looking. You know, Let's say we sell one hundred boats, 293 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:35,080 Speaker 4: one hundred bas boats in a year. That number is 294 00:14:35,080 --> 00:14:38,240 Speaker 4: going to get significantly dropped from this. But on one 295 00:14:38,280 --> 00:14:40,600 Speaker 4: hundred bass bots a year, the state collects one hundred 296 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:43,560 Speaker 4: and twenty thousand dollars in tax from me. The county's 297 00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:46,360 Speaker 4: collecting about thirty four thousand dollars of tax from me. 298 00:14:47,640 --> 00:14:50,840 Speaker 4: My business has been there sixty years, and this will 299 00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:55,800 Speaker 4: virtually eliminate bass boat higher end sales. You know. And 300 00:14:55,920 --> 00:14:58,520 Speaker 4: one of their things they talk about only ninety percent 301 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:02,320 Speaker 4: of the fishermen a tournament fishermen. Well, that's probably true 302 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:06,240 Speaker 4: if you count everybody going crappie fishing, briom fishing, cat fishing, 303 00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:10,080 Speaker 4: all the different ways to fish. But ninety percent of 304 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:14,360 Speaker 4: the money generated from fishing is from tournament fishing. Right, 305 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:17,800 Speaker 4: That's where all that money comes from. And though you know, 306 00:15:17,880 --> 00:15:20,840 Speaker 4: you get into the thing hole Spencer, are they going 307 00:15:20,920 --> 00:15:24,080 Speaker 4: to say that Lee and Spencer sitting in a bass 308 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:27,320 Speaker 4: boat can have five fish in our live well, but 309 00:15:27,440 --> 00:15:30,080 Speaker 4: none of them can be between fourteen and twenty inches. 310 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:34,040 Speaker 4: They can say that Jim and Joe over here sitting 311 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:36,840 Speaker 4: in a bass boat that's not in a tournament. Okay, 312 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:40,040 Speaker 4: so this is the big thing. They can carry twenty 313 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:43,480 Speaker 4: their Krell limits ten per man. They can carry twenty 314 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:46,520 Speaker 4: of those fish home in a live well and clean 315 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:49,200 Speaker 4: them and cook them and they never go back. 316 00:15:49,280 --> 00:15:49,480 Speaker 5: Right. 317 00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:52,040 Speaker 1: And what a lot of guys continue to forget is 318 00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:55,080 Speaker 1: if I go out and catch ten fish, I can 319 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:58,800 Speaker 1: still sit there and catch thirty forty fifty more. Absolutely, 320 00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:01,280 Speaker 1: but I can only keep ten, That's right. So what's 321 00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:04,680 Speaker 1: to say that I gut hook a fish and I go, 322 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:06,480 Speaker 1: I don't want to keep that one. I throw it 323 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:09,760 Speaker 1: back in the water. It's swam off. But then you know, 324 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:13,680 Speaker 1: a guy a mile down finds a dead fish and 325 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:15,720 Speaker 1: it happens to be the one. Not that I would know, 326 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:17,720 Speaker 1: but it happens to be the one that I may 327 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:20,280 Speaker 1: have just gut hooked. Well, that's now you know, bait 328 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:23,720 Speaker 1: for a bird or for some other animal that wants 329 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:24,160 Speaker 1: to eat that. 330 00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:27,680 Speaker 4: But how are you gonna single out just the tournament fish? 331 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:31,080 Speaker 1: That's that's my whole thing with this entire deal is 332 00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:33,800 Speaker 1: if you're gonna look at a slot limit, you got 333 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:36,080 Speaker 1: to put it on everybody. If you put a slot 334 00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:38,320 Speaker 1: limit of fourteen to twenty inches on everybody on the 335 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:41,640 Speaker 1: Coosa River will decimate what people do on that lake. 336 00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:44,680 Speaker 1: It'll be a way, And what's happening now under the 337 00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:47,480 Speaker 1: water is just as important as what's happening on top 338 00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:50,040 Speaker 1: of it. When guys see boats and they're taking out 339 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:54,040 Speaker 1: grass and they're eliminating structure, or just like you were 340 00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:56,840 Speaker 1: talking about earlier. K you have stumps that have been 341 00:16:56,880 --> 00:17:00,600 Speaker 1: in the Coosa River for hundreds of years. But then 342 00:17:00,640 --> 00:17:04,240 Speaker 1: you also have when they finally dammed these lakes up 343 00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:06,800 Speaker 1: in the sixties when this was a big thing in 344 00:17:06,840 --> 00:17:10,040 Speaker 1: the United States. A lot of those stumps are now disintegrating. 345 00:17:10,080 --> 00:17:11,600 Speaker 1: It's not nearly as good as it used to be. 346 00:17:11,960 --> 00:17:13,960 Speaker 1: So you have to look at habitat. If you don't 347 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:17,760 Speaker 1: look at habitat, you're literally taking fish on a restocking 348 00:17:17,800 --> 00:17:20,360 Speaker 1: program and you're throwing them in. You're not giving them 349 00:17:20,359 --> 00:17:22,800 Speaker 1: a place to be homed. You're not giving them a 350 00:17:22,840 --> 00:17:25,520 Speaker 1: place to hunt, and then you're not giving the forage, 351 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:28,480 Speaker 1: the bait an opportunity to get away to thrive the 352 00:17:28,560 --> 00:17:34,400 Speaker 1: next day. So we're promoting lean fish that could potentially 353 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:37,520 Speaker 1: come out of restocking programs if we're not giving them 354 00:17:37,560 --> 00:17:40,200 Speaker 1: an actual house. But if we give them a house 355 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:42,800 Speaker 1: and we restock, it's the best of both worlds. 356 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:45,280 Speaker 4: And they won't even allow us. I mean, you know, 357 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:48,760 Speaker 4: uptil we went to the legislature about a year and 358 00:17:48,760 --> 00:17:53,080 Speaker 4: a half ago, we would request permits over and over 359 00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:56,160 Speaker 4: and over again. Biologists down there would not give them 360 00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:58,600 Speaker 4: to us. They don't want us to restock that is 361 00:17:58,640 --> 00:18:00,679 Speaker 4: a fact you got to lose. Look at any of 362 00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:04,000 Speaker 4: their emails they I'll say it. In fact, one made 363 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:06,040 Speaker 4: a comment that you needed to get mortgage all of 364 00:18:06,040 --> 00:18:09,000 Speaker 4: our houses to make it do any good. They will 365 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:13,040 Speaker 4: not give us a chance to restock these lakes. And see, well, 366 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:15,639 Speaker 4: we went to the legislature and got that approved. Kay 367 00:18:15,760 --> 00:18:19,080 Speaker 4: Ive signed it. I still believe to this day some 368 00:18:19,119 --> 00:18:21,800 Speaker 4: of this is retaliation for us getting that done. And 369 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:24,040 Speaker 4: that's what I'm always gonna believe. And that's an opinion. 370 00:18:24,119 --> 00:18:27,080 Speaker 4: I don't have facts to prove that, but why else 371 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:32,640 Speaker 4: would immediately after that they come after only tournament fishermen. 372 00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:35,720 Speaker 1: It is important to restock lakes when you have the 373 00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:38,560 Speaker 1: ability to give those fish somewhere that they can do 374 00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:41,040 Speaker 1: natively what they're supposed to do. That's right, which is one. 375 00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:44,440 Speaker 1: And look, so should we be talking about in addition 376 00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:49,359 Speaker 1: to having restocking, should we have local tournaments and clubs 377 00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:52,800 Speaker 1: and things like that? Really focus more on let's build 378 00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:56,440 Speaker 1: the habitat. Let's get more of those habitat devices out there, 379 00:18:56,520 --> 00:18:59,120 Speaker 1: Let's get more artificial brush piles that are out there. 380 00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:02,600 Speaker 1: I know they don't want guys flooding a pontoon boat 381 00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:04,240 Speaker 1: to go out there with a bunch of trees and 382 00:19:04,280 --> 00:19:06,600 Speaker 1: throw them in there. I understand that. But if we 383 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:09,920 Speaker 1: do the artificial side, you know, are they just as 384 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:13,560 Speaker 1: beneficial to fish populations as a static tree that somebody 385 00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:14,600 Speaker 1: puts in Yeah. 386 00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:18,840 Speaker 3: I mean, I don't know if artificial fish attractors are 387 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:22,360 Speaker 3: as good as someone going out and dumping a pontoon 388 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:24,960 Speaker 3: boat full of cypress trees that they've cut, or Christmas 389 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:27,679 Speaker 3: trees that we've collected, you know, after the holidays or whatever. 390 00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:31,840 Speaker 3: But you know, I do think that enhancing the habitat 391 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:34,680 Speaker 3: is important, and you're going to have people on both 392 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:37,080 Speaker 3: sides of that. There are people who believe that grass 393 00:19:37,119 --> 00:19:40,560 Speaker 3: is very important. You've got people that believe that grasses 394 00:19:40,840 --> 00:19:45,119 Speaker 3: is a nuisance. But on Wheeler, where I lived for 395 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:49,560 Speaker 3: a long time, we were the little sister to Gunnersville 396 00:19:49,600 --> 00:19:52,040 Speaker 3: for a long time, we saw the grass come back 397 00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:55,520 Speaker 3: on Wheeler, absolutely no stocking done, but we saw the 398 00:19:55,560 --> 00:19:58,040 Speaker 3: fishing go up. We saw the cat traits go up, 399 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:00,919 Speaker 3: we saw the weights go up. We saw the quality 400 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:03,280 Speaker 3: of the bass the five and six pounders go up, 401 00:20:03,520 --> 00:20:05,840 Speaker 3: and the health of those bass. And that's the thing 402 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:08,800 Speaker 3: that our team noticed the most when we started seeing 403 00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:11,360 Speaker 3: those five and six pounders come in is they were healthy, 404 00:20:12,040 --> 00:20:13,160 Speaker 3: they weren't beat up. 405 00:20:13,240 --> 00:20:13,800 Speaker 2: You know, they. 406 00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:16,919 Speaker 3: Actually had somewhere to hide in the hot weather. They 407 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:20,240 Speaker 3: had those ambush points to feed on and all those things. 408 00:20:20,280 --> 00:20:23,600 Speaker 3: So no stocking was done in Wheeler, but we got 409 00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:26,280 Speaker 3: the habitat back that we had never had, the habitat 410 00:20:26,320 --> 00:20:27,480 Speaker 3: that Gunnersville now has. 411 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:30,000 Speaker 1: So just imagine this. If you had the habitat like 412 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:32,680 Speaker 1: you do now and you do a restocking program, you're 413 00:20:32,720 --> 00:20:35,600 Speaker 1: giving those fish an opportunity to really thrive. I think 414 00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:38,640 Speaker 1: the two really do work hand in hand. For Lee, 415 00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:41,920 Speaker 1: you being able to go to the state legislature and say, hey, listen, 416 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:44,720 Speaker 1: this is really important. The one thing that I'm seeing 417 00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:47,800 Speaker 1: in this proposal that continues to miss is everybody's hyper 418 00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:49,880 Speaker 1: focused on just the slot limit. And the one thing 419 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:52,439 Speaker 1: that I feel like the state of Alabama is not 420 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:54,600 Speaker 1: doing a good job of is remembering that you're the 421 00:20:54,600 --> 00:20:58,840 Speaker 1: birthplace of bass fishing. Yeah, you are the state that 422 00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:02,800 Speaker 1: everybody in the world looks at and says, well, what 423 00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:05,879 Speaker 1: do they do in Alabama? Now you have certain states 424 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:10,120 Speaker 1: like Florida, Texas, even places in California, which I don't 425 00:21:10,119 --> 00:21:13,359 Speaker 1: think California is a model for conservation at all. But 426 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:15,760 Speaker 1: when you look at some of these places and they're 427 00:21:15,760 --> 00:21:18,480 Speaker 1: putting out big bags, we all have to remember that 428 00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:22,320 Speaker 1: certain lakes dictate how big fish can actually get. Lake 429 00:21:22,359 --> 00:21:23,960 Speaker 1: Fork is a massive body of water. 430 00:21:24,080 --> 00:21:25,960 Speaker 4: Yeah, but that's the one I want to discuss with you, 431 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:28,760 Speaker 4: and they keep going back to it in their emails. 432 00:21:28,640 --> 00:21:31,800 Speaker 1: Because of the lunker program. Yeah, we never asked for that, right. 433 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:36,120 Speaker 4: What we're trying to accomplish here, in my opinions everybody 434 00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:38,040 Speaker 4: be able to catch fish and not go out there 435 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:41,359 Speaker 4: and not catch fish and have the three and four 436 00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:45,760 Speaker 4: pounders out there more than they are because that's the 437 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:47,920 Speaker 4: fish we like to catch in tournaments, and those are 438 00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:51,760 Speaker 4: the fish that people like to catch. We're not trying 439 00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:54,520 Speaker 4: to take six small lakes and turn them into Lake 440 00:21:54,600 --> 00:21:58,760 Speaker 4: Fork and everybody go catch eight pounders, which is still rare. 441 00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:01,800 Speaker 4: And that's or they're guiding us to. And they keep 442 00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:04,480 Speaker 4: going back in their emails from the two biologists to. 443 00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:07,359 Speaker 1: Like, but this is why, and I'll play Devil's advocate 444 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:10,639 Speaker 1: on this. The reason why that happens is you have 445 00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:14,440 Speaker 1: anglers who sit behind a computer and they go, we 446 00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:17,440 Speaker 1: need programs like they have in Texas, and we need 447 00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:21,160 Speaker 1: programs like they have in Florida. Those are completely different 448 00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:23,040 Speaker 1: fisheries no matter how you look at it. 449 00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:25,320 Speaker 4: Well, then also, you're gonna go and you're going to 450 00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:28,680 Speaker 4: do a study that I don't think was done very well. 451 00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:31,199 Speaker 4: You've already gave some of the stuff about it, and 452 00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:32,600 Speaker 4: you're going to do it on one lake. 453 00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:36,199 Speaker 1: It's crazy to think that that would end. 454 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:38,600 Speaker 4: And then we're going to just eliminate the whole Cousa River. 455 00:22:39,119 --> 00:22:42,000 Speaker 4: It's crazy. And then the point that they are just 456 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:46,440 Speaker 4: picking on tournament fishermen, what about everybody else that fishes? 457 00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:50,919 Speaker 4: Why don't we set down calmly with these people? And 458 00:22:51,119 --> 00:22:54,040 Speaker 4: we've offered to me Kay and a whole bunch of us. 459 00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:59,080 Speaker 4: There's things we are willing to agree to as a 460 00:22:59,119 --> 00:23:05,640 Speaker 4: fishing community because we want conservation too. We want good fish, 461 00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:10,040 Speaker 4: but maybe a thirteen to sixteen slot limit. They have 462 00:23:10,080 --> 00:23:13,760 Speaker 4: a thirteen to fifteen like we diw we now something 463 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:16,880 Speaker 4: like that where we can still do what we love 464 00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:20,399 Speaker 4: and get those fish to a bigger age. You know, 465 00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:23,680 Speaker 4: you mentioned it. I've got some guys that weren't like 466 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:26,200 Speaker 4: that you mentioned it, But I'm kind of with you. 467 00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:28,520 Speaker 4: What you know, maybe we've got to go to a 468 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:30,160 Speaker 4: three fish limit on tournaments. 469 00:23:30,240 --> 00:23:32,679 Speaker 1: Well, and I'm not saying all tournaments now to be 470 00:23:32,720 --> 00:23:34,960 Speaker 1: fair the way either. The one that I'm thinking about 471 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:37,640 Speaker 1: more than anything is the high school tournaments. I think 472 00:23:37,800 --> 00:23:40,399 Speaker 1: in Ky you could probably talk to this at the 473 00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:43,879 Speaker 1: bigger scale. I honestly think there's a lot of people 474 00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:47,160 Speaker 1: that are throwing tournaments because they've gotten so excited about 475 00:23:47,200 --> 00:23:48,919 Speaker 1: Like every time I put it on tournament, more and 476 00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:52,000 Speaker 1: more people show up. And that's not necessarily good. I mean, listen, 477 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:54,520 Speaker 1: I love the ABT one hundred. I like the fact 478 00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:57,719 Speaker 1: that it takes an opportunity for you to get into that, 479 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:01,080 Speaker 1: you know, it's a little more exclusive. Things like that. 480 00:24:01,920 --> 00:24:05,080 Speaker 1: We have gotten into a point in society where we're 481 00:24:05,119 --> 00:24:07,320 Speaker 1: like in the fishing society, where it's like, let's just 482 00:24:07,359 --> 00:24:09,400 Speaker 1: throw a tournament and get as many boats as we can. 483 00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:12,119 Speaker 1: Some of these high school tournaments, I mean it's dangerous. 484 00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:14,800 Speaker 1: It's dangerous to have that many boats out on the 485 00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:17,520 Speaker 1: water with a lot of inexperience. Now there's some high 486 00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:20,520 Speaker 1: school anglers that can outfish some of the top pros 487 00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:23,639 Speaker 1: that you see everywhere. I mean they're becoming sticks, but 488 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:26,600 Speaker 1: there are far more numbers of kids who are just 489 00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:29,359 Speaker 1: learning the sport and trying to get into it. I 490 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:31,359 Speaker 1: think a three fish limit is good there because it 491 00:24:31,440 --> 00:24:33,800 Speaker 1: still shows that you're good. You're still catching a lot 492 00:24:33,880 --> 00:24:36,160 Speaker 1: of fish if you're really good. But it also gives 493 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:39,119 Speaker 1: a kid an opportunity who might be low in the 494 00:24:39,200 --> 00:24:41,600 Speaker 1: standings to have a really good string where he got 495 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:43,639 Speaker 1: three fish, he's like, dang, I might actually do all 496 00:24:43,760 --> 00:24:46,639 Speaker 1: right and start to get that excitement. I think the 497 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:48,600 Speaker 1: high school level is where it starts, but I also 498 00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:51,160 Speaker 1: think that's a good place for catchway and release. If 499 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:52,960 Speaker 1: you get the number of boats down and you get 500 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:55,920 Speaker 1: it more of you have a small tournament to qualify 501 00:24:55,960 --> 00:24:57,000 Speaker 1: for the bigger trail. 502 00:24:57,400 --> 00:24:58,919 Speaker 3: You know, and the argument it's always going to be 503 00:24:59,119 --> 00:25:01,359 Speaker 3: is there's not enough tournaments for all the kids to 504 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:04,879 Speaker 3: participate in. The amount of kids that want to fish 505 00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:09,160 Speaker 3: now is unbelievable. And it's great for people likely who 506 00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:10,919 Speaker 3: are going to get that next crew of anglers that 507 00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:12,600 Speaker 3: are going to come in and buy boats and all 508 00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:15,440 Speaker 3: the things, and it's great for our industry, but it 509 00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:18,520 Speaker 3: does have to be managed. I mean, you have certain 510 00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:21,760 Speaker 3: amount of MLB teams, you have a certain amount of 511 00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:23,760 Speaker 3: college teams, you have a certain amount of you know, 512 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:26,439 Speaker 3: so even in other professional sports, you do have to 513 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:28,159 Speaker 3: have a certain amount the. 514 00:25:30,080 --> 00:25:32,600 Speaker 1: Right football right, you know, and you're the forty one 515 00:25:32,680 --> 00:25:34,840 Speaker 1: guy out. You know, you didn't make the cut, you 516 00:25:34,840 --> 00:25:37,800 Speaker 1: didn't make the team. You know, it's not an opportunity 517 00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:40,640 Speaker 1: where everybody should be able to compete, like you have 518 00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:43,000 Speaker 1: to have these qualifiers in order to get there. There's 519 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:45,600 Speaker 1: a reason why the bass Master elites are regarded as 520 00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:48,200 Speaker 1: the best because they have to go through an arduous 521 00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:51,359 Speaker 1: qualification in order to get there. Were some other tournaments 522 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:53,320 Speaker 1: they basically just said to you an email and go, 523 00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:55,080 Speaker 1: we have an open spot. Why don't you jump in? 524 00:25:55,240 --> 00:25:57,199 Speaker 1: You can have the notation of who you are, right. 525 00:25:57,840 --> 00:26:00,600 Speaker 3: There are some people that can participate in the A say, BFA. 526 00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:03,200 Speaker 3: There's some that can participate in bass because now bass 527 00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:05,280 Speaker 3: moves around with all the high school and all of that. 528 00:26:05,760 --> 00:26:07,680 Speaker 3: But when you really look at it, you know, we've 529 00:26:07,680 --> 00:26:10,960 Speaker 3: talked about everything from permitting to all kinds of things. 530 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:14,000 Speaker 3: There are so many trails right now, and high school 531 00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:18,520 Speaker 3: has five or six trails, and it is I mean, 532 00:26:18,600 --> 00:26:22,119 Speaker 3: it's it's hard. You know, these guys need to be 533 00:26:22,160 --> 00:26:24,919 Speaker 3: taught conservation, they need to be taught sportsmanship and all 534 00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:26,840 Speaker 3: the things. I'll say that for people in my trail 535 00:26:26,920 --> 00:26:29,120 Speaker 3: as well. There are some that do it better than others. 536 00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:31,800 Speaker 3: We all have to take responsibility for that. But high 537 00:26:31,800 --> 00:26:35,800 Speaker 3: school fishing is the largest and the fastest growing segment 538 00:26:35,800 --> 00:26:37,919 Speaker 3: of our business, and we must pay attention to that. 539 00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:40,160 Speaker 3: They're the next Alabam Bastro angler. They're the next person 540 00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:42,160 Speaker 3: who's going to go to Silicong Marian and buy boat, 541 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:44,159 Speaker 3: So we have to pay attention to that. But I 542 00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:46,720 Speaker 3: think we have to start now training them in the 543 00:26:46,720 --> 00:26:48,280 Speaker 3: way that we need them to go. We need to 544 00:26:48,320 --> 00:26:53,239 Speaker 3: teach them that conservation side of it as well as 545 00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:55,440 Speaker 3: the competitive side of it. And it's going to start 546 00:26:55,480 --> 00:27:00,760 Speaker 3: with those tournament organizers to is it better to have 547 00:27:00,920 --> 00:27:03,240 Speaker 3: two hundred and fifty boats or three hundred boats and 548 00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:06,439 Speaker 3: three hundred twenty boats depending on the tournament you're talking about, 549 00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:08,399 Speaker 3: or is it best for us to limit it to 550 00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:11,240 Speaker 3: one hundred and fifty. But what we've seen is when 551 00:27:11,280 --> 00:27:13,119 Speaker 3: one tournament trail says Okay, I'm going to limit it 552 00:27:13,119 --> 00:27:15,840 Speaker 3: to one hundred and fifty, then another diad or whoever 553 00:27:15,880 --> 00:27:17,880 Speaker 3: goes over here and says, well, my kid didn't get 554 00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:19,320 Speaker 3: in that one hundred and fifty. I'm going to start 555 00:27:19,320 --> 00:27:21,560 Speaker 3: this trail and we're going to have another seventy five, right, 556 00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:24,520 Speaker 3: and then now we're doing one hundred and the lake. Yeah, 557 00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:25,960 Speaker 3: now we're a one hundred and fifty on this end 558 00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:27,600 Speaker 3: of the lake. We're seventy five boats on this end 559 00:27:27,640 --> 00:27:30,359 Speaker 3: of the lake, and then somewhere in between at First Creek, 560 00:27:30,359 --> 00:27:33,240 Speaker 3: we're going to do a thirty five boat club tournament. 561 00:27:33,320 --> 00:27:37,040 Speaker 2: So you still have that, and I get it. 562 00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:40,400 Speaker 3: Unfortunately, sometimes as long as there's money to be paid 563 00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:42,520 Speaker 3: for entry fees, there's always going to be someone starting 564 00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:43,200 Speaker 3: a tournament trail. 565 00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:45,840 Speaker 1: I've had a couple people give me some information. I 566 00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:48,160 Speaker 1: just want to really figure out what it is. I'd 567 00:27:48,160 --> 00:27:50,320 Speaker 1: love for the DNR to comment on this. Believe me, 568 00:27:50,359 --> 00:27:53,840 Speaker 1: I've invited several people from the state legislature and their 569 00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:57,520 Speaker 1: organization to jump on this. They didn't decline, but they 570 00:27:57,520 --> 00:27:59,960 Speaker 1: also didn't respond, So that'll just tell you whatever you want. 571 00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:04,600 Speaker 1: But what I would love to truly know about the 572 00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:08,440 Speaker 1: permit side of this is does Alabama actually have a 573 00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:10,520 Speaker 1: permit deal where you have to get a permit in 574 00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:13,600 Speaker 1: order to throw a tournament, because I don't think that 575 00:28:13,760 --> 00:28:16,320 Speaker 1: you know your local joe blow tournament guys, and you 576 00:28:16,320 --> 00:28:18,080 Speaker 1: know your local clubs, they're not signed up. 577 00:28:18,240 --> 00:28:22,000 Speaker 4: Well, and then you can't. You know, it's not going 578 00:28:22,080 --> 00:28:24,320 Speaker 4: to be a fire system. It's going to have to 579 00:28:24,359 --> 00:28:25,400 Speaker 4: be done somehow. 580 00:28:25,520 --> 00:28:27,480 Speaker 1: Were they, but right now it doesn't exist. 581 00:28:28,080 --> 00:28:30,080 Speaker 3: There is a permit that you can get and we 582 00:28:30,119 --> 00:28:32,960 Speaker 3: do apply for it, but it's not required. We do 583 00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:35,760 Speaker 3: it out of we were told when we started the 584 00:28:35,760 --> 00:28:38,880 Speaker 3: Albambastao and honestly, we worked very closely with Department of 585 00:28:38,880 --> 00:28:41,840 Speaker 3: Conservation because when we first announced the alban Bastarew we 586 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:44,080 Speaker 3: had no dead fish. You could not weigh a dead fish, 587 00:28:44,080 --> 00:28:45,200 Speaker 3: you could not call a dead fish. 588 00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:46,320 Speaker 4: We still have that role. 589 00:28:46,440 --> 00:28:49,240 Speaker 3: And then we went back to Department of Conservation after 590 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:52,720 Speaker 3: Martin mccagu and said several others from the Kusa River 591 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:55,560 Speaker 3: explained how hard it is to keep spot a bass alive, 592 00:28:56,040 --> 00:28:57,520 Speaker 3: you know, especially in the hot time of the year 593 00:28:57,640 --> 00:29:00,120 Speaker 3: or just post a spawn. 594 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:01,000 Speaker 2: So we went back. 595 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:04,160 Speaker 3: That's when Stan Cook was in in there and I 596 00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:06,560 Speaker 3: worked with Stan and I said, would you be okay? 597 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:08,520 Speaker 3: Would you sign off on us having a one dead 598 00:29:08,560 --> 00:29:11,160 Speaker 3: fish and that be it and no calling of dead 599 00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:12,640 Speaker 3: and to be a one pound penalty, and. 600 00:29:12,600 --> 00:29:13,360 Speaker 2: He agreed to that. 601 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:16,440 Speaker 3: So that's the dead fish penalty that we went under 602 00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:18,680 Speaker 3: year one in twenty fourteen and is still where we 603 00:29:18,720 --> 00:29:21,640 Speaker 3: are today. We've done other things in the summer, and 604 00:29:21,680 --> 00:29:23,320 Speaker 3: I know Lee has done this this as well. 605 00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:24,600 Speaker 2: We opened up our scales. 606 00:29:24,360 --> 00:29:25,480 Speaker 1: And tournaments in this summer. 607 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:28,920 Speaker 3: We open our scales an hour early, you know, so 608 00:29:28,960 --> 00:29:30,920 Speaker 3: we we try to do all the things we can 609 00:29:30,960 --> 00:29:35,640 Speaker 3: do to prevent this. But there is a permit that 610 00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:39,280 Speaker 3: you can get. It's not required, not everyone does it. 611 00:29:39,520 --> 00:29:41,800 Speaker 1: And because it's not wire do you feel do you 612 00:29:41,840 --> 00:29:44,480 Speaker 1: feel that would impact on now? Okay, only we call 613 00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:44,760 Speaker 1: that out. 614 00:29:44,800 --> 00:29:46,720 Speaker 4: What are you going to do? You're gonna you're gonna 615 00:29:46,760 --> 00:29:49,320 Speaker 4: cut out the little guy or you're gonna tell me 616 00:29:49,480 --> 00:29:52,840 Speaker 4: and Kay and the Airport Trail, the case of River 617 00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:55,560 Speaker 4: Team Trail, some of the other trails that really care 618 00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:58,640 Speaker 4: about this stuff that we've got to go to battle 619 00:29:58,640 --> 00:30:01,040 Speaker 4: to say who gets the permit for that weekend? And 620 00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:03,760 Speaker 4: now you're going to have you know, the guys that's 621 00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:07,880 Speaker 4: goot clubs all over the state of Alabama. They will 622 00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:11,600 Speaker 4: never get permit. The guys fishing at the Little Friday 623 00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:13,840 Speaker 4: Nighter is never going to be able to get a permit. 624 00:30:14,280 --> 00:30:18,840 Speaker 4: You have excluded three quarters of all the fishermen that 625 00:30:18,880 --> 00:30:21,960 Speaker 4: are fishing tournaments, and that's just absolutely not fair. 626 00:30:22,120 --> 00:30:24,880 Speaker 1: So that brings me to my next thought that I 627 00:30:24,960 --> 00:30:27,520 Speaker 1: know a lot of people have said the idea of 628 00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:31,760 Speaker 1: not having tournaments on any Alabama lake between June and August, 629 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:35,640 Speaker 1: so you basically eliminate June, July, and August into the 630 00:30:35,720 --> 00:30:36,760 Speaker 1: first of September. 631 00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:39,440 Speaker 4: I would almost go for the July August thing, but 632 00:30:39,480 --> 00:30:41,880 Speaker 4: I don't think that's great because there's still guys that 633 00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:43,880 Speaker 4: want to go out there and fish. They're still having 634 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:45,040 Speaker 4: night tournament. 635 00:30:44,640 --> 00:30:46,680 Speaker 1: But only tournaments. Like if we were talking about if 636 00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:48,800 Speaker 1: you want to go out and do recreational stuff, because 637 00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:51,080 Speaker 1: if you kill a fish, you know that now goes 638 00:30:51,120 --> 00:30:53,280 Speaker 1: against your career limit. If you have it in your life, well, 639 00:30:53,360 --> 00:30:56,240 Speaker 1: now that again, that's such a big gray area because 640 00:30:56,280 --> 00:30:58,320 Speaker 1: if you're just out recreational fishing, you don't want to 641 00:30:58,400 --> 00:31:00,280 Speaker 1: keep one that's been dead for twenty mins as you 642 00:31:00,320 --> 00:31:02,480 Speaker 1: didn't realize it. You just throw it back in the water. 643 00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:06,120 Speaker 1: Nobody knows anything you know, would you be more of 644 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:09,240 Speaker 1: a proponent of we don't fish when it is brutally 645 00:31:09,320 --> 00:31:11,080 Speaker 1: hot between July and August. 646 00:31:11,320 --> 00:31:14,400 Speaker 4: I don't do it anyway. I don't know that I 647 00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:18,040 Speaker 4: want to get on anybody that does. But as far 648 00:31:18,160 --> 00:31:21,400 Speaker 4: as my trail, we have our last tournaments start a 649 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:23,880 Speaker 4: gene right, and we have no tournaments through the heat 650 00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:25,720 Speaker 4: of summer. Now, I'm not going to sit here and 651 00:31:25,760 --> 00:31:27,680 Speaker 4: lie to you either. I don't really like setting out 652 00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:29,719 Speaker 4: there in the heat of summer, so we're gonna be 653 00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:33,200 Speaker 4: real honest about it. I had a little control over that, 654 00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:35,840 Speaker 4: so we're not fishing in the summer. But I also 655 00:31:36,600 --> 00:31:39,920 Speaker 4: think once salt water gets really really hot, that there's 656 00:31:40,560 --> 00:31:43,520 Speaker 4: got I mean, it's got to hurt the fish more 657 00:31:43,680 --> 00:31:46,800 Speaker 4: to be turning those fish back in super hot water. Now, 658 00:31:46,800 --> 00:31:48,600 Speaker 4: I have no way to justify that. I don't know 659 00:31:48,640 --> 00:31:50,680 Speaker 4: if that's true. Okay, make and speak on it. 660 00:31:50,840 --> 00:31:51,120 Speaker 5: You can. 661 00:31:51,400 --> 00:31:53,920 Speaker 1: On your side with the Alabama Bass Trail, you guys 662 00:31:53,960 --> 00:31:56,040 Speaker 1: are regarded as the biggest in the state, the best 663 00:31:56,080 --> 00:31:58,520 Speaker 1: in the state. As far as what you do. Has 664 00:31:58,520 --> 00:32:01,280 Speaker 1: that been a conversation of we don't run tournaments between 665 00:32:01,320 --> 00:32:02,120 Speaker 1: July and August. 666 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:02,600 Speaker 2: We don't. 667 00:32:02,640 --> 00:32:05,160 Speaker 3: We never have had julyne August tournaments. Even when we 668 00:32:05,160 --> 00:32:08,760 Speaker 3: were in COVID, we never put tournaments in July and August. 669 00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:11,600 Speaker 3: We always move those to September. When we have had 670 00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:14,880 Speaker 3: tournaments postponed due to high water at Pickwick, we had 671 00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:17,480 Speaker 3: to move a tournament to September because we don't fish 672 00:32:17,480 --> 00:32:21,280 Speaker 3: in July and August. I think that's very important, you know, 673 00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:24,520 Speaker 3: and it's probably selfish for us, because really julyne August 674 00:32:24,520 --> 00:32:26,560 Speaker 3: are the only times that we would have time to 675 00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:29,360 Speaker 3: even think about a vacation, just simply because of the 676 00:32:29,480 --> 00:32:31,640 Speaker 3: number of tournaments we do, the number of consumer shows 677 00:32:31,640 --> 00:32:33,320 Speaker 3: we do for the tourism side of what we do. 678 00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:35,200 Speaker 1: It's not like you operate with a lot of people 679 00:32:36,120 --> 00:32:37,720 Speaker 1: two places in one time, right. 680 00:32:37,760 --> 00:32:41,640 Speaker 3: We have two employees, so you know, we're totally for that. 681 00:32:41,760 --> 00:32:43,560 Speaker 3: But I know that a lot of the high schools, 682 00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:46,800 Speaker 3: a lot of the charity tournaments happened during that time 683 00:32:46,880 --> 00:32:49,320 Speaker 3: because they don't want to compete with Lee's schedule or 684 00:32:49,320 --> 00:32:51,960 Speaker 3: my schedule, because they want the most anglers they can get, 685 00:32:52,280 --> 00:32:54,920 Speaker 3: especially for charity events, and so they hold them during 686 00:32:54,960 --> 00:32:57,760 Speaker 3: those times. I know a songwriter's event at Pickwick always 687 00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:00,800 Speaker 3: happens in August, and I, you know, I always consult 688 00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:03,080 Speaker 3: with them about their fish care. But that's when they 689 00:33:03,080 --> 00:33:05,960 Speaker 3: can get the most anglers because they're not fighting. Because 690 00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:08,160 Speaker 3: a guy's not going to not fish an Alabama Bastral 691 00:33:08,200 --> 00:33:11,160 Speaker 3: event to go fish one for five thousand dollars. It's 692 00:33:11,200 --> 00:33:14,000 Speaker 3: a charity event because he needs the points in the 693 00:33:14,040 --> 00:33:16,440 Speaker 3: Albam Bastrail or he needs it in Lee's Trail to 694 00:33:16,440 --> 00:33:20,160 Speaker 3: get to his championship. So, you know, I took a 695 00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:23,400 Speaker 3: little offense to their comments about that in their report, 696 00:33:23,520 --> 00:33:27,000 Speaker 3: saying that we encourage people to weigh substandard bags or 697 00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:29,800 Speaker 3: non competitive bags of fish so that they're awarded points 698 00:33:29,800 --> 00:33:32,680 Speaker 3: for the championship later on. That one hundred percent is 699 00:33:32,680 --> 00:33:35,840 Speaker 3: how bass fishing has worked from its inception. That's how 700 00:33:35,880 --> 00:33:37,640 Speaker 3: you get to the bass Master Classic. 701 00:33:37,280 --> 00:33:38,000 Speaker 2: For God's sakes. 702 00:33:38,400 --> 00:33:42,720 Speaker 3: So not everybody can win an Alabama Bastrail tournament. I mean, 703 00:33:42,760 --> 00:33:45,959 Speaker 3: not everybody can get a check. So if you're saying, okay, 704 00:33:45,960 --> 00:33:48,160 Speaker 3: if you're in forty first place, you just don't weigh 705 00:33:48,160 --> 00:33:51,920 Speaker 3: your fish, you're done, then okay, we have a championship 706 00:33:51,920 --> 00:33:53,080 Speaker 3: of four hundred and fifty. 707 00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:55,120 Speaker 1: Both and the one thing that's the one thing that 708 00:33:55,120 --> 00:33:57,000 Speaker 1: I feel like they're missing on that. I can speak 709 00:33:57,000 --> 00:33:58,640 Speaker 1: to this because this is kind of where I'm at 710 00:33:58,640 --> 00:34:01,240 Speaker 1: in the rankings. Right when I get into a tournament trail, 711 00:34:01,360 --> 00:34:03,840 Speaker 1: I want to see how I did compared to last year. 712 00:34:03,840 --> 00:34:05,720 Speaker 1: I want to see if I've gotten better. I want 713 00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:08,000 Speaker 1: to see where other guys have been, you know, have 714 00:34:08,120 --> 00:34:10,120 Speaker 1: some of the top guys fallen off a little bit. 715 00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:13,839 Speaker 1: I look at it more as if I'm out there, 716 00:34:13,960 --> 00:34:16,279 Speaker 1: I'm weighing in fish. If I caught a fish, I'm 717 00:34:16,320 --> 00:34:17,839 Speaker 1: weighing it. I don't care if I walk up there 718 00:34:17,840 --> 00:34:20,880 Speaker 1: with it. You are hard right, Like that's me And 719 00:34:21,239 --> 00:34:23,319 Speaker 1: I'm a showman. So if I get on stage, you know, 720 00:34:23,320 --> 00:34:25,319 Speaker 1: I'm going to show off that big one pounder like 721 00:34:25,360 --> 00:34:28,319 Speaker 1: nobody's business. So I don't feel like anybody should tell 722 00:34:28,360 --> 00:34:31,320 Speaker 1: me how I handle what I do when I'm weighing 723 00:34:31,320 --> 00:34:33,399 Speaker 1: in a fish. But I do care about fish care. 724 00:34:33,719 --> 00:34:36,279 Speaker 1: I care about the habitat. I care about what we're 725 00:34:36,280 --> 00:34:38,800 Speaker 1: doing on the water. I care about what we're pumping 726 00:34:38,800 --> 00:34:41,360 Speaker 1: into the waters and what we're taking out of the waters. 727 00:34:41,800 --> 00:34:45,120 Speaker 1: There is way more of a conversation that needs to happen, 728 00:34:45,440 --> 00:34:49,879 Speaker 1: and it would be extremely detrimental if the DCNR just said, well, 729 00:34:50,760 --> 00:34:53,120 Speaker 1: we spend eight hundred and thirty three thousand dollars in 730 00:34:53,280 --> 00:34:56,120 Speaker 1: change of taxpayer money, so we're going to take this 731 00:34:56,160 --> 00:34:58,440 Speaker 1: and we're going to run with it. You have to 732 00:34:58,480 --> 00:35:00,760 Speaker 1: start looking at this objectively. I think it's a great 733 00:35:00,800 --> 00:35:05,640 Speaker 1: start of a conversation, and you exactly. I agree, And 734 00:35:05,680 --> 00:35:07,879 Speaker 1: I think that that's where it all starts. And if 735 00:35:07,920 --> 00:35:10,279 Speaker 1: we start to see some people not want to have 736 00:35:10,320 --> 00:35:13,520 Speaker 1: those conversations, then you know you have some bigger problems. 737 00:35:13,880 --> 00:35:16,560 Speaker 1: On the phone is Gene Gilliland. He is the director 738 00:35:16,600 --> 00:35:21,799 Speaker 1: of Conservation for bass or bass Master. Gene, Really, what 739 00:35:21,920 --> 00:35:24,160 Speaker 1: are the steps that you feel like needs to happen here? 740 00:35:24,400 --> 00:35:26,480 Speaker 5: The first thing is is we need to have a 741 00:35:26,520 --> 00:35:31,319 Speaker 5: sit down meeting with with all the stakeholders and and 742 00:35:31,920 --> 00:35:38,280 Speaker 5: I really can't tell you what strategy is the best 743 00:35:38,400 --> 00:35:43,279 Speaker 5: to fit uh, not just le Neelie Henry, but the 744 00:35:43,560 --> 00:35:48,000 Speaker 5: CUSA system. Yeah, you know, without seeing all the data 745 00:35:48,080 --> 00:35:51,160 Speaker 5: from from all of those legs to see how this 746 00:35:51,400 --> 00:35:57,440 Speaker 5: really fits in. So yeah, I'd be very hesitant to say, well, 747 00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:02,839 Speaker 5: all you need to do is regulate summertime tournaments and 748 00:36:03,080 --> 00:36:06,120 Speaker 5: not allow tournaments in July or August or you know 749 00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:12,240 Speaker 5: something like that. I don't know that that's the correct answer, 750 00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:16,960 Speaker 5: and certainly for I can't speak for all of the 751 00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:21,759 Speaker 5: other stakeholders that have a stake in this game, right, 752 00:36:21,920 --> 00:36:26,120 Speaker 5: So I think the first the first debt really is 753 00:36:27,680 --> 00:36:35,040 Speaker 5: to get everybody together and talk about the what are 754 00:36:35,120 --> 00:36:39,280 Speaker 5: some other possible solutions. It may be that the slot 755 00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:45,680 Speaker 5: limit is part of that solution. Maybe it's certain times 756 00:36:45,719 --> 00:36:49,319 Speaker 5: of the year. Maybe you adjust those numbers up and 757 00:36:49,360 --> 00:36:56,879 Speaker 5: down somehow. Maybe you create a tournament registration system that 758 00:36:57,120 --> 00:37:00,160 Speaker 5: some of the other states have used very successfully to 759 00:37:00,200 --> 00:37:06,600 Speaker 5: help kind of moderate some of that fishing pressure, or 760 00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:11,760 Speaker 5: a permit system where the state actually steps in and says, okay, 761 00:37:11,840 --> 00:37:15,719 Speaker 5: we don't want more than x number of tournaments on 762 00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:21,279 Speaker 5: these lakes during certain times of the year, or or 763 00:37:21,640 --> 00:37:26,840 Speaker 5: put other kinds of restrictions on and you figure out, okay, 764 00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:31,839 Speaker 5: can everybody live with that? What whatever solution we come 765 00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:35,960 Speaker 5: up with their strategies, You go all the way around 766 00:37:35,960 --> 00:37:38,160 Speaker 5: the table and talk to all of these stakeholders and 767 00:37:38,239 --> 00:37:41,400 Speaker 5: find out, you know, not everybody's going to get everything 768 00:37:41,440 --> 00:37:44,279 Speaker 5: they want. There's going to have to be some compromise there. 769 00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:48,680 Speaker 5: But what what kind of solutions can we come up 770 00:37:48,719 --> 00:37:52,440 Speaker 5: with it, everybody can live. And that's that's our hope, 771 00:37:52,520 --> 00:37:55,640 Speaker 5: is that we can get get some kind of a 772 00:37:55,680 --> 00:38:00,640 Speaker 5: meeting like that put together and hopefully fairly soon. Uh 773 00:38:00,840 --> 00:38:02,960 Speaker 5: So that because I know there are a lot of 774 00:38:03,400 --> 00:38:07,520 Speaker 5: tournament organizations that are already got schedules out for next year, 775 00:38:08,320 --> 00:38:10,920 Speaker 5: and there are Cousa River Lakes on a lot of 776 00:38:10,960 --> 00:38:18,960 Speaker 5: people's schedules, and so the potential impact of something happening 777 00:38:19,520 --> 00:38:25,640 Speaker 5: fairly quickly that you know there there could be some 778 00:38:25,640 --> 00:38:29,600 Speaker 5: some real negative impacts uh to some of those organizations 779 00:38:30,520 --> 00:38:33,920 Speaker 5: if this thing was to pass as it was proposed 780 00:38:34,560 --> 00:38:38,760 Speaker 5: and go into effect. Uh you know this spring sometimes 781 00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:42,279 Speaker 5: but I think uh as one of the people we 782 00:38:42,280 --> 00:38:44,600 Speaker 5: were talking to when this first came out, we said, hey, 783 00:38:44,680 --> 00:38:47,680 Speaker 5: let we need to get to Alabama Fisheries people to 784 00:38:47,760 --> 00:38:50,160 Speaker 5: just pump the brakes on this thing and let's get 785 00:38:50,160 --> 00:38:51,879 Speaker 5: everybody together and talk about it. Well. 786 00:38:51,880 --> 00:38:53,719 Speaker 1: I appreciate both of you guys for coming in. I 787 00:38:53,800 --> 00:38:56,440 Speaker 1: truly do I feel like that this is the start 788 00:38:57,160 --> 00:39:01,000 Speaker 1: of the conversation that could happen. They're more than welcome 789 00:39:01,040 --> 00:39:03,560 Speaker 1: to jump into the conversation. Will they I don't know, 790 00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:06,440 Speaker 1: but I do go back to the most power that 791 00:39:06,520 --> 00:39:10,080 Speaker 1: we have as anglers and as taxpayers and residents of 792 00:39:10,120 --> 00:39:12,719 Speaker 1: the great state of Alabama. You should be talking to 793 00:39:12,760 --> 00:39:15,080 Speaker 1: your congress people. You should be talking to your senators 794 00:39:15,440 --> 00:39:18,720 Speaker 1: whether or not they can do anything inside legislature right now, 795 00:39:18,960 --> 00:39:20,759 Speaker 1: at least get it on their radar. Well all, because 796 00:39:20,840 --> 00:39:22,239 Speaker 1: what you don't know is what you don't know. 797 00:39:22,440 --> 00:39:26,040 Speaker 4: Call the DNR. Leave messages for mister blank and ship. 798 00:39:26,080 --> 00:39:29,200 Speaker 4: Betsy's a real nice lady. She answers the phone. I'm 799 00:39:29,200 --> 00:39:33,879 Speaker 4: not encouraging anybody to call down there with a bad attitude. 800 00:39:33,920 --> 00:39:36,360 Speaker 4: You need to be nice. But we need more voices. 801 00:39:36,400 --> 00:39:39,040 Speaker 4: We need everybody to speak up right now to help 802 00:39:39,080 --> 00:39:41,799 Speaker 4: get this where we can have that conversation. 803 00:39:41,320 --> 00:39:44,240 Speaker 1: With Lee Holmes of Silicaga Marine, Kay Donaldson of the ABT. 804 00:39:44,400 --> 00:39:47,120 Speaker 1: Appreciate you guys. I'm Spencer Graves. You can always download 805 00:39:47,160 --> 00:39:50,160 Speaker 1: all these podcasts when you go on the iHeartRadio network.