I think I see KVD down there!
When the biggest names in B.A.S.S., in the biggest tournament in bass fishing, milk a relatively small area like the west end of Lake Cataouatche for hundreds of pounds of pre-spawn largemouths, you know it’s just a matter of time before that spot turns into a fiberglass sidewalk.
On the coast we call it potlicking. That’s when you’re on a spot wearing out a load of fish and some jackleg fishing a bent-rod pattern swoops in and tries to nibble on the scraps or ‘lick the pot’. According to Louisiana Delta legend Steve Rockweiler [via BassFan] there’s a whole legion of potlickers doing their best KVD impression in Cataouatche right now. He says he “stopped counting at 120 boats in the tank pond on Saturday.”
Crazy, but not surprising.
The relentless pressure a delicate spawning area like Lake Cataouatche receives in the wake of an event like the Bassmaster Classic is a direct result of the down-to-the-stump location reporting we’re seeing from ESPN. It’s one thing to report guys are catching them in Cataouatche. It’s another to show the exact GPS track and location of dozens of competitors in the tank pond area on the far west end of Cataouatche multiple times in a 1-hour primetime television broadcast.
Last week Kumar asked if there’s too much location info in professional fishing. One thing he didn’t go into much depth on in that piece is the latent impact that such detailed location reporting can have on a fishery long after B.A.S.S. has vacated the premises—much less a prime spawning ground smack-dab in the middle of a massive encroachment of soon-to-be bedding bass. It’s a subject that definitely deserves some thought.
It’s pretty amazing how much the Bassmaster Elite Series and the pros that comprise it can influence the fishing culture in the areas they visit. I’ve seen it first-hand on impoundments like Amistad and Falcon, and I’m sure Beeswax Creek has never been the same since last year’s Classic. The good news is that bass are smarter than us [or at least it seems that way], and they’ll eventually adapt and learn to avoid high pressure areas. Then we’ll have to figure out how to catch them all over again… or wait until the Elites come back to town and show us how it’s done.
Do any of you guys have stories about how your favorite lakes have changed, for better or worse, since the Elites rolled through town? What about the local anglers that go out and beat up the spots where they saw the pros fishing the week before? Have you ever tried it? Are you cool with that kind of behavior?
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BryanT
March 2, 2011 at 9:04 am
It would be sweet if the classic moved to late summer/fall time and fished an place where they can still catch 75lbs over three days.
Let’s see where that is.
Oh, I bet Green Bay, Bay De Nocs, Buffalo, 1000 islands, or any great lake.
The other awesome thing is smallmouth don’t get married to areas in the great lakes. What’s awesome one day can be busted the next. During the spawn there is so much great habitat there would be no concentrations of anglers in one specific area.
happ mc murter
March 2, 2011 at 9:04 am
i think it is up to responsable fishermen NOT to overfish a spot….when the pros do it they are making a living..as non pros..when you see to many boats in a spot 1..pain in the but to fish..2 draining an area..catch and release or not..dosne help any one OR the fish…then in 2 yrs time when the fish arent there anymore we will blame polution..water qaulity..any thing but take the blame ourselves for a problemwe created…just move on to ANOTHER spot….wht do you want to fish 10 feet away fromanother boat
DaveW
March 2, 2011 at 9:21 am
I fish KY Lake regularly. I hate to say that I am very glad that the Elites will not be returning this year. Whether through their own fish-finding prowess or with local help/waypoints, the Elite guys are on some of the best stuff on the lake. The top ten (who are really on the juice) then put those holes on TV and have an armada of followers. The result is that some of the best off-shore “secrets” on the lake are ruined.
I don’t begrudge the Elite Series guys for fishing them. They are doing their jobs. But the followers just mark the spots and spend the next 3 years pounding them. I can recall three very good ledges where I could almost always pull up without a boat in site: KVD fished two of them and Bobby Lane (the Promised Land) fished the other. Now, there might as well be a ticket-dispenser and flashing light reading “Now Serving Boat 413.” Fortunately, as mentioned in the article above, those fish get smart and go elsewhere. Most of the followers won’t be able to find them. If they rely on following someone else around to find fish, they won’t be able to find them on their own.
Boar Hog
March 2, 2011 at 9:41 am
The 2006 Classic was fished on my home chain of lakes. Everyone knows where Luke Clausen caught all his fish, and the area got pounded for months after the Classic was over. The fish left the area less than a week after the tournament was over, but there were still a ton of people who combed the area long after the fish were gone. As far as I know, the fish haven’t been back in that area (in any number) since. Now, even 5 years later, I know a number of guys who try that area repeatedly during the spawn, hoping for those fish to be back. Personally, I’m glad they spend a lot of time there. It gives me extra opportunity to figure out where they are and what they’re doing right now.
Tom
March 2, 2011 at 10:36 am
I fish lake cataouatche often, I can tell you over the last 3 years there have been at least that many boats in there on weekends this time of year. I do not like the fact that they showed exactly how those fish were being caught in there since I figured out how to catch them in there much like the pros were doing. 5 years ago the entire lake was a huge grassmat. You couldn’t go anywhere u wanted and if u did, good luck trying to get back up on plane. They have been spraying and killing the grass the last couple of years but I hope they let it become a huge grassmat again this year.
Jacob Robinson
March 2, 2011 at 2:38 pm
In 2008 when Jones won the Classic at Hartwell, he had been fishing a creek channel that i fish during the winter. Well after he won, everyone and their neighbor started fishing it. Now everybody knows about it.
Alex Voog
March 2, 2011 at 3:26 pm
I’m not sure, no, I’m positive I don’t want to be in crankbait casting range of one boat let alone four or five!. Soremouthing them is one, I just don’t want to see the “meatheads” filling their coolers with big breeder bass every day, all day. ============== Where is that picture from, Havasu?
Jason
March 2, 2011 at 6:03 pm
Yep, Havasu. Good call.
Bass Pundit
March 3, 2011 at 4:57 am
Tom just confirmed what I thought was true. That the tank ponds on cataouatche was just a big a community hole just like Beeswax Creek always was on Lay.