It’s coming to the bjcc in March! Anybody going to be there? And has anyone ever been to one?

I've worked at several. One in Bham. The crowds are amazing. Lots to see and buy.

I’ve been before and will more that likely be at the one in March as well... lots to see and buy

Have been to 18 since 1995. The 'expo' is a lot of fun, good vibe, some good deals on things.

Depending on when you're going, I'd recommend getting there early. Parking is challenging around the BJCC. There's just limited parking even with the deck and streets.

Despite the high water in Guntersville, I think they might wreck 'em and have a great 3-day weight. They're biting fairly well right now.

Probly take over 75lbs

75 wouldn't shock me. I figure it'll be around 65-70 if the weather's great, since other boaters will be out following along with regular anglers and some recreational people. There's typically a Day 2 lull, minimal sometimes, but enough to go from 25 to 20 after Day 1.

If the weather stabilizes and water temps climb a big, it could be scary good. They start practice I believe either today or next Friday, so of course they'll be tight-lipped and poor-mouthing everything. lol

Piss on them is my opinion. Believe they are fishing Guntersville, then hauling the fish all the way to Birmingham to do the "weigh-in" and ego-walk, then the fish are hauled all the way back to Guntersville to be put back in the lake where most of the fish will be dead within 72 hours - I've been told a study was done on fish released by BASS tournaments that showed an 80%+ mortality rate of the released fish within 3 days of release.... Might as well clean the fish after weigh-in and donate the meat to a shelter or people that will put it to use instead of wasting the fish. I hate the BASS organization and their format. They abuse a public resource for monetary gain which I think is totally wrong. They are killing huge numbers of the largest fish in the lakes they fish every year! I have the same feelings towards all other tournaments - local wildcats and others (and there's hundreds of them) that catch/keep fish for weigh-in then release after being bounced around in a live-well all day. The MLF format is the only one I feel is acceptable as it preserves the resource being exploited by "tournament" fishing.

Rant over.

Ass Gobblin^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Well newbie, if BASS hadn't come along EVERY green trout fisherman would still be introducing their catch to hot grease. How many survived that ?

Nailed it.

I am a tournament fisherman, but I don't "technically" disagree with Uokman2014, I have long believed the mortality rate is exceedingly worse than most people think (actually I don't think 99% of tournament fishermen EVER even consider it, not that they wouldn't care if they knew, but it's just not a concept they ever think about). I don't think many fish die from one tournament day in a small local tournament, but the sport of fishing has grown so much in the last 20 years that it sometimes feels like every fish in the lake is caught over and over and over and over, I mean there's a tournament or two virtually 7 days a week on many lakes (cough, cough, Logan Martin). I believe I can tell the affect of fishing pressure everywhere I fish. But to back up Uokman2014, it's just plain selfish and stupid to catch fish all day, ride them around in a livewell all day, transport them 1.5 or 2 hours by road, they still might stay in a tank or livewell for a while before and after, then be driven that far back to Guntersville. That is not conservation minded, and there is no defense of it. I absolutely hate MLF with 10 purple passions, but they are right about the catch and immediate release.
I also hate professional tournaments coming to a lake, it escalates the pressure beyond even the regular harmful amount. I also hate seeing them violently boat flip every frickin' fish they reel in, it's like damn you ain't gotta do that.

I like fillets😁

Uokman2014... U OK? Haha I don't disagree but I will be going to check out all the new fishing stuff...

Always that one lol

By chance do you have a link or other info to this fish mortality study? I've seen old ones that were conducted during the summer but nothing recent.

BASS and FLW always claimed "live fish" if they saw a gill twitch or tail wiggle. Tournament directors from those top leagues down to weeknight fruitjar events did the same. Banging around in the summertime heat and hot water kills a ton of them. Head to any popular ramp this summer hours or a day after a tournament if that's where the fish are released. If someone's not there scooping them with a net, chances are good you'll see some floaters.

A bazillion fish have died over the years and two bazillion replace them. BASS holding this event in March definitely helps. I'm not a fan of the long travel, but that is not new at all for them or FLW. Has been going on for decades with each organization.

As for abusing the resource, here's the number for DCNR Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries - 334-242-3465. I'm sure someone in Fisheries Section would talk with you about it.

Get your calculator out and figure up how many big bass are killed at guntersville every year by the catch and releasers. Its staggering. This is just one tournament. Some weekends there will be two or three going with way more boats in each tournament. I definately think they should consider changing something to ensure more of the big fish stay alive.

we all have things we hate about fishing. i hate seeing anyone just sling a fish back in the water. I always try to release them as painlessly as possible. I also pump a Pro Air pump in my livewells and I'm positive that helped their morality by how frisky they were when removed for the livewell. Ponder this, all the jobs Bass fishing has created. The evolution of lures, tackle and boats. Without tournaments bass boats would not have been born. You that hate tournaments are just selfish . Its the money generated by interest in getting tournaments and drawing tourist that has States now working on putting big and plenty of bass in our waters.

I dont hate them perch. I just wish there was some kind of thought going into how many boats tournaments were putting on the water on a given day and theyd figure out a way to keep the big fish alive. My son has dreams of catching just one of those fish theyll kill in a bigtime bass tournament. You are probably right about them making bass fishing what it is but does that mean they should be allowed to ruin it for the casual fishermen?

went to Knoxville last year. was interesting experience

Jw, if you want your son to catch a big one, his first. I suggest you find him access to a bunch of farm ponds. They hold untouched numbers of big ones.