BassBlaster

Bassers vs. Lake Assoc.’s in MN

What’s going on up there in foggy-eyed fish country? From an op-ed in the Alexandria, MN Echo Press, sounds like lake associations and bassin’ clubs are going toe to toe – or are about to…the latest in the ongoing battle between people who live on lakes, and the folks who fish them.

Check out these excerpts:

They roar around in shallow bays with their big boats and huge motors for several days of pre-tournament fishing, as well as the day(s) of the tournament. This stirs up sediment from the bottom the lake, which allows phosphorous and other contaminants that had been settled down, to re-enter the waters of the lake. These pollutants promote noxious weed growth and cause other problems throughout the lake.

After fishing, they use their huge motors to “power load” the heavy boats onto their trailers. The prop wash from this practice causes large holes at the lake end of the concrete of the landing and a build-up of sand, etc. on the lake side of this hole. This creates at least two problems. Someone putting a boat in to the lake could back up too far whereby the trailer could fall into this hole. Anyone backing their boat off the trailer without the motor very trimmed up could suffer lower motor damage by backing into this build-up.

Lake associations…are the very institutions that are doing the most to protect the lakes, and have to deal with the problems caused by vagabond bass chasers who leave the problems behind.

I think two things should be done before any more tournaments are held: There should be rules about traveling at a slow or trolling speed when moving about in the shallow bays. These rules should be monitored and enforced by disqualification for violators. Secondly, bass federations should work with the DNR to extend the concrete ramps into deeper water to mitigate problems caused by power-loading boats.

These are just two issues and I am sure there are more. Without addressing these and other issues, I am all for a lifetime boycott of our lakes by bass tournaments.

Dang, Jethro!

7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. tumblebug

    June 16, 2011 at 12:30 pm

    First question for this discussion is, who wons the lake?

  2. Dean Jones

    June 16, 2011 at 1:23 pm

    Polluntants promote weed growth? I stirred up the bottom of table rock lake all the time and still no weeds just rocks. Maybe they can ship some of that special pollutants down here.

    I bet the other problems are just his problems, most likely I don’t want to share my fish with anyone.

    If you back your boat too far into the lake with or without a hole you will have problems.

  3. Chad Keogh

    June 16, 2011 at 11:15 pm

    I don’t know about in the USA, but here in Canada lakes are public domain. For people who live on the lake to be able to tell me how to use the resource is insane. That would be like me buying a house on a particular street and telling drivers how they can or cannot drive on “my road”.

    • Jeremy Adair

      June 17, 2011 at 2:42 am

      In MN, property rights end at the water line. Supposedly. It doesn’t stop people from sitting on their deck with a BB gun and shoot at you when you try to fish their dock.

      Likewise, once in a while when driving down the road you’ll see a sign that says “The freaking speed limit is 30, Hotrod! SLOW DOWN!!”

  4. Bass Pundit

    June 17, 2011 at 4:31 am

    I think most of what that guy has to say is BS, but there is no doubt power loading can be a problem at some ramps; But I think that is a small problem and bass boats are not the only people that power load with big engines. However, it is the DNR, not lake associations that are responsible for boat public accesses. Lake associations are free to build a private ramp on private property, provided they get the proper permit.

    I also will say it is patently false that “Lake associations…are the very institutions that are doing the most to protect the lakes”. Lake associations/ lake shore owners do a lot of questionable things.

  5. 5bites

    June 17, 2011 at 9:11 am

    Lol @ Dean. If Table Rock gets grass I’ll never leave the state again!

  6. Macsimus

    June 22, 2011 at 1:18 pm

    Of course, whomever wrote that load of dookey conveniently failed to mention that most of the phosporous in the lakes is there because it washes off the manicured lawns of the lakeshore owners.

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