Enough all ready

[Cracker-coon]

So this lake has had, heck I don't know, 5,6 maybe 7 weeks of 150+ boat tournaments out of Dayton in the last month. Tomorrow UMF is out of Dayton. I pay taxes here, I'd like to be able to use the freaking ramp sometime!!

 

[fishinvol]

This is what happens when the lake you fish is one of the best in the country . There are days it sucks , but it's just part of it now a days .

 

[Allison2002]

Still sucks let the pros go to Watts bar. I hear they are spraying the grass up there.

 

[Springmillvol]

I've never seen a lake that gets the pressure the chick does. We will see if it can hold up.

 

[BulletTJ]

Guntersville used to get this kind of pressure. It will be like this until the fishing drops off or some other lake can out perform the Chick. I do know what you are saying about getting to use a ramp. I am old so I can still remember how Chickamauga was. There is as much fishing pressure on Wednesday as there used to be on a Saturday. A lot of the boats from out of state are eating the fish they catch. I was fishing a couple of weeks ago and I watched two boats from Ohio tossing the bass they caught in their live wells. When one got close to me I asked if he was fishing in a tournament. He said no. Why was I asking? I said I had noticed he and his buddy tossing bass in the live well. He said they were camping for a week and they have ate fish everyday so far. He said, where he comes from, they always keep their fish. I just shook my head. He said what did that mean. I asked him if he had ever thought what that did to their fishery? He said what do you mean. I said, if you had released most of the fish you caught back home, maybe you wouldn't have to travel 5 hours to fish a decent lake. I know he bought his license and has a right to keep the fish he catches. What usually happens with campers is they catch and keep their limit. Head back to camp, clean the fish and head back out in the afternoon. I am glad Chickamauga is doing so well. I just don't know how long it can keep it up.

 

[Chick68]

I agree with you guys , It is just unbelievably the amount of boats on the water mid-week. I just retired 4 weeks ago and thought I would have the lake to my self during the week but I was wrong..........

 

[porthos33]

You just gotta find the areas with less pressure! I know it's crazy, but there are days through the week i only see just a couple boats. Love it! I just don't like fishing around a ton of people!

 

[WarEagleChatt]

I grew up on Wheeler lake. The pressure this lake is facing reminds me of Wheeler's heyday. Unless something changes, I am expecting the same demise.

 

[Allison2002]

Well said Guys I agree with all.

 

[Rob Lee]

I could not agree more. Additionally, when you add the other recreational boaters now that school is out it has become dangerous. Moron alert is RED. I welcome a greater TWRA presence.

 

[jb366]

I give it maybe 2-3 years before a 5lb bass is considered "huge" again and catching 10 in a day is an excellent day.
There's no doubt in my mind the 3 giant tournaments ripping 100's of bass off of beds has hurt the spawn this year.

 

[Springmillvol]

i just wish it wasn't so relentless in the spring. week after week after week. Reminds me of a boom town with no zoning plan and in 10 yrs everyone looks around and wonders what happened. It does generate a lot of visitor cash flow though. I just hope all involved take an objective long term view of the reservoir.

 

[churly]

We have had an impeccable spawn the past 3 years! Over all population is in great shape. The older, larger fish are pressured and tougher to catch. It's harder for every day bob to catch a 5lber...

 

[Lx545]

There was a really nice 5 plus floating after the umf yesterday. I dont understand why with todays technologies we have to bring fish in the weigh them in. I get the shock and awe factor of a weigh in but there were maybe 25-30 people at that weigh in yesterday.

 

[tnbsfsher]

I agree the lake has took a lot the last few weeks and what's a disadvantage for Chickamauga it fishes a lot smaller than a lake like Guntersville in the summer months. Certain areas get hammered over and over and our electronics now days shows everything. It's up to groups like this and other local tournament series and bass clubs to really educate ourselves on taking care of what we catch. My opinion is we don't need 12 hour tournaments with 5 fish limits. Some people think throw a 10lb of ice in your live well and put you pump on recirc fixes everything. Really? Check the ammonia levels after 6-8 hours. Ammonia is toxic. Also taking a fish out of 75-80 degree water and throwing it in 65 can put them in shock. I did witness the weigh-ins of the Costa tournament and they were using release boats that have a controlled temperature, plenty of aeration and they were using g-juice to treat the fish. So maybe the larger circuits are doing their part, it just up to the rest of u to follow suit. Chickamauga is in great shape for now compared to the past. Remember when the 1986 Bassmaster Classic was won by Charlie Reed with less than 24 pounds for three days!

 

[jimwarden]

Would I rather have a nearby lake that no out-of-town tournaments wanted to come to because the fishing was so poor, or the Chickamauga we have now? Well, I will take the Chickamauga we have now. I'm old enough to remember the Chickamauga no tournaments wanted to come to in the past. It helps to get out through the week. I do wish more tournaments could adopt a MLF style of catch and release format, but I've been hoping for that for a while. What is so encouraging is the care fisherman are taking with their catches and the number of double digit bass that are now routinely released after a quick photo when not caught in a tournament.

 

[SlabDog]

Lx545 - 5/28/2017 10:26 AM There was a really nice 5 plus floating after the umf yesterday. I dont understand why with todays technologies we have to bring fish in the weigh them in. I get the shock and awe factor of a weigh in but there were maybe 25-30 people at that weigh in yesterday.

</p>

I've gone to many of the weigh-ins at Chester Frost since I live close by. But I go the day after. You'd be surprised what you see floating in the weeds and next to the banks. I took pictures for a while, but got tired of seeing them.</p>

 

[south599]

One thing I have seen at the national college tournaments on Pickwick was the group releasing fish inspected all of them as they came by and would keep the fish most likely to die. They later filleted those and fed a lot of the anglers and anyone who wanted to stop by.
It's a part of it there is no way to stop it. There are ramps that few use up in the hiwassee area. I say enjoy it and what it does for our economy and hope look for ways to help TWRA monitor and stock the fish appropriately to keep up with the pressure. They have done a great job so far. Remember national and worldwide attention helps more than just the jobs around the fishing industry and I thinks it's part of what has brought so many other jobs into the region in the past decade.

 

[benchwarmer]

The lake is getting hammered on a daily basis and a lot of out of towners are part of the traffic on the lake. Now that Memorial Day is past it is kinda the official start of the pleasure boating season. Ski boats, cruisers, jet ski, and pontoons will be flooding the lake on the weekdays and the esp. weekends. Finding that personal relaxing spot will be difficult and sometimes impossible. Throw the temperatures rising now and tempers are a little shorter, just remember that you are not alone and have to share the water. Just use some common sense dealing with people who do not know any better and the ones that don't even care about learning what they are doing wrong.

 

[elwestb]

jimwarden - 5/28/2017 2:48 PM

Would I rather have a nearby lake that no out-of-town tournaments wanted to come to because the fishing was so poor, or the Chickamauga we have now? Well, I will take the Chickamauga we have now. I'm old enough to remember the Chickamauga no tournaments wanted to come to in the past. It helps to get out through the week. I do wish more tournaments could adopt a MLF style of catch and release format, but I've been hoping for that for a while. What is so encouraging is the care fisherman are taking with their catches and the number of double digit bass that are now routinely released after a quick photo when not caught in a tournament.

I totally agree!