Electronic fish calls ... should it be legal in tournaments?

[Castaic Dave]

I dont think so. What do you think. I know in most states you cannot use electronic calls to hunt deer.

[mark poulson]

and they don't work! My contributions to the pot will testify to that. I don't know if deer calls are a good comparison, but I know when I heard that I wondered if it was Kosher.
If I were from KVD land I would probably not be concerned at all. I do think he's great. But, like you said, I wonder if electronic calling is Kosher, or if it should be? I guess, if it's in the rules right now, it is. Maybe it's something to be considered in the future. For now, anyone could have used it, and maybe many did, who knows? All I know is Kevin "got 'em", to quote Ron C., a little better than anyone else, including Aaron.
Mark

[Rick G]

The guys from Biosonix are coming to this years Bass-a-thon, so you can check them out in person. I purchased one of the units at the Classic and have a couple of points on DVL I cant wait to see if it works. The units retail for $699.99. Have not got a ruling on tournament legality yet. Rick G.

[Guy Williams]

Them points don't work anymore, I had to get rid of my old battery's and dropped them overboard. 4 battery's for each point = no bass on points anymore. Plus them buckets of motor oil most likely did not help either.
Guy Williams

[Rick G]

Power bait is always a good choice. See you on the pond. Rick G.

[mark poulson]

What weight oil do you throw?

[mark poulson]

Please post your results with the electronic caller. But be careful. If it works, who needs sonar? Or maybe it just turns on the fish in the immediate area. Let us know. And I look forward to the BAT to see those guys in person. Are you going to let them demonstrate their device in your tank? Someone needs to catch those fish again!

[Castaic Dave]

Do you think it should be legal in competition?!

[Noluk]

Well I am certain it will help.. for awhile anyway until the fish become conditioned to it. As far as legalness, rattletraps etc are legal and are based upon the same concept. (Actualy Biosonix is owned by rattletraps, I do believe) I would want it to be legal. Now I wish I could afford one.

[DeltaBound]

They should be legal in tournaments, then I can start winning more tournaments while the fish callers are wasting their time The color-c-lector and PH meters worked at making the manufactures rich. Remember, most products catch fisherman.

[NaCl]

I seem to recall that Aaron Martens lost by a few ounces AFTER tossing back a close "short" fish and losing at least one good keeper that would won the tournament for him. So how does that make KVD's secret weapon all that effective? Given the number of fish Aaron caught and the ones that he lost, I think I'd rather have Aaron's baits than that sonic thing-a-ma-jig.

That said, I do not think they should be banned from tournament fishing. I also don't think stock cars should have restrictor plates or that bass fishing rods should be limited to 8 feet. So what if some guy does good on a 10' fly rod. As long as catching the fish requires angler skill to present the bait then all anglers have the same chance. Besides, even if that sonic snot slurper (or whatever it's called) does a great job of getting strikes, the angler still has to figure out where the better fish are located in the lake. KVD could fish that thing all day long in my pool and he ain't gonna catch much!

In fact, it might even be a problem...imagine catching every little spotted bass on a lake like Oroville. A guy might spend all day releasing tiny fish from his sonic piggly wiggly while some guy (probably Dobyns) throws a crawdad imitating hula grub or jig is patterning only bigger fish.

So, I'm not for banning it. It's just a fishing gimic...hmmm....wonder where I put those old Helicopter lures and Banjo Minners in my garage?

.....NaCl

[MN]

With nacl.Think about it,how many box's of stuff do we own and how much do we actually use.I have stuff the treble hook's are starting to rust becouse i may have used it once and that was it.I fish san antonio alot which has turned into a pretty darn good smallmouth lake the last three year's.You know what one of my favorite lure's is(probably be sorry i said this)is the good old mepp's spiner.Now i am pretty sure there are not to many guy's throwing them here.So sure go ahead and use this contraption dont they also use those camera's to???

[mark poulson]

I guess I'd have to say no. Sonar probably does more in terms of finding fish, and it's legal. Scents and attractants probably work, and they're legal. I think, as long as everyone has the same option to use it or not, it should be legal. Like someone before me said, when the fish get used to it, it won't be all that anymore, anyway. And if it continues to work even after saturation by fishermen, I'm buyin'me one!
I also think the guys and gals who fish the different trails, or the oranizations that put them on, should probably be the ones who decide if and when it's legal or illegal. It's their livelihood that's at stake. I'm pretty sure they will address it if it really an issue.

[Schneider Fishing]

Will you have the BSX at the DVL Night tournament?

[Shawn R.]

Maybe Rick should give it to someone else to use in the DV Tourney. Heres why?
If he wins, whos to say its not just his knowledge of the lake and how to catch em?
If he loses, whos to say this device didnt just turn off his fish?
Either way ill still have questions on this device when its all said and done???

[Rick G]

I will not have the unit in time for this weekends DVL tourney. But if I did I would not fool with it in a tournament anyway, especially a night event. Too much effort not to fall in the water. But during the day when those fish are on those main lake points and inactive is what has got me fired up on this Biosonix unit. These guys have a lot of research involved in this product, so come to the B.A.T. and listen to their story and see for yourself. The bite at DVL is as good as it gets right now during the day, so hopefully the night bite is still good. With a 3 fish limit this weekend you have to adjust your normal plan anyway and just go for bigger fish. See you there. Rick G.

[Guest]

As for the BIOSONIX I have heard nothing but good stuff. Rumor has it KVD hasn't lost since he started using it! That should help out on marketing just a little!!!! I plan on getting one ASAP... I need all the help I can get!

The Bite at DVL is good? Darn... and I went to puddingstone today! I knew I should have went out to DVL... Wish I could fish the night event.. but, I am going Small mouth fishing out at the River....

[John Barron]

Should they be legal in a tournament?

At first glance I would think there is no reason to ban them from tournaments. No more than any of the other electronics. Cameras are a different story beyond the fact it takes too much time and effort to use them in a tournament.

Should they be banned? I will have to think about it a little more. Right now I don't see any reason to ban them. Will I change my mind once I see and touch and understand them a little better?
I will hold my opinion until then.
John Barron
National Bass West
Sothwest Region Tournament Director
2006 Central Coast Region Tournament Director

ps: Hey MN......we used to throw the smallest Okiebug spinnerbaits we could get our hands on at San Anton several years ago so mepps spinners makes sense.
jb

[sTony]

Cheating is when you do something blatantly and knowing breaking rules to give yourself an unfair advantage. Cheating is when you stuff fish into a cage or put them on a tether. Cheating is when you move fish from one location to another area to spike your water, especially when the fish may not be able to leave that area you've put them. Cheating is when you decide to throw a live bait instead of an artificial. Cheating is when you're not catching your fish at all but instead shocking them up, hahaha. Cheating is when you bring the fish to the lake in the morning and not catch them from the lake.

This unit is available to all anglers. No way that something each of you can put on your boat could ever be considered cheating.

sTony

[Castaic Dave]

if he had one on his boat during the classic he would say HELL NO! He is a pureist that finds the fish and coaxes them into the boat! He doesnt hire guides to show him the lake he hunts himself! The only electronics is his GPS/fish finder/Flasher. the way it should be.
While watching the Classic rerund Saturday You could see Vandams Fish caller right there in the floor of his boat. I dont want to take anything away from Vandam but had he NOT had this unit on his boat Aaron Martins would have been the 2005 Classic Champion and Angler of the year!
Dave

[sTony]

that's pure supposition on your part.

As to pureism in the sport, we only recently starting using GPS technolgy, I used to love the days of trying to use land points to line up where that rock pile was on the lake and then throwing a marker so you didn't lose it. But technology has advanced and most anglers now use GPS units and save time to fish more effectively.

Depth finders weren't always a part of tournament angling either and some anglers really became experts using them to their advantage and caught more fish as a result and now we all have them on our boats whether or not we've all excelled at their use. Now we have side viewing finders that will allow to you look up under docks and what not to locate fish. Surely we've come a long way from solely using flashers.

The times are changing and technology is advancing. Folks that learn how to best use the newer technology will be giving themselves a FAIR advantage.

sTony